101. Is there an Artificial God?

Comment #60268 by mdowe on August 1, 2007 at 12:38 pm

RE: Comment #59700 by _J_

I don't know if anything is being done to make amends with Mr. Barbalet, but if you listen to the Douglas Adams speech, Mr. Barbalet himself reads at the end:

"This podcast is covered by Creative Commons, if you use this podcast either in audio or text form please include a link back to biota.org as the source of this podcast."

The CC license is a bit muddled, but it certainly looks to me like it is perfectly legitimate to deep link to the file, or even mirror the whole thing. I'm not sure I really understand why Mr. Barbalet feels aggrieved.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_commons_license

102. Is there an Artificial God?

Comment #59699 by mdowe on July 30, 2007 at 9:33 am

As judged by his writing, Douglas Adams was a kindred spirit I only wish I'd had the opportunity to meet. I was a fan of his comedy-sci-fi books, but I think 'Last Chance to See' was amongst the best books I have ever read ... or rather heard -- I have the audio book (read by Douglas Adams). If you haven't read it (or better, heard it) you are really missing out. Precious few people could take a sad and serious topic, and yet keep you amused for the entire read.

In this respect, I think there was a touch of Douglas Adams in the TGD (whether Prof. Dawkins intended for it to be so or not).

103. Ten Politically Incorrect Truths About Human Nature

Comment #54911 by mdowe on July 9, 2007 at 9:47 am

I'm always leary of articles summarising conclusions which are presumably drawn from statistics -- but with all the statistics and collection methods removed. I'm sure all these observations are true *sometimes* and for some particular groups of people, but the devil is in the details which we are not getting.

104. Brainwashed children plead to die as martyrs in Red Mosque siege

Comment #54700 by mdowe on July 8, 2007 at 2:58 pm

Ok, so the young men are told they are getting 72 virgins for being a martyr, but I wonder what the women have been told they are getting? I wonder how the evil bastards leading this travesty are marketing this to 10 year old girls? I feel terribly sorry for these kids. They deserve a long happy life, and they aren't going to get one.

105. Unorthodox Atheist

Comment #54124 by mdowe on July 5, 2007 at 1:22 pm

Even when our youth aren't directly brought up in ignorance, they never have to drift far from home to encounter it.

Mr. Braden:

Don't hold your breath waiting for the people around you to see reason on any matter that touches on religion.

106. An Inquisition in science's name

Comment #51084 by mdowe on June 21, 2007 at 11:50 am

This is the Preston Manning that once led the Party that has (after some treachery and a name change) become the minority ruling party in Canada? Scary. I'm beginning to worry that we might be a lot closer to a "Bush-North" that I had previously suspected.

107. Hamas Kindergarten Graduation Ceremony

Comment #47514 by mdowe on June 4, 2007 at 7:53 pm

I feel sorry for the Palestinians. They seem forever doomed to more than their share of misery by their own hate-filled culture -- a glorification of killing and death fueled in large part by religion. They can never be rescued from themselves.

108. U.S. a theocratic state, says former Canadian ambassador

Comment #46846 by mdowe on June 2, 2007 at 12:09 am

I have to say that Frank McKenna isn't just *any* Canadian politican. He is highly respected, and very likely could be Prime Minister if he wanted the job. Hearing this statement from him is really scary.

109. Dawkins at the Hay Festival

Comment #46080 by mdowe on May 30, 2007 at 6:40 am

Re: Comment #46070 by Strider40

At least it is a direct link so you can just download the file with a web-brower even if you don't have a player on hand. On most less-than-mainstream operating systems, retrieving a clip is often much more annoying than finding a media player to handle it.

110. The Fastest-Growing Religion

Comment #42415 by mdowe on May 18, 2007 at 7:08 am

Compared with dangerous cults like Scientology, Wicca seems to be (from my 2 minutes spent on Wikipedia) mostly harmless nonsense. It is ironic that this just seems to make them more vulnerable to persecution.

