251. The ethics of mixing science and religion

Comment #142524 by Richard Morgan on March 12, 2008 at 3:56 pm

I'd ask for $3.2 million!
$1.6 million for the initial work, than
$1.6 million for not changing my mind later, in the light of new evidence.
Heck, usually I'm anybody's for a dollar and a kiss... and the dollar is not obligatory.

252. Beauty ad banned after Christian outcry

Comment #142521 by Richard Morgan on March 12, 2008 at 3:49 pm

I'm going to complain about all the ads that have no references to religion,as they could offend atheists.

253. Two More Fleas

Comment #142511 by Richard Morgan on March 12, 2008 at 3:24 pm

Steve Zara

I suggest "Why the f*cking morons are all f*cking crazy" by Diacanu (with colour illustrations)

You really shouldn't have said that, Steve!!!
Because of you,I've just started f*cking working on the f*cking musical version.
F*ck.
The Title will be:
Requiem for Reason in Quote Minor."

254. Fleabytes

Comment #142490 by Richard Morgan on March 12, 2008 at 2:51 pm

Steve Zara

Private messaging can be a useful mechanism for holding discussions of a certain nature.
That's all I'm saying.

You're so right again, Steve.

255. Fleabytes

Comment #142231 by Richard Morgan on March 12, 2008 at 7:06 am

mlearnedfriend

...this august company.

I feel slighted.
Why are you deliberately excluding people like Diancanu and myself?

256. Fleabytes

Comment #142226 by Richard Morgan on March 12, 2008 at 6:58 am

ForestMist on the Rocks

proves the Bunny works in mysterious way -

Oh dear.
You've really fucked up there!
Now I can see the Easter Bunny, I don't have to exercise my FAITH any more.
So I won't be SAVED in the Hefner Paradise!
(Also I was hoping for a Bunny a little sexier than that. Given the choice between your Bre'er Rabbit and 72 virgins...., y'know what I mean?)

257. Fleabytes

Comment #142214 by Richard Morgan on March 12, 2008 at 6:46 am

IanG

I was mainly just fascinated by what was going on in my head.

Way to go!
Now you're talking a language all theists can understand!

258. Fleabytes

Comment #142196 by Richard Morgan on March 12, 2008 at 6:23 am

hungarianelephant:

So we make our peace with it, or leave the relationship.

I feel there is a third possibility.

The whole post is excellent. Thank you.

259. Fleabytes

Comment #142191 by Richard Morgan on March 12, 2008 at 6:15 am

Forest Missed, United scored

I am more than happy to supply said photo to anyone so that you can all see this undoubted proof of the Easter Bunny's existence.

Well?
I'm waiting for it.
This could be heralding a moment of major change in my life.
Easter Bunny quite appeals to me as a religion : Rising from the dead AND Playboy girls?
Sounds fine to me.

260. The Salamander's Tale

Comment #142187 by Richard Morgan on March 12, 2008 at 6:11 am

al-rawandi

From the guy who thinks masturbating will make you blind.

Well, now, looking at your avatar...

261. Fleabytes

Comment #142184 by Richard Morgan on March 12, 2008 at 6:02 am

I was wondering why soul-less atheists generally write more interesting stuff than the theists.
Perhaps:

The reason Milton wrote in fetters when he wrote of Angels & God, and at liberty when of Devils & Hell, is because he was a true Poet and of the Devil's party without knowing it. (William Blake Marriage of Heaven and Hell)

We are the band
Of the happy damned
And we don't really give a fuck.
We much prefer vice
To your Paradise
And it's not God's will, it's Luck!
Free-thinkers all,
Let's have a ball,
And call it the "Fleabytes Thread"!
Sometimes it's vi'lent,
Sometimes it goes silent
But it always comes back from the dead.
Fleas may come
And Fleas may go,
This thread will never die;
Let's all extend
Our phenotypes
Way up into the sky.
It's God's will that we're atheists,
Our curse? - the need for evidence.
My genes are selfish, what can I do?
Since it all comes down to Providence?
I wander'd lonely as a cloud
I had no GPS.
I once was lost
But now I'm found,
Goodnight, Yer Holiness!

