










1251. The Salamander's Tale
Comment #133927 by epeeist on February 27, 2008 at 3:14 am
Comment #133913 by Steve Zara
Steve - may I pick a small nit with you.
Is there any chance of you making a back reference to the OP when you make a quote. Otherwise it can be a little difficult to follow the context.
1252. Fleabytes
Comment #133918 by epeeist on February 27, 2008 at 3:03 am
Comment #133914 by Quetzalcoatl
Now, who would like to join me in a game of "Spot the Glaring Differences?"
1253. Fleabytes
Comment #133897 by epeeist on February 27, 2008 at 2:26 am
Comment #133893 by clearthinker
Well if he had actually said this then it would be false. I will leave it to other readers to go back and look at the comment and see what he actually said.
Eppeist (1050) - I was responding to the claim that " all of the scienctific and philosophical pursuits of the greatest minds in history" were on the side of atheism." (Lorien 936). Something that is demonstrably false.
1254. Fleabytes
Comment #133881 by epeeist on February 27, 2008 at 2:08 am
Comment #133860 by clearthinker
Are you suggesting that Newton, Augustine, Calvin, Edwards, Galileo, Plato, Jesus, Paul, Aquinas, Milton, etc were all atheists?No, but just because the majority of people in times past believed in something doesn't make it true. How many believers in Tir na nOg now exists, or phlostigon?
1255. Fleabytes
Comment #133874 by epeeist on February 27, 2008 at 1:57 am
Comment #133860 by clearthinker
In the real world of discourse one doesn't use the mechanisms of quarrel dialogue.
But in the surreal world of atheist fundamentalism that is apparently not how it works.
1256. Fleabytes
Comment #133681 by epeeist on February 26, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Comment #133579 by Paula Kirby
I thought that was 2012, the end of the Mayan calendar?
Wasn't the Second Coming due by now? Are you thinking what I'm thinking ...?
1257. Add another flea to the list...
Comment #133679 by epeeist on February 26, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Comment #133648 by Goldy
My martial arts instructor is a fairly short guy, probably only a few inches above Anna's height. He could without question beat the crap out of the biggest and heaviest guy in our class
1258. Add another flea to the list...
Comment #133672 by epeeist on February 26, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Comment #133559 by The Reverend Dark
Whoever said size does not matter in a fight was a big guy. And he was lying.
1259. Fleabytes
Comment #133531 by epeeist on February 26, 2008 at 9:58 am
Comment #133520 by Frankus1122
I was at a conference yesterday talking about what is crucial for students to learn in school.
Information is ubiquitous and it is increasingly easy to access it.
Critical thinking skills are most important. Detecting bias, authenticating sources, looking for internal consistency - these are skills that need to be taught and fostered.
Students need to question the validity of the information they access.
1260. The Salamander's Tale
Comment #133527 by epeeist on February 26, 2008 at 9:48 am
Comment #133521 by Epinephrine
Isn't that just Russell's paradox?
1261. Pakistan blocks YouTube over blasphemous video
Comment #133491 by epeeist on February 26, 2008 at 8:37 am
It seems as though it isn't just the Pakistanis that are keen on shutting down technology - http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080225-taliban-wants-cell-phone-networks-shut-down-at-night.html
1262. The Salamander's Tale
Comment #133471 by epeeist on February 26, 2008 at 8:14 am
OK smartarses - but I want to know whether the set of all sets which do not contain themselves contains itself.
1263. Pakistan blocks YouTube over blasphemous video
Comment #133462 by epeeist on February 26, 2008 at 8:05 am
Comment #133459 by al-rawandi
Make that Britain rather than England.
How did England even acquire those territories? It wasn't exactly a hop skip and a jump from the home Isle.
1264. The Salamander's Tale
Comment #133440 by epeeist on February 26, 2008 at 7:34 am
Comment #132783 by wooter
If the universe needs a cause, then why doesn't God need a cause? And if God doesn't need a cause, why should the universe need a cause? In reply, Christians should use the following reasoning:
1.Everything which has a beginning has a cause.1
2.The universe has a beginning.