111. More on the Atheism Front

Comment #39275 by mdowe on May 10, 2007 at 8:49 am

"Douglas Wilson provides a good-natured but devastating point-by-point rebuttal to Sam Harris's "Letter to a Christian Nation" (Phillip E. Johnson, professor of law emeritus, University of California, Berkeley, author of Darwin on Trial).

Phillip E. Johnson (born 1940) is a retired UC Berkeley American law professor and author. He became a born-again Christian as a tenured professor. ..

112. Unholy row at clergy soccer game

Comment #38066 by mdowe on May 6, 2007 at 10:34 pm

This is laughable when you consider the reality of women-clergy and Christianity -- still considered a non-starter in most branches of this religion. But they must take a firm stand when it comes non-mixed gender soccer games? Give me a break ....

113. A Split Emerges as Conservatives Discuss Darwin

Comment #38036 by mdowe on May 6, 2007 at 7:11 pm

I much prefer politicians that embrace reality over those blinded by religious dogma, but those that try to use biological principles to justify their political ideologies (right, left, or centre) are not really all that much of an improvement:

"...the biology of human nature as confirming conservative thought..."

114. Author of the Year Ad

Comment #37420 by mdowe on May 4, 2007 at 12:19 pm

Congratulations once again to Prof. Dawkins. I do find myself wondering -- since Prof. Dawkins has enjoyed so much success as an author -- if he has plans for any further books? Has anyone noticed if he has addressed this question somewhere else?

115. Army to EO Reps: 'Discrimination Against Atheists OK'

Comment #36284 by mdowe on April 30, 2007 at 7:43 pm

This is just warped -- especially when you consider the US army has loosened regulations about accepting people with criminal records (see: http://www.talkleft.com/story/2007/2/14/111649/573 ). It sounds like the US military establishment can forgive ex-cons, but they have a problem treating law-abiding atheists with the same respect given to the religious? Still ... I guess atheists are getting red-carpet treatment compared to homosexuals.

116. Study: Religion is Good for Kids

Comment #35002 by mdowe on April 25, 2007 at 10:49 pm

Google for John Bartkowski. Look at what he publishes and the organisations with which he is involved. Looks like an evangelical pushing a religious agenda to me. It doesn't immediately follow that his research is garbage, but I certainly wouldn't trust his work in this area without confirmation of his findings from a disinterested researcher or two.

117. The Video: Bill O'Reilly Interviews Richard Dawkins

Comment #34333 by mdowe on April 23, 2007 at 8:18 pm

I have to add my voice to those congratulating Prof. Dawkins on his handling of this segment. Bill O'Reilly is ... well ... I can't say it diplomatically ... he's an overbearing buffoon. This is not a promising combination for a quality interview. Professor Dawkins managed to dodge a lecture and still refute O'Reilly's (tired and predictable) droning with only the few seconds he was allowed to speak. It was the best anyone could have done with O'Reilly controlling the interview. To those of us that have actually read the book, is was amusingly clear that O'Reilly was completely unfamiliar with the book's contents. Perhaps somebody should have told him about the audio-book.

118. NEXT MONDAY: Bill O'Reilly interviews Richard Dawkins

Comment #33372 by mdowe on April 20, 2007 at 1:00 am

This is a bad idea IMHO. Bill O'Reilly and Fox are saddest excuse for media in the Western world. There is no behaviour that is beneath them in my experience, and they are probably salivating at the chance to get a pound of flesh from Prof. Dawkins. It doesn't matter how reasonable, intelligent, clever, and articulate Prof. Dawkins happens to be -- they simply won't give him anything near a fair shot. I see nothing to be gained by going through with this "interview". I hope I'm proved wrong.

119. E.O. Wilson Accepts his 2007 TED Prize

Comment #30494 by mdowe on April 8, 2007 at 8:09 am

Richly deserved ....

120. Richard Dawkins: Author of the Year!

Comment #28495 by mdowe on March 29, 2007 at 11:52 am

Congratulations Prof. Dawkins. It really was a wonderful book.

