651. The Moral Instinct

Comment #110805 by LorienRyan on January 12, 2008 at 3:55 pm

mjwemdee,

I get pedantic sometimes, but in a good way.

Thanks for your replies.

652. The Moral Instinct

Comment #110800 by LorienRyan on January 12, 2008 at 3:31 pm

mjwemdee,

I guess it also depends on how one defines 'behavior'. How much of 'choice', 'environmental' factors and genetics does one attribute to behavior?

653. The Moral Instinct

Comment #110798 by LorienRyan on January 12, 2008 at 3:09 pm

mjwemdee,

isn't Steven Pinker writing from the perspective of the mainstream view? He seems just to be pointing out the direction of the shifting moral zeitgiest.

654. The Moral Instinct

Comment #110793 by LorienRyan on January 12, 2008 at 2:44 pm

That's ok, nice phrase.

It seems moral objectivity can only be reached when everyone's moral subjectivity is the same.

655. The Moral Instinct

Comment #110790 by LorienRyan on January 12, 2008 at 2:39 pm

Just having some fun with moral dilemmas

656. The Moral Instinct

Comment #110788 by LorienRyan on January 12, 2008 at 2:23 pm

A man is driven to steal a loaf of bread to feed his family, he is seen by an upstanding man of the community who notifies the authorities and he is arrested by the police for stealing and thrown in jail, the man's family starves. He is released from jail to find his family dead and spirals into deep depression, a religious minister consoles him and the man is converted to religion. The church provides him with food and shelter which motivates him to preach the religion. One day he is deriled by an atheist for being wrong and insane upon which a heated confrontation begins. Eventually the man seeing the logic of the atheist and the irrationality of his ways leaves the church gets his life on track and becomes a scientist. He is employed by a chemical company to do research in biochemical products. Unknown to the man the company sells biochemical products to an arms dealer which supplies an iranian company with chemical weapons...

Morals?

657. Why (Almost All) Cosmologists are Atheists

Comment #110616 by LorienRyan on January 11, 2008 at 3:39 pm

Steven,

I think most here will agree that theism doesn't make much sense

658. Why (Almost All) Cosmologists are Atheists

Comment #110607 by LorienRyan on January 11, 2008 at 3:22 pm

Donald

That's a good point, but then ask the question, 'how long did the whole process take', from a certain point, and it is all moving in the same direction. Which really is making the same point. :)

659. Why (Almost All) Cosmologists are Atheists

Comment #110601 by LorienRyan on January 11, 2008 at 3:13 pm

The two different views of science, well, as I see it anyway...

1. Exploring the universe.

2. Exploring the universe God created.

Two views, one could be represented by a '0' and the other could be represented as a '1'.

660. Irreligion: A Mathematician Explains Why the Arguments for God Just Don't Add Up

Comment #109905 by LorienRyan on January 10, 2008 at 3:04 am

epeeist - "How much of linguistic philosophy has been subsumed by cultural anthropology?"

Steven Pinker's research in evolutionary psychology and linguistics is an excellent resource on that subject. A real plus to the flexibility of scientific methodology.

661. Irreligion: A Mathematician Explains Why the Arguments for God Just Don't Add Up

Comment #109851 by LorienRyan on January 9, 2008 at 11:39 pm

I think it's funny, we know all kinds of things exist like say potatoes, but there aren't any amazingly intricate arguements for things like potatoes, because they just exist, right? Well, where is God? I've heard all the arguments, where the hell is He?

662. Hook, line and rapture

Comment #109393 by LorienRyan on January 9, 2008 at 1:41 am

True Story - I was at uni using the computer facilities with one of my classmates. During lunch he stayed and I went to the local cafe, where to my amusement some guy was preaching to his workmates at the table next to me. I had a little chuckle to myself and went back to the uni. With some animation and glee I shared the story with my classmate, to which he responded with a completely straight face, 'I'm a christian.' 'Oh', I said and turned back to my computer screen.

663. Hook, line and rapture

Comment #109360 by LorienRyan on January 8, 2008 at 10:52 pm

Steve Zara

I think Sam Harris is a 'soppy atheist' also.

