Comments by Brian English

801. Daniel Dennett: Autobiography (Part 1)

Comment #220714 by Brian English on July 29, 2008 at 1:13 am

I think Spinoza is saying that nature - thus life, choices, and all that jazz - are the same thing as God. Given that starting assumption, free will is no more free than the anything else that is bound by nature. It's probably very similar to what Christians argue for when they use the Cosmological argument, everything totally dependent on everything before, but with one small difference. God is nature, so God has no choice or free will either.

I think what compatibilists like Dennet argue is that, though every choice we make is not random. It is a combination of environment, genetic makeup (can humans fly by choosing to flap their arms? I think not), upbringing and personal preferences based on the previous givens.

The thing about free will was that if it was random or not influenced by everything else, people would just start doing things not because they chose to, but because of random thoughts that have no relation to their brains or desires. This is not possible for materialists (even rabidly insane ones, we still think there's an explanation) and for believers who want it because they think it allows us to be morally responsible enough to be sent to hell it's no help either. If a random thought popped into your mind without your decision and not based on anything you think or are how are you responsible for that?

802. Catholics To Pope: Lift Birth Control Ban

Comment #220666 by Brian English on July 28, 2008 at 8:31 pm

It made sense. More so than my posts. :)

803. Catholics To Pope: Lift Birth Control Ban

Comment #220663 by Brian English on July 28, 2008 at 8:26 pm

Goldy, were you the Mike who posted on my blog? Thanks if so.

804. A third of Muslim students back killings

Comment #220639 by Brian English on July 28, 2008 at 6:45 pm

Mitchell, she probably owns a few firearms too. ;)

805. A third of Muslim students back killings

Comment #220634 by Brian English on July 28, 2008 at 6:31 pm

Goldy, have you soiled my blog yet?
http://philosophicalneuron.blogspot.com/2008/07/its-intuitive.html

806. Catholics To Pope: Lift Birth Control Ban

Comment #220620 by Brian English on July 28, 2008 at 5:34 pm

You cynics annoy the shit out of me.

I am not a dog thank you. :)

From dictionary.com:

[Origin: 1540â€"50; < L Cynicus < Gk KynikÃ³s Cynic, lit., doglike, currish, equiv. to kyn- (s. of kÃ½Ån) dog -ikos - ic]

807. Daniel Dennett: Autobiography (Part 1)

Comment #220613 by Brian English on July 28, 2008 at 5:16 pm

There are still more sciences to be discovered, and still more philosophy to be done to keep the existing sciences moving ever forward.

Totally, philosophy can give justification for the scientific procedures we use, and the clarify how much knowledge we get from science. It can correct or suggest modifications in the current and future methods.

I think many scientists who are at the cutting edge, or pushing theories in their fields are doing philosophy anyway.

Spinoza, I was reading the SEP yesterday about rationalists. According to SEP, Spinoza was a rationalist, and more particularly, a monist. Thus nature and God are identical as there's only one thing. I probably got that wrong but anyway, just out of interest, what is it about rationalism that convinces you? Personally, I find empiricism convincing, though it ends up with Hume's fork or a verification principle that is meaningless in its own terms (I think). Rationalism seems to place intuition as the source of clear knowledge, but science and math demonstrate many counterintuitive truths.

808. Catholics To Pope: Lift Birth Control Ban

Comment #220609 by Brian English on July 28, 2008 at 4:58 pm

You're my intellectual hero Carto. :)
It usually is MPhil, or Steve Zara, but I'm fickle. They'll have to work hard to get my hero worship, or not as I'm fickle.

809. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #220573 by Brian English on July 28, 2008 at 3:29 pm

old dusty, and when the world collapses, it will be religion that takes the reigns and blames technology for the collapse. Welcome to the dark ages 2.0.

810. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #220568 by Brian English on July 28, 2008 at 3:24 pm

Joe, before you go to bed. Can you please provide any arguments for the existence of God? We do not care that you are so simple of mind that you believe in the Quran. If you wish to convince us, forget the Quran, use some logic.

811. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #220566 by Brian English on July 28, 2008 at 3:23 pm

The Bavarian Illumaniti perhaps?

Tell me more about this Bavarian Illuminati epeeist. I've not heard of them before. Do they drink liter Steins? Is MPhil among their number?

812. A third of Muslim students back killings

Comment #219989 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 11:13 pm

I didn't expect the Spanish inquisition...

813. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #219987 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 11:09 pm

Txpiper does seem somewhat confused. Is he trying to shore up his own non-belief in evolution or convince us that evolution is internally inconsistent?

814. Sydney brothels say Pope's visit will give business a leg-up

Comment #219975 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 10:00 pm

Good idea. Steven Hawking might be available. ;)

Either Richard or PZ can do both science and atheism.....

If all that fails, Goldy is a lab tech, he does science.

815. Sydney brothels say Pope's visit will give business a leg-up

Comment #219973 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 9:45 pm

How goes it Laurie?

816. Sydney brothels say Pope's visit will give business a leg-up

Comment #219970 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 9:36 pm

TWP, if you love abstract math and nerdom, go for physics. If you love petri-dishes and lab coats go for biology.
I learned this valuable piece of advice from Hollywood movies. Never known to be wrong in their portrayal of science.

817. Sydney brothels say Pope's visit will give business a leg-up

Comment #219969 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 9:25 pm

I just turned 21 and 168 months old. :)

818. Sydney brothels say Pope's visit will give business a leg-up

Comment #219967 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 9:18 pm

You pectoral endowed whipper snapper you Goldy.

819. Sydney brothels say Pope's visit will give business a leg-up

Comment #219957 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 8:52 pm

My advice isn't worth so much. My moobs are coming along fine. What cup size are ya Goldy? I'm probably bigger. ;)

820. A third of Muslim students back killings

Comment #219953 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 8:35 pm

Goldy, Free Man has noticed your anti-atheist leanings too.

821. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #219948 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 8:29 pm

Amen Rad

822. Lying for Jesus?

Comment #219943 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 8:22 pm

Yeah, that's why I keep trying to get you to apply it to the theory of evolution, using facts instead of your imagination.

What facts are we talking about? You use imagination if you believe that there is a person who has no body to sustain him, lives outside time, and has created the universe and cares about that universe and you especially. This is not scientific, it's narcissistic.

From everything we see in the universe, unconscious materials (matter) and life (plants, animals) are what sustains and generates life. Conscious life is, as far as we can tell (that is, being scientific), only present in one species on on tiny speck in the universe. It takes an amazing feat of imagination to say that this very rare thing is what created the universe when all around the majority of the universe, unthinking stuff, is what we see and we see it generating life, destroying life and living. If you were scientific at all, you'd go with the evidence that life arose from unthinking stuff, not a book written by people so long before science that they had to explain things in term of their own consciousness and arrived at gods, ghosts and miracles. But then, you only use science when it doesn't conflict with your beliefs as far as I can see.

823. Sydney brothels say Pope's visit will give business a leg-up

Comment #219940 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 8:16 pm

Goldy, you're a girly man. You should be like the nasty alpha-males around here who just attack everybody.

824. A third of Muslim students back killings

Comment #219925 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 7:28 pm

Australia. My government, for all its faults, can't compete with yours.

825. A third of Muslim students back killings

Comment #219923 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 7:17 pm

Hi Free Man, where you from?

826. A third of Muslim students back killings

Comment #219912 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 6:46 pm

What difference between that Islamic rising and the rise of left wing thought in western universities or the hysteria that was the Cultural Revolution in China?

Oh, I know this one! Islam was the difference! Yes? I get a star now? Oh, what does rhetorical mean?

827. A third of Muslim students back killings

Comment #219865 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 4:19 pm

Goldy, have you read this?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/21/AR2008072102357.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

828. Islam subway ads cause stir in New York

Comment #219844 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 3:51 pm

Layla, what's the meaning of bringing logic and reasoned argument into the debate?