3.Therefore the universe has a cause.
1265. Pakistan blocks YouTube over blasphemous video
Comment #133435 by epeeist on February 26, 2008 at 7:27 am
Comment #133434 by AshtonBlack
Nah, the lanolin is good for your hands.
You forgot the Velcro(tm) gloves!!
1266. Pakistan blocks YouTube over blasphemous video
Comment #133432 by epeeist on February 26, 2008 at 7:24 am
Comment #133406 by hungarianelephant
Many years ago I did my Ph.D in North Wales. I had difficulty finding accommodation because certain halls were only open to Welsh speakers. The fact that these were only one third full, while the "mixed" halls were overflowing made no difference.
The right to speak a language with no vowels (although no one was preventing you from doing so in the first place), invent place names, have an expensive talking shop in Cardiff paid for by the English taxpayer, and be able to discriminate against anyone who can hold a conversation without spitting.
1267. Pakistan blocks YouTube over blasphemous video
Comment #133401 by epeeist on February 26, 2008 at 6:52 am
Comment #133394 by al-rawandi
A sheep and a pair of oversized wellington boots.
I am a Welsh Nationalist.
What do I win?
1268. Add another flea to the list...
Comment #133397 by epeeist on February 26, 2008 at 6:50 am
Comment #133373 by Quetzalcoatl
Boyfriend was at the same university as Bill and has worked as an intern for the Democrats.
if they're from Arkansas, why not ask them their opinion on the Clintons?
1269. Pakistan blocks YouTube over blasphemous video
Comment #133392 by epeeist on February 26, 2008 at 6:45 am
Comment #133361 by AshtonBlack
There are some people whose mindset is set in home counties of the 1950's who would like that small part of England to be divorced from the rest of the UK, never mind Europe. This would generate a paradise with warm beer, village cricket, the church clock standing at half past three with honey sandwiches for tea.
Dude, we Brits ARE Europeans. I mean, there is a small minority of peeps who would like to "up anchor" and float the HMS "Great Britain" to the other side of the pond, but alas we are still part of the continent of Europe.
1270. Add another flea to the list...
Comment #133353 by epeeist on February 26, 2008 at 5:43 am
Comment #133352 by annabanana
Of course, I live in the Bible Belt of the US right now
1271. Physicist Neil Turok: Big Bang Wasn't the Beginning
Comment #133335 by epeeist on February 26, 2008 at 4:52 am
Just listening to Melvyn Bragg's "In Our Time" from last week (Podcast available from the http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/ website). The topic is the Multiverse. Good introductory piece.
Also came across Celestia - http://www.shatters.net/celestia/ Quite impressive.
1272. Feb 12th: Happy Darwin Day!
Comment #133316 by epeeist on February 26, 2008 at 4:01 am
Comment #133312 by Quetzalcoatl
Pah, karate. What about Tae Kwon Do?Nothing in the paper about it. Though watching a couple of videos, I think against a sabreur with a sharp blade they would probably lose feet.
1273. Evidence can't shake your faith if your faith excludes it as evidence
Comment #133307 by epeeist on February 26, 2008 at 3:48 am
Comment #133277 by LuisGarcia
Which falls flat on its face. The author(s) can't tell the difference betwee a valid and a sound argument.
If so, read this.
clickety click
1274. Feb 12th: Happy Darwin Day!
Comment #133305 by epeeist on February 26, 2008 at 3:43 am
Comment #133302 by The Reverend Dark
(And no, I am not going to get into 'The Ultimate Battle of Ultimate Destiny' with Epeeist.)
1275. Feb 12th: Happy Darwin Day!
Comment #133301 by epeeist on February 26, 2008 at 3:33 am
Comment #133295 by The Reverend Dark
The link to the theobald paper that epeeist posted is another great place to start.But if you come back in the next day and tell us you have read it then, in the inimitable words of irate_atheist, we will know you are a lying fucktard.