262. Fleabytes

Comment #142139 by Richard Morgan on March 12, 2008 at 4:05 am

Quetzy-baby : Thank you! I am indeed very pleased!

263. Fleabytes

Comment #142135 by Richard Morgan on March 12, 2008 at 3:51 am

In 1984 I went through a very painful divorce.
My ex-wife remarried and I was asked for my permission for her new husband to adopt our two sons, as they were planning to emigrate to the USA for professional reasons.
At the time it seemed reasonable to grant this permission.
I moved to France and tried to deal with the grief of being separated from my two sons who would be growing up a thousand miles away, being brought up by another man.
Ok - divorces happen.
Broken families exist.
But I never gave up the hope of finding my sons again one day. I regularly Googled for them and in 2002 - Halleluiah! I found them! They were both musicians, both had groups with websites.
I also had a brief contact with their mother (who had recently divorced from her second husband.)
I was amazed to learn that they had never gone to the USA! All these years they were just across the Channel.
In a phone conversation with my ex-wife, understandably, she was unable to avoid bringing up old grudges, but the one thing she said that really got me thinking was : "Where were you when the boys were taking their "O" levels?"
With my permission, she took the boys out of my life, letting me believe that they were all on the other side of the planet, no news, nothing. Then out of the blue "Where were you when the boys were taking their "O" levels?"
My first reaction was, "She's gone completely crazy!" (being married to me had already started pushing her in that direction, I think!) How could she logically reproach my not being there for moral support when the boys were growing up.
In fact, she's not crazy, she's very intelligent but, in that moment when she asked that question, it was rather like our "debate" with David Robertson. During the eighteen years when we had no contact, she and I had separately developed our own particular "mind set" concerning the problems in our relationship. Which meant that eighteen years later, we were no longer applying the same "logic" to our interpretations of the situation.
From her point of view:
1. I was the father of her two sons, no matter what.
2. I had given my permission to adopt rather too easily which was proof that I wasn't really attached to my sons, and was therefore a "bad father".
3. I had apparently made no efforts, over the years, to contact them, which was the ultimate proof of my irresponsible attitude.
And, of course, all that was added to the real, unhappy experience of having lived with me.
So her "illogical" question had its own internal logic.
I'm not going to try to defend my own position here, because my message is that our life experiences can, and do, take us in very different directions. Our thought processes become consolidated in very different ways. And it is often very difficult to arrive at a sufficiently honest degree of introspection in order to realise just how our internal logic works as it does.
Some of you have accused DR of being a liar. Because according to your analyses certain of his statements are lies.
I am perfectly convinced that DR honestly believes he is not a liar. I could even imagine that if we all had a cosy get together over a cup of tea, leaving our weapons at the door, we would be able to arrive at some kind of understanding of where the other is coming from, and why.
This does not mean we would ever end up agreeing on the existence of God, or gods, or large, winged spaghetti.
To me, David often appears smarmily condescending and cynically "polite". Well, I have to admit that we (at least, I) do the same thing.
But I have to agree with one thing he says, because I've more or less said it myself before:

Without absolute proof of something for which you believe there can be no absolute proof, you will not listen to anything that any theist says. All our points are invalid until we prove to you the impossible « the Big one". But what if our proof was a cumulation of the smaller points? Ironically that is how you became an atheist…

I know I'm going to offend a few people here, but I do really believe that many of us "will not listen to anything that any theist says", whilst claiming the contrary, which often appears to me as little more than paying lip-service to the principle.
I have never made the intellectual choice to become an atheist. It just so happens that my genes and experiences (nature and nurture) have made of me a natural-born atheist.
I can't believe in an invisible Creator. At least not the ones described thus far by the religions I have encountered. And I promise you, it's not for want of trying!
Mormonism.
Baha'i faith.
Evangelical born-againism.
Been there.
Done that.
I have tried.
Richard Dawkins has done me the immeasurable favour of allowing me to discover that I was an atheist. And from that point on, I was able to begin to make peace with myself.
And, you know, I don't want people to fly Boeings into New York skyscrapers for any reason.
Just as I hate violence, racism, injustice and crustless sliced bread, by association I tend to have feelings of hatred for "religion". But I don't hate religious people.
In fact (but keep this to yourselves please, I wouldn't want it to be generally know as it would harm my reputation for being cantankerous) I actually like people!
A lot of the bickering on this site does rather sadden me. But this bickering is neither theist not atheist. It's just human.
Debate can be a wonderful "enabler". (Paula has convinced me of that.)
But I'm really more interested in what can bring people together, and I am tired of this "Show me your evidence (but I know you haven't got any)." Versus "The evidence is staring you in the face but you can't see it." - type of combat.
I tend to believe that people are born as atheists - the default attitude. But they are also born with brains that have the capability to believe the unverifiable. (PZ Myers "It is not idiotic to be religious")
My ex-wife and I?
David Roberts and the RDNetists?
I seem to see points of similarity.