;)

829. Write to UCF

Comment #219837 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 3:45 pm

Mea culpa. Apologies for getting the wrong end of the stick.

830. Write to UCF

Comment #219833 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 3:38 pm

133. Comment #219500 by Brian English

The quote seemed to be addressed to me. Oh well, it doesn't matter. I think I need to take a few deep breaths and stop looking for debates. :)

831. Write to UCF

Comment #219825 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 3:15 pm

If I see someone beating the crap out of someone else because they are convinced he is possessed by any evil spirit, I am not going to try to politely and rationally convince him he's belief is mistaken. I'm going to make him stop by whatever means necessary.

Mitchell, this is a strawman of my position. I'm talking about convincing a believer, or at least reasoning with them. If the believer is being violent then why would anyone think they can reason with them at that moment of rage?

The issue of free speech and peoples right to express it and the right not to be attacked or bullied has nothing to do with the points I've been making. We shouldn't even need to say that the state and other people have a duty to enforce such rights, but even though we do because of religion's power in society it still has nothing (or very little) to do with the points I was making so why do people feel the need to argue against my points with such irrelevant points?

This is becoming like a merry-go-round.

832. Write to UCF

Comment #219500 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 3:25 am

Mitchell, you're spot on. What I find strange, as some people have disagreed with me too is that people assume that because we talk about how to convince someone in an argument that we are also saying it's OK to trample someone's rights for sectarian reasons. I don't know where this comes from. I think any religious person or atheist who tries to trample the rights of others should feel all the coercive power the state allows in that situation.....

833. Write to UCF

Comment #219496 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 3:18 am

Righto, I can see that I'm gonna struggle to be on your committee. You'll probably correct every document that has been within cooee of myself. ;)

834. Write to UCF

Comment #219493 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 3:15 am

Decius, my bad. If you have a teleporter, can I use it to go to Oxford?

835. Write to UCF

Comment #219492 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 3:13 am

On the committee? You do want the think to work don't you? Having a loose cannon may not be the best idea......;)

836. Write to UCF

Comment #219491 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 3:13 am

This is an idea my brother and I only cooked up on Saturday night

I thought I posted a similar idea a few days ago. Sans Richard because he's busy. Oh well, great minds.....

837. Write to UCF

Comment #219485 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 3:05 am

Laurie, I'd recommend RD.NET regular Russell Blackford. He's done some talks on atheism/rational thinking. He's one of those philosopher types and he seems to like a pint which is all important.

How do I help?

838. Write to UCF

Comment #219484 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 3:03 am

Well, I floated an idea a few days ago. I'm just into the big picture ideas, I don't do details. Laurie seems to have taken the bit between the teeth. I guess that after he gets the premier of NSW to stump up some cash he can let us know. ;)

Seriously, it would be good to have a bit of atheist get-together/bachchanalia (great word, go Bacchus!).

839. Write to UCF

Comment #219478 by Brian English on July 27, 2008 at 2:48 am

If that were indeed the point, there might be a point to that point. But, might I point out that this issue is really about maintaining the thin blue line. Stopping groups using their own internal rites and wild unproven claims from using them to bully other groups into submission.

Argghghghgh!!!! When did I even mention this? The point I was addressing is the whole 'it's only a cracker you stupid catholic' not, 'oh, feel free to trample someone's rights because of your sectarian beliefs'.

It appears communication is quite difficult sometimes. I must be more moronic than first hypothesized.

Laurie, as for the Sydney pissup. If you can get Dilema to stump up that cash, I wouldn't miss it. In fact, if you can get anything with some booze and free thinkers (the latter being optional) I'd attend. In fact, I'd attend the opening of a matchbox. I don't get out much. :)

840. [UPDATED] Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya

Comment #219415 by Brian English on July 26, 2008 at 11:47 pm

The Quran also mentions a barrier between fresh and salt water at river mouths. Mohammad, being a desert dweller, didn't know anything about water flowing into the sea and so assumed that there must be a barrier to stop salt water contaminating the whole river. Hardly the word of an omniscient god.....