121. A Brief History of Disbelief

Comment #26823 by mdowe on March 21, 2007 at 8:52 pm

This was a really wonderful series. Homer Simpson being quoted along with clips from great philosophers of the past (last show) was a chuckle (although the last section where Jonathan Miller talks to the dying lady brought me down). The internet is a wonderful thing ... we generally don't get shows like this in North America.

122. Chimpanzees 'hunt using spears'

Comment #26226 by mdowe on March 17, 2007 at 8:23 pm

Hmm ... perhaps we should see if we can get them to sign on to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty before things get out of hand.

123. Why there are almost no genuine atheists

Comment #24446 by mdowe on March 6, 2007 at 5:38 pm

I would expect a law professor would be a little better at fact-finding. Once again we have the absurd assertion that the religious have some kind of monopoly on ethics. It's a shame he wasn't able to find 2 minutes to do some research (or 30 seconds to actually think), but I suppose he is a very busy man.

124. Tolerating intolerance is still this country's besetting sin

Comment #20594 by mdowe on February 4, 2007 at 6:21 pm

One thing that became clear to me after watching this Dispatches program, is that we "kuffaar" are a rather naive lot. I know it sounds intolerant (maybe it is), but it has occurred to me that accepting Muslim immigrants into Western countries may have been an unwise move. I'm afraid we may yet pay a price -- perhaps a truely horrible one -- for indulging our ideals. Even if 99% of Muslims living in the West do agree with Western ideals of peace and tolerance, that still leaves an awful lot of easily provoked 'would-be [mass] murderers' in our midst.

125. Evolution Debate - Pigliucci vs Hovind

Comment #20397 by mdowe on February 2, 2007 at 7:25 am

I can't see how anyone could ever call this a debate. If I made a recording that said, "That's not true, evolution doesn't happen." and played it back after each of Dr. Pigiliucci's comments, it wouldn't have made the slightest bit of difference to the content of Hovind's ravings. All he adds is a loud and indignant tone. Any moron can just keep denying every statement and fact put in front of him without offering any rational justification for his denial ... it is like a Monty Python with all the wit and slapstick omitted.

What mystifies me is how this guy can be considered "sane" and put on trial for a crime.

126. No stoning, Canada migrants told

Comment #20253 by mdowe on February 1, 2007 at 9:45 am

Search around for other coverage of this story and you will find one important point missing from the story above. Herouxville does not currently have any immigrants among its population of 1,300 (see:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070129.wquebston0129/BNStory/National/)

Clearly, stonings haven't been a big problem for Herouxville. This makes the motivation for the bylaw a bit of a mystery.

127. The Ego and the ID

Comment #20048 by mdowe on January 31, 2007 at 6:46 am

I really wish scientists could simply agree to drop the terms 'theory', 'law', and similar words that have widespread non-technical definitions in common usage. For anyone trying to present science to the public, these words are just a disaster. If evolution by natural selection was a 'category 9 scientific statement' (or some similar system roughly grading the weight of evidence supporting it) the effort wasted trying to wack this mole could be put to better use.

128. Interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson

Comment #20039 by mdowe on January 31, 2007 at 6:10 am

There is a wonderful interview with Dr. Tyson for last week's Point of Inquiry podcast:

http://www.pointofinquiry.org/

Check it out!

129. [Warning: Graphic] Children's foreheads slashed in Muslim saint's name

Comment #20030 by mdowe on January 31, 2007 at 5:50 am

Unbelievably barbaric and cruel. Exactly what I've come to expect ...

130. America's Holy Warriors

Comment #15839 by mdowe on January 3, 2007 at 9:47 am

The innuendo in this article strikes me as a touch 'over-the-top'. It has the ring of a paranoid conspiracy theory. There may be reason for concern amongst Americans, but not alarm. The 'plot' here hinges on the military, and even if the American military is led by highly religious men, they are still highly professional soldiers. I expect that the vast majority, however imperfect, are still honourable men -- men that follow the orders of their government-du-jour. I'm much more concerned that they are receiving very bad orders as of late.