Sadly, religions are by definition divisive, whatever their claims to the contrary.
Is "gathering that which is scattered" a hopeless pipe-dream?
Perhaps.
But I hope we can try.

264. Fleabytes

Comment #142039 by Richard Morgan on March 11, 2008 at 5:27 pm

mikejswalker

The evidence call does not create a place where debate can formulate new understandings (from both sides). The issue is too important to stop the debate dead in it's tracks with an evidence call.

Extremely well-expressed. Thank you for that.

265. Fleabytes

Comment #142015 by Richard Morgan on March 11, 2008 at 3:25 pm

Robotaholic : My heart really goes out to you.
I won't wish you luck - I will extend a (virtual) hand of friendship.

266. Fleabytes

Comment #142007 by Richard Morgan on March 11, 2008 at 3:04 pm

al-rawandi

The best way to quit drinking....
Put the bottle down.

I am sure you are well-intentioned, but this kind of "good advice" can be really cruel.
If only it were that easy...

I've said it before, but I'll say it again : As far as belief structures are concerned,relationships (past and present) are everything. That is why in AA, God is more effective in a supportive group context than out there on his own.
This is also a significant difference between world views based on religious beliefs and world views based on observation, enquiry and reason.
The latter, you can do on your own.
The former always happens in the context of a relationship/relationships. (Which is, BTW, just another clear indication of the very human origins of the notion of God.)
Having said that, belief structures developed in the context of supportive care groups can be very powerful indeed. Powerful for inducing and enabling personal change. The nature of the belief structure (Christianity, Mormonism,Man United) is of relatively little importance, and is secondary to the quality of the exchange of affects.

I have a great deal of experience in this area, and would have a lot to say BUT MY ENGLISH IS ALL FUCKED UP (sorry about that).
Would anybody care to help me organise my ideas in good, working English? I keep leaving PM's without getting replies.

267. Fleabytes

Comment #141868 by Richard Morgan on March 11, 2008 at 10:01 am

MPhil :

Truth = conforming to actually obtaining states of affairs
Knowledge = belief in a true proposition, justified by a causal connection known to be sufficiently reliable, such as empirical evidence or conceptual necessity where the concepts are themselves shown to be accurate by independent corroboration.

Excellent.
I know it's true.

268. Fleabytes

Comment #141765 by Richard Morgan on March 11, 2008 at 7:11 am

al-rawandi

Is anyone still holding out hope?

I find that repetitions of "Show us the evidence!" rather tiresome, given that NOBODY is expecting any convincing evidence. Not from DR or from any other theist.
I find that in view of that, constantly demanding evidence seems rather childish and, well, undignified.
EVERYBODY knows that the message is:
"Go on, show us your evidence, if you can, because we all know you haven't got any. But we're going to pretend to expect an answer, in order to make you appear all the more stupid."
Yes, as rationalists, we are open to new data which will modify our point of view.
But asking a dry well to give you water...

269. Fleabytes

Comment #141711 by Richard Morgan on March 11, 2008 at 5:49 am

MUSICAL PORTRAITS - UPDATE!


"CARTOMANCER - Gunshots and a Wobbly"


You will all remember what our friend CARTOMANCER explained to us about his appreciation of music :

I'm chronically tone-deaf to the point where I didn't know what all the fuss was about when Jemini were the UK entry to the Eurovision Song Contest. My beloved teases me mercilessly about it. I tried to come up with some praise beyond "That sounds nice", or "I liked the wobbly bit with all those notes in it" but my abilities fail me utterly when it comes to describing my appreciation of music. Recognition of the appropriateness of the gunshot sound was the best I could do unfortunately... Sorry.