841. A Holocaust Denier Hits Manhattan (And Hearts Hitchens)

Comment #219414 by Brian English on July 26, 2008 at 11:43 pm

It's OK, I'll just watch what the Kiwis are up to on the news. You guys can be relied upon. ;)

842. A Holocaust Denier Hits Manhattan (And Hearts Hitchens)

Comment #219411 by Brian English on July 26, 2008 at 11:37 pm

Don't ask me 8teist. I used to know them, but the AFL has changed them so many times to stop thuggery that you can't even knock a bloke's teeth out these days without incurring a free kick against your side. Sad state of affairs. ;)

843. Write to UCF

Comment #219410 by Brian English on July 26, 2008 at 11:35 pm

Steve regards as going out of one's way to actually cause offence. Impolite and rude. Not very Zarbiesque.

I feel at this juncture I can post what I think Steve's point of views are, not because I understand them but because I'm an inverterate moron.

To wit: Steve's main point seemed to be that just declaring "it's a farking cracker" to someone who believed the whole moronic doctrine of transubstantiation is not the way you win the argument with such a person. It may even drive them into a corner and they may feel the need to hold onto that belief more strongly as a form of self-defense.

Philosophically, if you're trying to prove a point to a person, you don't claim the point proven. Trying to prove to a person who holds transubstantiation true that it's false simply by declaring a cracker a cracker is begging the question. It doesn't matter that you hold it to be a cracker, if you're trying to convince someone who believes it's more than a cracker, you don't just assert the conclusion.....

/end moronic interruption.

However, if the person is embarrassed by the belief and wavering, a bit of derision or ridicule could make them take the final step an give up the belief. And I support free speech, so any body who feels the need to call a cracker a cracker go right ahead. :D

844. A Holocaust Denier Hits Manhattan (And Hearts Hitchens)

Comment #219408 by Brian English on July 26, 2008 at 11:30 pm

But Rugby League, Australian Rules and American Football (Gridiron) come a very distant last, IMHO.

Whilst honesty is to be appreciated, lack of taste shouldn't be advertised Laurie. ;)

845. Write to UCF

Comment #219337 by Brian English on July 26, 2008 at 5:40 pm

I've got the former covered, and I'm working on the latter.

And super powers to boot? Mitchell, you need a reality tv show.

846. A Holocaust Denier Hits Manhattan (And Hearts Hitchens)

Comment #219239 by Brian English on July 26, 2008 at 1:57 pm

So Stalingrad, just a misunderstanding?

Yes, now you get it. Hitler wanted to spend the winter in the east, but the russians thought he wanted to annex the east. Easy mistake to make.

847. Write to UCF

Comment #219237 by Brian English on July 26, 2008 at 1:55 pm

which was really just average fat ladies dancing around on tv and embarrassing themselves.

While I agree that Dove thing is just a marketing ploy, I have no problem with men or women being happy with their bodies. They don't necessarily have to show me their bodies of course.

848. Write to UCF

Comment #219234 by Brian English on July 26, 2008 at 1:52 pm

Point taken Steve, gays are just trying to muscle in on the church's territory. :)

Then again, one can see baldness and paunches. How many can see baby Jeebus in a cracker?

849. Write to UCF

Comment #219226 by Brian English on July 26, 2008 at 1:47 pm

Steve, your grasp of reality may be tenuous regarding six-packs and baldness, but I don't see you having large communal celebrations to buttress those beliefs. If Catholics kept their grasp of reality in private, then whatever. But I think Richard is talking about their public activities.

850. Sydney brothels say Pope's visit will give business a leg-up

Comment #219223 by Brian English on July 26, 2008 at 1:45 pm

There are many arguments about linking to material without disclaimers, I can't believe that people could think one of them is to protect their feelings.

So we have no right to live our lives as we choose? I understand (or think I do) where you're coming from, but if people wish to be blind then there's not much you can do. Forcing people to view something, or tricking them usually has the opposite effect than desired.