The American population is now so religious, that it seems much more plausible for the religious right to come to power in America simply using the machine of legitimate democracy.

131. Divided by a common language: Richard Dawkins clarifies his position

Comment #15649 by mdowe on January 1, 2007 at 8:52 pm

Bloody hell! All that storm in a teacup for nothing! ..... No wonder lawyers and diplomats need special training. I'm out of my depth here.

I have to say this made me giggle. At least 75% of the time I feel absolutely blessed that nobody really takes notice of what I say or do.

132. Let's Hope It's A Lasting Vogue

Comment #15547 by mdowe on January 1, 2007 at 8:11 am

It is good to see Professor Dawkins is being published in American newspapers (even those generally perceived to be left-wing). Such strong religious influence in the most powerful nation the Earth has seen to date is a worry to everybody. Is is also heartening that he is being so well received.

One point though -- I would hesitate to claim there are many members of congress that are atheists. Not because I don't believe the statement is true. I just have a sneaky feeling that the religious-right will quickly counter that the it is these closet atheists that are responsible for all the perceived corruption in the American government. Begin witch hunt ...

133. Not Yet The Majority But No Longer Silent

Comment #15471 by mdowe on December 31, 2006 at 4:03 pm

I'm lukewarm on the term 'bright', just because in terms of personal values, it isn't very evocative as of yet. But perhaps it time the association with a particular outlook on life, the universe, and everything will become entwined with the word.

I too have always been somewhat fond of "humanist". When I announce I'm a secular humanist, I'm almost always greeted by blank stares. Usually the 'religion taboo' keeps people from inquiring further, making it a great conversation stopper.

134. Ghosts in the Machine

Comment #15320 by mdowe on December 30, 2006 at 10:51 am

It is astonishing that so many people can progress through the ranks of higher education, obtain a Ph.D. (more than I can ever hope for), and yet still remain gullible, irrational, half-wits at heart.

One of the their favourite means to to make a point: 1) Find a person in history that once did something significant. 2) Show they also did/believed something that the evidence accumulated since shows was absurd, and 3) conclude that we should suspect the evidence (however firm) rather conclude the person was a just fallible human and not some kind of omniscient sage.

135. 7 monks injured in clash over monastery

Comment #14229 by mdowe on December 21, 2006 at 2:51 pm

Comment #14076 by Richard Dawkins

... fear they would offer ...

Professor Dawkins' statement vaguely implies it is a proactive ban. Call me a cynic, but somehow I sincerely doubt such a thing could be thought up proactively ...

136. Richard Dawkins on the Mike Dickin Show

Comment #13565 by mdowe on December 18, 2006 at 12:16 pm

From time to time, I've noticed other articles and podcast segments that I thought might be of interest to those frequenting this forum. However, I haven't wished to contribute what could become an overwhelming flood of well-meaning but annoying suggestions finding their way into Josh's email. I'm wondering, Josh, do you have some preferred way to deal with story suggestions? (I'm thinking something scalable and non-intrusive -- perhaps a dedicated phpBB forum?)

137. Kim Hill interviews Richard Dawkins

Comment #13461 by mdowe on December 17, 2006 at 9:38 pm

"And KILL them where ever you find them..." Quran 2:191

http://answeringprophetofdoom.net/Islam_in_Ac...

138. Lunch with the FT: Richard Dawkins

Comment #13422 by mdowe on December 17, 2006 at 3:00 pm

RE: Comment #13405

I find it particularly interesting that there is such a striking difference between the USA and Canada. On the surface the two countries seem very similar. The influence of Canada on the USA is probably negligible, but Canada is awash in a sea of American cultural influence (probably more than any other country in the world). Yet on numerous subjects, the attitudes of the average American vs the average Canadian are rather different, and the nationwide influence of the religious verses the secular is almost reversed when you step across the border. In the USA, being an atheist is a political show-stopper, while Canadians are generally suspicious of overtly religious politicians. Perhaps it is all due to differences in the average temperature ... I just don't know.