Outside of writing dots on lines I'm not very imaginative, I'm afraid.
But I have tried to please everyone with this portrait, which was, as always, composed with love and respect.
(Cartomancer - if you don't like it, please don't tell me, because I'm easily hurt and discouraged. Especially on Tuesdays!)



http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

270. Oklahoma: One Step from Doom

Comment #141710 by Richard Morgan on March 11, 2008 at 5:47 am

MUSICAL PORTRAITS - UPDATE!


"CARTOMANCER - Gunshots and a Wobbly"


You will all remember what our friend CARTOMANCER explained to us about his appreciation of music :

I'm chronically tone-deaf to the point where I didn't know what all the fuss was about when Jemini were the UK entry to the Eurovision Song Contest. My beloved teases me mercilessly about it. I tried to come up with some praise beyond "That sounds nice", or "I liked the wobbly bit with all those notes in it" but my abilities fail me utterly when it comes to describing my appreciation of music. Recognition of the appropriateness of the gunshot sound was the best I could do unfortunately... Sorry.

Outside of writing dots on lines I'm not very imaginative, I'm afraid.
But I have tried to please everyone with this portrait, which was, as always, composed with love and respect.
(Cartomancer - if you don't like it, please don't tell me, because I'm easily hurt and discouraged. Especially on Tuesdays!)



http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

271. Seven new deadly sins: are you guilty?

Comment #141709 by Richard Morgan on March 11, 2008 at 5:45 am

MUSICAL PORTRAITS - UPDATE!


"CARTOMANCER - Gunshots and a Wobbly"


You will all remember what our friend CARTOMANCER explained to us about his appreciation of music :

I'm chronically tone-deaf to the point where I didn't know what all the fuss was about when Jemini were the UK entry to the Eurovision Song Contest. My beloved teases me mercilessly about it. I tried to come up with some praise beyond "That sounds nice", or "I liked the wobbly bit with all those notes in it" but my abilities fail me utterly when it comes to describing my appreciation of music. Recognition of the appropriateness of the gunshot sound was the best I could do unfortunately... Sorry.

Outside of writing dots on lines I'm not very imaginative, I'm afraid.
But I have tried to please everyone with this portrait, which was, as always, composed with love and respect.
(Cartomancer - if you don't like it, please don't tell me, because I'm easily hurt and discouraged. Especially on Tuesdays!)



http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

272. The Salamander's Tale

Comment #141706 by Richard Morgan on March 11, 2008 at 5:39 am

MUSICAL PORTRAITS �" UPDATE!


"CARTOMANCER - Gunshots and a Wobbly"


You will all remember what our friend CARTOMANCER explained to us about his appreciation of music :

I'm chronically tone-deaf to the point where I didn't know what all the fuss was about when Jemini were the UK entry to the Eurovision Song Contest. My beloved teases me mercilessly about it. I tried to come up with some praise beyond "That sounds nice", or "I liked the wobbly bit with all those notes in it" but my abilities fail me utterly when it comes to describing my appreciation of music. Recognition of the appropriateness of the gunshot sound was the best I could do unfortunately... Sorry.

Outside of writing dots on lines I'm not very imaginative, I'm afraid.
But I have tried to please everyone with this portrait, which was, as always, composed with love and respect.
(Cartomancer - if you don't like it, please don't tell me, because I'm easily hurt and discouraged. Especially on Tuesdays!)


http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

273. Fleabytes

Comment #141559 by Richard Morgan on March 10, 2008 at 3:58 pm

Quine : Uncle Screwtape!!!

274. Fleabytes

Comment #141532 by Richard Morgan on March 10, 2008 at 3:05 pm

Cartomancer - PM awaiting you.
And I'll bet most of you can guess the nature of its contents.


MPhil :

Shutting up by popular demand now.

Good.
Composition is the art of placing silences.

