1. Monkeys show sense of justice

Comment #72760 by antialiasis on September 22, 2007 at 6:40 pm

Somehow I doubt the monkeys that were getting the grapes cared much for fairness.

But yes, I think they should have designed this experiment so that one monkey of each pair got one grape and the other got two (or more).

2. Why Christians should take Richard Dawkins seriously

Comment #72197 by antialiasis on September 20, 2007 at 2:08 pm

Am I the only person who actually thinks this guy is making a great point?

He's exactly /not/ trying to wave Richard off by saying he's not attacking the God people believe in. He's saying that those of faith ought to reexamine what they believe, exactly because so many people do believe in that very kind of God. He's saying Richard is right and that belief in this kind of God just doesn't work out, so believers should reconsider whether that is really the God they believe in. This is entirely true. The only part where this guy is wrong is where he refuses to acknowledge that the alternative - the intangible, theological, "intellectual" God - is nothing more than a pointless complication for the sake of comfort in an otherwise perfectly atheistic worldview.

3. 'God Is Not a Moderate'

Comment #35286 by antialiasis on April 26, 2007 at 7:16 pm

It was a great debate. I really have no problem with Christians such as Andrew Sullivan, and it always gives me hope to see a religious debate that manages to be civil throughout. His arguments may have been unconvincing and he may have evaded some of the main points, but they both showed respect to one another and Andrew did explain his position, not-so-rational as it is. I found them both to present themselves in a very likable, conversational manner, which is just how it should be.

4. The Bright Revolution

Comment #19049 by antialiasis on January 24, 2007 at 2:20 pm

I have no problem with the word 'atheist', perhaps because in my mind it simply does not have any negative connotations.

I do agree that 'bright' is a bit of an unfortunate word - like many, it irks me that it seems to be implying superior intelligence. However, we shouldn't forget that 'bright' and 'atheist' do not mean the same thing. A bright is a person with a naturalistic worldview. Of course most them are also atheists, and most atheists are also brights, but it is a different concept so I don't see why the Brights Movement should be seen as 'relabelling' atheists. We're still atheists, even if we're brights. I don't use the word 'bright' to describe myself because of how easy it is to interpret it as a statement of superiority and usually I do not find it necessary to specify that I have a naturalistic world view beyond what the word 'atheist' already implies; however, I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with the term if it were to go into common usage, as that would automatically cause it to lose the adjective's meaning in our minds.

But this is an opinion that in my experience does not appear to be shared by many. For a similar reason, I quite frequently use the word 'God' as an exclamation and don't have a problem with saying "God bless you" if someone sneezes, as I feel that in these contexts the word 'God' is essentially absolutely meaningless. I am not referring to sexual intercourse if I hurt myself and shout 'f*ck'; neither am I referring to a supernatural being who supposedly created the universe when I begin a sentence in "My God" for emphasis. Today, "God bless you" means exactly the same thing as "Gesundheit", so I see no reason to avoid the phrase just because I'm an atheist. Similarly, if the word 'bright' got into common usage and began to really mean 'person with a naturalistic world view' and not 'intelligent person', I would not have a problem with identifying myself with it.

5. 'God Is Not a Moderate'

Comment #19044 by antialiasis on January 24, 2007 at 1:49 pm

A very enjoyable debate to read; it warms my heart to see both sides being civil, honest and ready to get to the bottom of things.

The worst part is those occasional parts where Andrew suddenly jumps into calling God "truth" or similar, and then gives downright absurd reasoning for thinking so which seem in stark contrast with the intelligent nature of the rest of his posts. Says quite something, doesn't it?

6. Unscientific American: US Almost Last in Understanding Evolution

Comment #18665 by antialiasis on January 22, 2007 at 9:27 am

YEAH BABY! If there was ever a time I felt patriotic, it's now. Iceland for the win. *waves flag with a dumb grin*

In all seriousness, though, it is still pretty worrying that even over here people who reject evolution apparently constitute 15% of the population. :/