664. Hook, line and rapture

Comment #109355 by LorienRyan on January 8, 2008 at 10:42 pm

"...and yes, you guessed it, God talks back to him."

very funny

nice one Pat

665. It was a bad year for God.

Comment #109247 by LorienRyan on January 8, 2008 at 4:37 pm

There is nothing more liberating than experiencing the ability to critically think for yourself and cut through all of the propaganda and nonsense the world seems to be so full of. It's great to have people like Dawkins, Harris and Dennett spreading the real good news, well, the real news anyway.

666. It was a bad year for God.

Comment #109242 by LorienRyan on January 8, 2008 at 4:23 pm

I would recommend everyone read, Carl Sagan - The Demon Haunted World, Bertrand Russell - Why I Am Not a Christian, and A.F. Chalmers - What is this thing called Science? I haven't found any essentially new idea's since reading these three books, although it is nice to see good idea's in different formats.

667. It was a bad year for God.

Comment #109215 by LorienRyan on January 8, 2008 at 3:25 pm

Be good to see more books and/or media about people's experiences of coming out of belief in God/religion - how they dealt with it, etc. Something current believers would probably relate to more.

668. It was a bad year for God.

Comment #109199 by LorienRyan on January 8, 2008 at 2:57 pm

It was a bad year for lies and bullshit. Hopefully the future will be better for childrens opportunity to learn more about reason and critical thinking. I haven't read TGD, don't think I need to, but will buy the paperback edition - hope it's a good read.

669. Six Reasons to be an Atheist

Comment #108387 by LorienRyan on January 6, 2008 at 5:19 pm

I would like to applaud all my fellow atheists who have risen above the petty rhetoric of parasitic ideologies and the emotionally infantile hankering of those who would harbour such absurdity. Again, I applaud you.

670. Six Reasons to be an Atheist

Comment #108049 by LorienRyan on January 5, 2008 at 10:57 pm

Best reason to be an atheist...

Lack of evidence otherwise.

671. Mother Nature is Not Our Friend

Comment #105845 by LorienRyan on January 2, 2008 at 12:36 am

Oh, and by the way, I think Sam Harris is brilliant. The best of our four debaters...

672. Mother Nature is Not Our Friend

Comment #105844 by LorienRyan on January 2, 2008 at 12:33 am

Mother Nature, with a gentle hand on Sam's shoulder, says in a soft consoling tone, 'there, there, it is what it is.'

673. It is possible to be moral without God

Comment #105170 by LorienRyan on December 30, 2007 at 7:53 pm

If atheism is true then of course it is possible to be moral without God - because there isn't a God. If theism is true then the question of the nature of God's existence has to be answered first, then whether He plays a role in human moral reasoning. Since both propositions are lacking in certainty it seems to my mind imperitive for a universal moral common ground that serves human's to be agreed upon somehow. Therein lies the problem. Oh my god, we're all doomed...

674. Could there be a Darwinian Account of Human Creativity?

Comment #105158 by LorienRyan on December 30, 2007 at 7:29 pm

To AfraidToDie

I suspect the creative arts very bread 'n' butter is its ability to move and/or influence people in some way, therefore justifying it's very existence. This smacks very much of the stuff of natural selection. Art that does not grab people's attention will go unnoticed, although I do conceed that our present capitalist economies would contort this dynamic somewhat, or at least shift the focus of selection.

675. Could there be a Darwinian Account of Human Creativity?

Comment #104833 by LorienRyan on December 29, 2007 at 3:32 pm

Daniel Dennett is a great writer and has inspired me in much of my own thoughts and reasoning. If Darwinism is true then there is no reason why it cannot be used as a basis, at least, to account for human creativity, or indeed creativity in any sense. Also, just because it is possible creativity can be reduced to a darwinian, materialistic explanation does not mean that a beautiful symphony or painting cannot move me. In fact, the scientific explanations of things move me just as much as the things themselves - so I am in heaven!

676. Banishing the Green-Eyed Monster

Comment #92032 by LorienRyan on November 29, 2007 at 6:09 pm

In a relationship one can overcome jealousy, can one also overcome the desire for sex with others? I guess it depends on an agreement and/or understanding between partners. Who does the overcoming? Who is the most Darwinian?