275. Fleabytes

Comment #141420 by Richard Morgan on March 10, 2008 at 11:25 am

Robotaholic

I'm wondering when/if Richard's tour stops will be televised

Actually, I don't have any tours planned for the moment, but as soon as....
Beg your pardon?
Waddya say?
Oh, you mean the other Richard.
Don't worry about it.
Happens all the time.

276. Seven new deadly sins: are you guilty?

Comment #141414 by Richard Morgan on March 10, 2008 at 11:15 am

Just to clear things up a little here :

surveys showed 60 per cent of Catholics in Italy no longer went to confession.

According to quite serious studies and meta-analyses, almost 100% of non-Catholics fail to go to confession as well.
Yes, these are indeed worrying times.

an increasing number of people in the secularised West were "making do without God".

OK, all together now, once more, with feeling:
Got along withoutcha
Before I metcha
Gonna get along withoutcha now..


Colwyn Abernathy

Sautee until golden brown...serves 13.

As a French speaker, I was intrigued by the fact that you use "sautee" in the feminine form. What's the recipe for "Lusty Males a la Galloise"
Sleep of reason:

I have an eighth. Promulgating Bronze Age myths as Truth?

Hahahahahahahahahaha
Priceless.
"It is a mortal sin to believe that these sins are mortal."
You're not a lawyer by any chance, are you?

277. Fleabytes

Comment #141217 by Richard Morgan on March 10, 2008 at 7:12 am

Steve Z

LOL. I CAN HAZ NUMBERWANG!

...er, what if we tried decaf for a few hours, huh?

278. Fleabytes

Comment #141210 by Richard Morgan on March 10, 2008 at 7:07 am

mikejswalker

Are ya thinking a 6 followed by a 7 or just 13?

I wrote it as:
One measure/bar: 4/4,
One measure/bar : 5/8
But 13/8 would work almost as well. It just looks weird on the paper!
(6 followed by 7 doesn't work at all!)

279. The Salamander's Tale

Comment #141190 by Richard Morgan on March 10, 2008 at 6:48 am

Steve Zara

We can discuss the exact nature of dragon wings, but without evidence for dragons...

What a nice definition of theology!
(Ssh!... but just don't tell my mother-in-law, ok?)

280. Out of the Blue

Comment #141172 by Richard Morgan on March 10, 2008 at 6:32 am

stephenray

But since none of us can remember anything from our first few days (principally because the RAM has not yet been constructed)

Slow down here, please. I might have something to say: are you saying that there are no memories stocked somewhere, anywhere, or just that we are (apparently) unable to access those memories?

281. Out of the Blue

Comment #141143 by Richard Morgan on March 10, 2008 at 5:30 am

Steve Zara :

I want to see the guide-O-tron device please, along with the instruction manual.

No problem, I'll ask my mother-in-law to send you a copy.

282. Out of the Blue

Comment #141141 by Richard Morgan on March 10, 2008 at 5:28 am

dj2baduk

the interesting question is then, what reason would it have to learn?

Exactly.
The human brain is basically a survival-problem-solving gadget.
It wants to stay alive.
So the first thing you'd need for your Godputer is an over-riding need to avoid getting unplugged.
And, probably a need for coffee or tea. (So it wouldn't be a Mormon God!)

283. Out of the Blue

Comment #141129 by Richard Morgan on March 10, 2008 at 5:09 am

Steve ZARA :

Please, stop me, someone....

Anyone tries to stop you, they'll have to get past me first!
ME!
King Cantankerous, remember!

284. Out of the Blue

Comment #141122 by Richard Morgan on March 10, 2008 at 4:46 am

Steve Zara :

I would imagine that one would need a pretty large amount of computing resources to create God.

Really? According to some reading I have done (I think Atkins..) God wouldn't have had to have done much to get the show on the road.
Well, this show anyway - you know, life, the Universe, multiverses, sunsets, bad breath and everything.

However, clearing up the mess would take some pretty hefty computing resources I'm sure. We can't always just click on "Delete" can we?
We can?
Wow, tell me about it!

285. Fleabytes

Comment #141118 by Richard Morgan on March 10, 2008 at 4:14 am

clodhopper - I've sent you a PM re your request.

286. The Salamander's Tale

Comment #141050 by Richard Morgan on March 9, 2008 at 9:23 pm

wipeout

I am reading this web page to look for some hope why these things HAPPENED TO ME.