139. Lunch with the FT: Richard Dawkins

Comment #13340 by mdowe on December 17, 2006 at 6:16 am

I quite liked this article. The ever-so-common attack articles do get tiresome, so the neutral and positive ones are a nice break. It is hard to believe Prof. Dawkins is so close to retirement (he really does come across as much younger). I do hope he does not intend to leave the public spotlight entirely. Of the many thousands of academics across the globe, there are very few indeed willing to openly confront what has to be the biggest hot-button issue in existence.

On an entirely different subject, I have to say a really wish we received Channel 4 on this side of the Atlantic. They seem to be backing many thoughtful documentaries -- even on subjects the North American media won't dare touch.

140. Response to Richard Dawkins' Criticisms in The God Delusion

Comment #13260 by mdowe on December 16, 2006 at 1:24 pm

Comment #13249 by Niels Thorsen

Hmm .. yes .. guilty as charged. It is easy to underestimate the power of indoctrination, and thus slip into feeling smug and superior. Those of us that were not subjected to religious indoctrination (or only subjected to an extent we could later shake off) are rather fortunate. "There but for the Grace of God go I." (John Bradford c1550)

141. Response to Richard Dawkins' Criticisms in The God Delusion

Comment #13248 by mdowe on December 16, 2006 at 11:42 am

Comment #13238 by Yorker

Yorker,

Agreed. If I thought I was going to be exposed to something new and thought provoking (and based on solid reason and evidence) then I might carefully read the article. And then carefully read all the necessary books and articles to which it refers. However, because of what he is defending we already know it will eventually boil down to paper-thin nonsense. Judging from my cursory look at the article, Prof. Swinburne seems to be a polite and well-written, and probably well-meaning man ... but I have real work to do =)

142. Sunday Sequence with William Crawley

Comment #12136 by mdowe on December 10, 2006 at 6:00 pm

Comment #12132 by Jack Rawlinson

Jack,

I agree completely.

143. Sunday Sequence with William Crawley

Comment #12129 by mdowe on December 10, 2006 at 5:42 pm

Comment #12128 by Jack Rawlinson

Jack,

I agree it is a disturbing and embarrassing fact. I was just stating that (IMHO) Dr. Dawkins would have done better to trash this fellow's credibility (under these particular circumstances) strictly by trashing his ridiculous arguments.

144. Sunday Sequence with William Crawley

Comment #12123 by mdowe on December 10, 2006 at 5:07 pm

I really think these programs just give a great deal of air-time to creationist nutters. Allowing them to air their views in opposition to a legitimate scientific person just falsely implies they have a credibility where none exists. They belong on a show with flat-earth people and alien abductees ... not on a show opposite legitimate scientists.

That said, I think Dr. Dawkins dropped the ball a bit when he emphasised his distaste and dismay for the sad fact that the Leeds-nutball (Andy McIntosh was it?) somehow still has a professorship rather than just dismissing the crap that he was spouting. Everyone trips up once in a while I suppose =)

Debates and live questions forums are not especially amenable to honest inquiry. Creationists always try to score points by showing that the scientific perspective is 'imperfect', and so is just an alternative (and on equal footing) to their own. The professor from Leads was dishonestly trying to get the audience to call a point a draw, which would be perceived as a default victory for him. He was doing this by putting forwarding an argument the vast majority of listening audience could not judge, and was hoping perhaps to draw Dr. Dawkins out of his field so he would sound ignorant.

As to DNA stability and the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics argument, it was nonsense of course. The second law just says entropy in a system always increases. It doesn't say organisation (such as DNA structure) can never occur in a local system. Energy is being used to maintain the organised long chains of DNA over time, and thus entropy is held off in this local system. That energy comes from the Sun, and thus in the larger system entropy is indeed increasing, and the second law is (what a surprise) not being violated. You can't tell me Prof. McIntosh was not fully aware of this fact. Pure dishonesty ...

