101. Are You Right Eyed Or Left Eyed?

Comment #27742 by debaser71 on March 26, 2007 at 1:01 pm

I am right handed and left eyed. Interesting.

102. Gimme That Old Time Religion (Bashing)

Comment #27347 by debaser71 on March 24, 2007 at 7:25 am

Sam Harris did a very good job at moving this conversation foward. His tough remarks and critical views on religous moderates has opened up some space behind him for others to step into. It's a damn shame that some choose to step into this new space only to point fingers at Sam Harris to make theior own wishy washy views seem more palpatable.

Anwway thanks for the publicity. Conversation favors those with reality on their side.

103. Your Mom Was Wrong: Horseplay Is An Important Part Of Development

Comment #26583 by debaser71 on March 20, 2007 at 3:35 pm

"For example, adult rats deprived of peer interaction, (and thus rough and tumble play)..."

"Rats that are reared in isolation have impaired ability ..."

Sounds very flawed.

And what of rats that aren't isolated but who also do not roughhouse. Didn't the author of the article (and perhaps the pyschologists who did the experiment) consider the possiblity that isolation of the rats is bad for them instead of saying that the lack of roughhouse play was bad?

Anyway I call BS. Any link to the actual study, I enjoy finding flaws.

104. God's dupes

Comment #25877 by debaser71 on March 15, 2007 at 2:14 pm

I added Sam's last sentences to my favorites quote list. Glad to see others seeing how well he put it.

"Everything of value that people get from religion can be had more honestly, without presuming anything on insufficient evidence. The rest is self-deception, set to music."

105. Books on Atheism Are Raising Hackles in Unlikely Places

Comment #23856 by debaser71 on March 3, 2007 at 8:07 am

Conversation favors us with reality on our side. So all the criticisms etc that get written about Dawkins and atheism, when viewed from the bigger picture, is good. It's like advertisment, not only for Dawkin's book and atheism but an advertisment for discussion.

To not be dismissed and ignored is a good thing.

106. The questions science cannot answer

Comment #21618 by debaser71 on February 10, 2007 at 6:52 am

I only know this Alister guy from his comments made against Dawkins. Is he obsessed? Anyway the way I see it is that everytime someone writes an article about Dawkins or talks about Dawkins it's like PR for atheism, science and reason. Thanks Mr. McGrath, you keep people intersted in the discussion. And IMO discussion favors us.

107. Does Richard Dawkins exist?

Comment #21480 by debaser71 on February 9, 2007 at 11:47 am

The way I see it is that these parodies do little other than compare Dawkins to God. I don't know how religionist / anti-Dawkins types think this is going to somehow help them.

/boggle

108. Massachusetts Atheists?

Comment #20389 by debaser71 on February 2, 2007 at 6:23 am

If you are in MA and get arrested of a crime, say something minor, like spitting on the bus, but while you spit you say "God damn it" or something, a prosecutor can add extra offenses like blasphemy to tack on extra time to a possible conviction.

So until that happens the law most likely won't change.

btw, I went to BU too. I noticed that this week during that terror alert in Boston one on the bridges that had that electronic toy thing hanging from iot was the BU bridge I would walk across everyday to get to class (and to Kenmore Square).

109. Arguing for Atheism

Comment #19292 by debaser71 on January 26, 2007 at 5:47 am

Sherman is ok but he attacks a strawman when he suggests that atheists think that certain conflicts are ONLY caused by religion. All I like to suggest is that religion plays a role and people should stop denying the role religion plays. Both the bad and the good. What some people refuse is to acknowledge is that people divide themselves based on religious identity. Remove the religion and these people might just be part of the same group. That religion can cause very harsh ingroup/outgroup dynamics. Religion is an artifical division.

For the record Shermer is also motivated by self interest, he can not be too harsh on religion because he's vested in not being so. I've also heard SHermer say that he's skeptical about the claims of global warming...(there was an Al Gore TED presentation where he commented on this).

I also think it's important to point out that to cause change activism and effort must come from different angles, from harsher Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins type barbed rhetoric to nice pleasant accomodation from other folk (like say the ebay atheist guy). Different people respond differently to these efforts and when there are many different efforts going on at the same time, it is a good thing!

110. The Bright Revolution

Comment #19051 by debaser71 on January 24, 2007 at 2:26 pm

Godfrey is an awesome idea!

111. The Bright Revolution

Comment #19014 by debaser71 on January 24, 2007 at 11:26 am

I call myself an atheist and I too dislike the Bright label but I am glad people are doing something to help promote ideas most of us agree about. If the term Bright helps some people get into the fold, good for it.

Rather than suggest people are wasting their time or doing more harm than good I revel in the fact that activism is coming in all forms and from all angles. Even angles that I might not like or agree with.

112. 'God Is Not a Moderate'

Comment #18857 by debaser71 on January 23, 2007 at 8:49 am

The goal of a debate isn't to get your opponent to switch sides. The goal is about the audience. That Sam Harris gets to reach an audience directly, an audience that might just otherwise take zero note of Sam Harris (or maybe even have an opinion of Sam Harris based on filtered down out of context quotes) is a positive thing. This audience gets to read what Sam Harris is suggesting for themselves. To just put Sam Harris's (and probably most of our) ideas on the table for people to do with as they please is a positive thing.

Don't fret that Andrew Suliivan will never admit defeat or dare challenge is sacred beliefs. Maybe he's just a chump like that. It's not about Andrew Sullivan.