Wrong question, my friend.
Bad things happen.
The question should be to know what to do with what has happened to us.
Judging from the tone of your last post, I think you would do well to start with some psychological help or support.
(I am saying this out of kindness - because even ass-holes have the right to be happy.)

287. When blasphemy bit the dust

Comment #141044 by Richard Morgan on March 9, 2008 at 8:07 pm

Two new musical portraits:
"TNT -Truth not Tales" for Paula KIRBY

and
"Simply Steve Z." for Steve ZARA.


http://www.myspace;com/fleabytes

288. Out of the Blue

Comment #141041 by Richard Morgan on March 9, 2008 at 7:16 pm

"Simply Steve Z."


Steve talks science and logic, enquiry and reason.
But if he held your hand, this is what you would feel.


http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

289. Crossing the Divide

Comment #141040 by Richard Morgan on March 9, 2008 at 7:15 pm

"Simply Steve Z."


Steve talks science and logic, enquiry and reason.
But if he held your hand, this is what you would feel.



http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

290. Fleabytes

Comment #141039 by Richard Morgan on March 9, 2008 at 7:14 pm

"Simply Steve Z."


Steve talks science and logic, enquiry and reason.
But if he held your hand, this is what you would feel.


http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

291. Richard Dawkins' US Tour begins this week

Comment #141029 by Richard Morgan on March 9, 2008 at 5:27 pm

"Paula Kirby : TNT (Truth not Tales)"


Those of you who were expecting a pretty little tune for the musical portrait of Paula are going to be surprised. But not, I hope, disappointed.
This is a portrait of Paula making short shrift of the fleas, Paula wielding the hammer of truth, showing no mercy for lying fleas.
This is the Paula Kirby we all know and love.
It is only one facet of a complex personality, but since I compose with my heart, and the heart is rather more difficult to command than the head, I wrote the notes that I had to write.

I have composed this with a feeling of deep respect, and I offer it with love.


"Simply Steve Z."
Steve Zara talks reason and science, enquiry and truth.
But if he held your hand, this is what you would feel.


http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

292. Christopher Hitchens on Real Time with Bill Maher

Comment #141028 by Richard Morgan on March 9, 2008 at 5:26 pm

"Paula Kirby : TNT (Truth not Tales)"


Those of you who were expecting a pretty little tune for the musical portrait of Paula are going to be surprised. But not, I hope, disappointed.
This is a portrait of Paula making short shrift of the fleas, Paula wielding the hammer of truth, showing no mercy for lying fleas.
This is the Paula Kirby we all know and love.
It is only one facet of a complex personality, but since I compose with my heart, and the heart is rather more difficult to command than the head, I wrote the notes that I had to write.

I have composed this with a feeling of deep respect, and I offer it with love.



http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

293. Are the 'New Atheists' avoiding the 'real arguments'?

Comment #141027 by Richard Morgan on March 9, 2008 at 5:25 pm

"Paula Kirby : TNT (Truth not Tales)"


Those of you who were expecting a pretty little tune for the musical portrait of Paula are going to be surprised. But not, I hope, disappointed.
This is a portrait of Paula making short shrift of the fleas, Paula wielding the hammer of truth, showing no mercy for lying fleas.
This is the Paula Kirby we all know and love.
It is only one facet of a complex personality, but since I compose with my heart, and the heart is rather more difficult to command than the head, I wrote the notes that I had to write.

I have composed this with a feeling of deep respect, and I offer it with love.


http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

294. Fleabytes

Comment #141022 by Richard Morgan on March 9, 2008 at 5:12 pm

Geoff : Thank you very much.
Merci beaucoup.
Muito obrigado.
Diolch yn fawr.

295. Out of the Blue

Comment #141019 by Richard Morgan on March 9, 2008 at 5:05 pm

"Paula Kirby : TNT (Truth not Tales)"


Those of you who were expecting a pretty little tune for the musical portrait of Paula are going to be surprised. But not, I hope, disappointed.
This is a portrait of Paula making short shrift of the fleas, Paula wielding the hammer of truth, showing no mercy for lying fleas.
This is the Paula Kirby we all know and love.
It is only one facet of a complex personality, but since I compose with my heart, and the heart is rather more difficult to command than the head, I wrote the notes that I had to write.