1276. Feb 12th: Happy Darwin Day!
Comment #133293 by epeeist on February 26, 2008 at 3:16 am
Comment #133287 by wooter
1. How does E.T explain luck and coincidence or chances that have no consciousness is able to design and create intelligible, conscious creation, human being who can hear, see, feel. Sad or happy?
1277. Pakistan blocks YouTube over blasphemous video
Comment #133242 by epeeist on February 26, 2008 at 1:04 am
Comment #133218 by sent2null
So the truism holds - the Internet sees any attempt to block it as damage and routes around it.
1278. Feb 12th: Happy Darwin Day!
Comment #133236 by epeeist on February 26, 2008 at 12:31 am
Comment #133166 by Shmeezers
How so? Please tell me. Has anyone ever been able to witness new material being added to the genome - i.e., the process of macro-evolution?
1279. Feb 12th: Happy Darwin Day!
Comment #132873 by epeeist on February 25, 2008 at 10:53 am
Comment #132869 by Shmeezers
The fact that these essays are not published in popular science reviews says nothing. I wouldn't expect evolutionists to publish something that puts their theory into question. This observation is rather elementary. Please understand that Darwinism is a religion, and it does not tolerate any dissent. (This blog demonstrates that quite clearly.)
1280. Feb 12th: Happy Darwin Day!
Comment #132835 by epeeist on February 25, 2008 at 9:09 am
Comment #132831 by The Reverend Dark
A frog he would a wootering go, hey ho said Rowley...
Where is your scientific proof of your claim that Beelzebuffo Ampinga is the same as modern frogs?
1281. Evidence can't shake your faith if your faith excludes it as evidence
Comment #132712 by epeeist on February 25, 2008 at 6:43 am
Comment #132704 by Geoff
Rather than constantly asking them for evidence for their deity, which the above seems to show is futile, (and which we've seen so often just leads to "la, la, la, I can't hear you") would it be more effective, say, to put more emphasis on first pointing out the fallacies and inconsistencies of their "truth"?I don't think so - as I have said before if the evidence shows a scientific theory is wrong then we discard the theory. If the evidence shows that faith is wrong then the evidence is discarded.
1282. Feb 12th: Happy Darwin Day!
Comment #132705 by epeeist on February 25, 2008 at 6:34 am
Comment #132548 by The Reverend Dark
Here you go, kicking Milton in the nards concerning his fabricated claims on uranium 238
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/isochron-dating.html
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-age-of-earth.html
1283. Physicist Neil Turok: Big Bang Wasn't the Beginning
Comment #132588 by epeeist on February 25, 2008 at 2:24 am
Comment #132249 by Bonzai
Quine's nitpicking has nothing to do with string theory, it is about the inductive nature of science.
1284. Fleabytes
Comment #132207 by epeeist on February 24, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Comment #132202 by krisking
No. Wars and problems caused by religion may cease, you will still have wars and problems with nationalism, ethnicity, resource shortages and a whole stack of other causes. Some of these will have a similar irrational belief basis as religion.
5. and all wars and other problems will cease.
1285. Fleabytes
Comment #132119 by epeeist on February 24, 2008 at 8:16 am
Comment #132054 by mikejswalker
Can we keep David on topic? Ignore the fluff.
Not give him a chance to ignore our points by referring to our anger. Invective and mundane epithets get used to defend a position that is spurious at best. Also people of all persuasions should be encouraged to come here and debate these issues.
1286. The coming religious peace
Comment #132057 by epeeist on February 24, 2008 at 4:08 am
Comment #132052 by Titus
Education is the key, but it has to be the right type and quality. If you spend a good deal on male education and a third of your population is studying the Qu'ran at university it isn't going to do a lot of good in the long term.
I suspect that education is the key. Those countries with a higher GDP spend a great deal more on educating their young than those in the third world.