145. A Modest Proposal for a Truce on Religion

Comment #11513 by mdowe on December 5, 2006 at 6:37 am

David Mathews,

It is true that atheists are just as fallible as everyone else, and the majority of us are not super-exceptionally intelligent. But in the end the fallibility of individuals doesn't change the balance of the arguments .. it is a complete red herring. Judged from the criteria of logic and evidence, atheistic arguments have never seen any serious opposition from any theist, no-matter how intelligent he or she happens to be. Any argument you will make for theism can be countered from the perspective of logic and evidence. The whole issue has has been rehashed ad nauseam. I doubt there are any new arguments left to be made. The only question is can you be honest with yourself and judge impartially?

146. When Atheists Have Their Say (5 Letters)

Comment #11511 by mdowe on December 5, 2006 at 6:05 am

David Mathews,

Myself and probably many others strongly disagree with virtually all your points, but I challenge you to re-examine the one I find most interesting. You mentioned that some of Richard Dawkins ideas would "interfere with parents' rights to raise their kids as they see fit". I doubt you really believe this right is absolute. There must be a balance between the rights of the parents *and* the rights of the child -- a child isn't chattel. Society aims to protect children from many kinds of physical abuse from parents that step over the line. We generally acknowledge education another basic right of children and I believe it is explicitly mentioned in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Is it really such a stretch to maintain that such an education should also be be based on fact and reality (i.e. free from blatant falsehoods) as we can best present them? In many countries, children receive no education, but even rich western countries religious indoctrination is increasingly being passed off as education, merely because it happens to teach children to read as a side-effect. It is certainly not a preposterous suggestion to maintain this a form of abuse.

147. Richard Dawkins: You Ask The Questions Special

Comment #11435 by mdowe on December 4, 2006 at 3:08 pm

Goff,

You state: "The 'God' debate is irrelevant to our planets survival". Unfortunately, that isn't really true. I will state one example to illustrate why the statement is flawed. Many Christians believe that the rapture and the end of the world is not far off. Thus Christianity does not promote a long term world-view. What is the point of being a good sheppard of the planet if Jesus is coming back soon to take all the worthy people to heaven? This kind of attitude will inevitably lead to environmental disaster, but it is a tough task to persuade people of the need to change their choices and behaviour if you don't address their underlying assumptions.

148. Richard Dawkins: You Ask The Questions Special

Comment #11317 by mdowe on December 4, 2006 at 6:41 am

Josh,

Perhaps you should create a captcha that poses random introductory-level questions in evolutionary biology =)

149. Richard Dawkins: You Ask The Questions Special

Comment #11315 by mdowe on December 4, 2006 at 6:23 am

I quite like how Prof. Dawkins actually outlines his perspective on the Iraq and Afghanistan issues. You certainly could never call the man a coward when it comes to expressing a point of view!

Regarding abuse of this forum, it is going to be particularly difficult to come up with a system to control those intent on causing mayhem as this site gets broader exposure. You can use a 'captcha' to control automated spammers, but separating genuine posters (who happen to be taking a perspective that reflects their religious beliefs) from those that just want to be disruptive is going to be a rough job. And then there is the inevitable development of 'hackers for God' and DDoS attacks. Josh, you have your work cut out for you bud!

P.S. It looks like the new comment system will certainly raise the bar.

150. Let us test Darwin, teacher says

Comment #10290 by mdowe on November 27, 2006 at 6:19 pm

I think it is past time to make this a criminal matter. Actively trying to subvert the public education system to further a religious agenda should have hard time associated with it. Without consequences, this reason and evidence oblivious zombie will just keep coming back.

I grant that with truely urgent matters like climate change barely able to get even feeble political action, I don't seriously expect we'll be able to put the zombie-blasting intellectual shotgun away anytime soon.