I have composed this with a feeling of deep respect, and I offer it with love.


http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

296. Crossing the Divide

Comment #141018 by Richard Morgan on March 9, 2008 at 5:01 pm

"Paula Kirby : TNT (Truth not Tales)"


Those of you who were expecting a pretty little tune for the musical portrait of Paula are going to be surprised. But not, I hope, disappointed.
This is a portrait of Paula making short shrift of the fleas, Paula wielding the hammer of truth, showing no mercy for lying fleas.
This is the Paula Kirby we all know and love.
It is only one facet of a complex personality, but since I compose with my heart, and the heart is rather more difficult to command than the head, I wrote the notes that I had to write.

I have composed this with a feeling of deep respect, and I offer it with love.



http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

297. Fleabytes

Comment #141016 by Richard Morgan on March 9, 2008 at 4:58 pm

"Paula Kirby : TNT (Truth not Tales)"


Those of you who were expecting a pretty little tune for the musical portrait of Paula are going to be surprised. But not, I hope, disappointed.
This is a portrait of Paula making short shrift of the fleas, Paula wielding the hammer of truth, showing no mercy for lying fleas.
This is the Paula Kirby we all know and love.
It is only one facet of a complex personality, but since I compose with my heart, and the heart is rather more difficult to command than the head, I wrote the notes that I had to write.

I have composed this with a feeling of deep respect, and I offer it with love.


http://www.myspace.com/fleabytes

298. Out of the Blue

Comment #140987 by Richard Morgan on March 9, 2008 at 12:50 pm

Dr Benway

"Look what I was thinking 300 milliseconds ago."

That would finally explain something for me : judging from the attention span of some of my students, they wouldn't qualify for being conscious.

299. Crossing the Divide

Comment #140961 by Richard Morgan on March 9, 2008 at 8:07 am

AtheistAspy

judges will prefer eye witnesses over physical evidence.

Judges, perhaps, but my references concerned ordinary, untrained, jury members.
I am also wondering in what kind of situation there would be a real choice between eye-witnesses and physical evidence?
Could you tell me?
Because we're always having this kind of problem in debates with theists!!

300. Fleabytes

Comment #140898 by Richard Morgan on March 9, 2008 at 4:29 am

Steve Zara :

Does anyone have any ideas about the motivations of so many of the theists who post here?

I suppose there are at least as many reasons for neurotic behaviour as there are neurotics in the world.
It will be interesting to see if our theist visitors themselves notice your question, and are gracious enough to give their own, individual answer. (Though providing answers is not their strong point, is it?)
One also often has the impressions that the wooters and whatthe?s of this world fail to avoid the formula
"anonymyity plus audience = ass-hole".
They are doubly protected : the Holy Spirit and the one-click-escape-system.
Steve remarks

If it were me, I would slink away in embarassment, or at least just shut up.

.Well, no self-respecting christian would allow himself to be publicly embarrassed by his beliefs, would he?
In any event, whether or not they come here to sharpen their teeth and claws or not, it certainly keeps us talking among ourselves, and I suppose we should be thankful to them for that!
I imagine also that among the younger posters here (theists and atheists alike) there is this maddening, frustrating feeling of, "Why the heck can't they see that they're just plain WRONG? It's so OBVIOUS!"
It takes a little age and experience to be able to "let go" in the face of crass idiotic, self-contradictory ideas. And I'm sure that's how each side sees the other.
Even among some of my dear friends here, there is the occasional attempt to say, "Stop, everybody! Come here and listen : - I've got the absolutely ultimate argument / evidence / flea-spray, whatever. It's irrefutable. All you have to do is follow my reasoning. It goes like this..."
And afterward? Well, life continues, business as usual, the christians have gone back to praising the lord, we continue to try to expand our knowledge and understanding of the real world, renew our memberships for the Paula Kirby Fan Club*, marvel at lava lizards, herring gulls, good beer and rugby.
But there's probably more to it than that,isn't there?


* NOT snide - I'm a fully paid-up member myself. Heck, you didn't think I'd be discouraged by an avatar did you?