1287. Fleabytes
Comment #132033 by epeeist on February 24, 2008 at 1:17 am
Comment #132027 by Steve Zara
Vox describes how complexity can arise from a simple state using fractals, so that the whole universe could have come from a very simple designed state.If current cosmological theories are anywhere near the truth then the initial universe would have been simple, and hence could be the production of a simple designer. However, such a designer would not have been able to impose a specific direction on the development of the universe and certainly wouldn't be capable of generating each individual snowflake (sorry!). Unless the designer evolved of course, but that would undermine the omnipotence and omniscience properties of course.
1288. The coming religious peace
Comment #132026 by epeeist on February 24, 2008 at 12:31 am
Comment #131842 by Spinoza
Just goes to show that correlation doesn't equal causality... and just cause we'd like something to be true, doesn't make it true. :)
1289. Fleabytes
Comment #131699 by epeeist on February 23, 2008 at 3:12 am
Comment #131686 by irate_atheist
...the same pool of beliefs all of which will have a similar consistency.
The consistency of slurry.
1290. Fleabytes
Comment #131689 by epeeist on February 23, 2008 at 2:48 am
Comment #131670 by clearthinker
Do scientists not operate on the principle of uniformitarianism? Is that not faith?
It is from that particular philosophy that your atheism comes. It is your creed. You cannot prove it because it itself is unprveable in your own materialist terms. You assume it and you engage in the circular argument of 'prove to me that there is something outside of the material, and you must do so in a material way!'.
1291. Fleabytes
Comment #131684 by epeeist on February 23, 2008 at 2:30 am
Comment #131672 by stevencarrwork
Because he doesn't want to acknowledge that truth consists of correspondence with the facts.
What is this utter garbage Robertson spews about evidence only being what can be proved in a lab?
1292. Fleabytes
Comment #131496 by epeeist on February 22, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Comment #131427 by al-rawandi
I see the British humour (note the "u") went straight over your head.
Don't get me going on women an logic. Near as I could tell it was the same argument.
1293. Over half of Britons claim no religion
Comment #131486 by epeeist on February 22, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Comment #131478 by Cartomancer
Atheist TV programmes such as "Atheist eye for the godly guy?" where Steve Zara, Paula Kirby and Diacanu go round altering churches to be more to their tastes?Atheist Feng Shui?
1294. Over half of Britons claim no religion
Comment #131482 by epeeist on February 22, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Comment #131466 by quill
Not sure about this (especially after downing a large amount of red wine).
I'm sure someone's pointed this out already, but "no adherence" does not mean "no religion".
1295. Over half of Britons claim no religion
Comment #131462 by epeeist on February 22, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Comment #131445 by krisking
At the moment, I don't think I agree with this; mostly because there is so much religion in the world. Where did it all come from? Why does it exist at all?
1296. Fleabytes
Comment #131425 by epeeist on February 22, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Comment #131386 by MPhil
But technically, you cannot infer Q from P
1297. Fleabytes
Comment #131092 by epeeist on February 22, 2008 at 12:35 am
Comment #131088 by Artful_Dodger
I presume you have gone back and read some of the posts that David Robertson has posted here in all his different guises in the past?
In my view the treatment that Robertson has received on this site is absolutely despicable and unworthy of a community of people who pride themselves in their recognition and their use of level-headed rational discourse.
1298. Fleabytes
Comment #130792 by epeeist on February 21, 2008 at 9:40 am
Comment #130781 by clearthinker
Anyway I am off to the University of Dundee to give a lecture on science and religion. Should be fun...So presumably this means that once again I don't get an answer to my question.
And then on Monday to Queens in Belfast on the same theme.. feel free to join us. At least Christians believe in free speech.
1299. Fleabytes
Comment #130743 by epeeist on February 21, 2008 at 8:18 am
Comment #130685 by clearthinker
Your first post back where you have identified yourself and you immediately start into the mode of dialogue known as "personal quarrel". This, and the fact that you then take the responses to place on your own site was what got you banned.
1) It is not difficult to offend the fundamentalist atheists on this website.
1300. Fleabytes
Comment #130622 by epeeist on February 21, 2008 at 2:49 am
Comment #130579 by clearthinker
Why is the Wee Flea not allowed to respond?