Comments by BAEOZ

151. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #119931 by BAEOZ on February 1, 2008 at 3:17 am

Oh great, you all get to talk about BTA's ostentation. But I miss out. Bummer.

152. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #119926 by BAEOZ on February 1, 2008 at 3:15 am

I probably shouldn't download it. I catch many howlers. But don't have the perspicuousness of a Steve, Russell, Bonzai, Epeeist, Dr. Benway, Paula, Quetz.... oh you get it....

153. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #119920 by BAEOZ on February 1, 2008 at 3:07 am

What day and time is it in that states? It's nearly the 2nd here and his pdf isn't available for download. I thought I'd challenge my masochistic side. Sigh.

154. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #119695 by BAEOZ on January 31, 2008 at 6:35 pm

Something weird with posting ATM. This is a massive thread. Somebody do something to shake it up a bit please. It seems to have settled into a not so interesting pattern.....

155. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #118831 by BAEOZ on January 31, 2008 at 3:35 am

everything was moving at or greater than the speed of light, and the energy density was such that many strange phenomena undoubtedly occured. We can't even unite GR with QM, much less fully explain dark matter... yet you assert that it is impossible that a future advanced civilization could harness a naturally occuring primordial wormhole.

So let's make it up. Wishful thinking is so much more informative. Oh wait....

156. Happy Birthday Josh Timonen!

Comment #118826 by BAEOZ on January 31, 2008 at 3:24 am

Happy Birthday Josh. Fantastic work you do. Even apart from tolerating my piffle.

I imagined you older.

Weird. Thanks for everything.

157. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #118713 by BAEOZ on January 30, 2008 at 9:39 pm

I lose it myself sometimes.

A GPS can help with that. Perhaps if you remember what you were doing when you last had it?... Thank you I do matinees! Stay for the veal!

OK, I'm bored, it's nearly the end of my work day and my brain's stopped being productive. :)

158. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #118710 by BAEOZ on January 30, 2008 at 9:37 pm

Night anna.

159. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #118709 by BAEOZ on January 30, 2008 at 9:37 pm

Please show me I'm wrong?

Grandfather paradox? You go back in time and kill your granddaddy before your daddy was conceived. That would put a fly in the ointment. Or you go back further in time and change the time line so that you don't ever exist.

160. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #118698 by BAEOZ on January 30, 2008 at 9:18 pm

Somewhere, somehow, somebody in some galaxy is gonna do it... survive and evolve to include a being or collective that can manipulate its own creation... all of our creation.

And finally, come up with a better explanation for the Goldilocks Universe.

Care to state that as a falsifiable theory?

161. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #118697 by BAEOZ on January 30, 2008 at 9:17 pm

Like mom says, people make the the worlds a good place.

Nice sentiment. False, but nice. :)

162. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #118690 by BAEOZ on January 30, 2008 at 9:06 pm

Do you think that the situation of the Goldilocks Universe is something that is unique in our time, or will it continue to be the case, one billion years from now, that the universe will have arranged itself so beautifully for our convenient existence?

Who knows what the sun will be like then, possibly will have cooked the Earth. But we can be sure that there will be no human beings then, any descendants will be a different species.

163. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #118663 by BAEOZ on January 30, 2008 at 8:17 pm

categorically deny the possibility of God as a creator, would they?

A god, no. The God, yes, he's a logical impossibility.

164. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #118649 by BAEOZ on January 30, 2008 at 8:01 pm

Would you rule it out, in say, a billion years? I think this is the reason hippies dressed so differently than others. They were future time travelers, with their way out clothing, stuck in the late 60's. Sad really.

165. 'Irrational Atheist' trounces God-deniers

Comment #117733 by BAEOZ on January 29, 2008 at 1:36 pm

Steve Zara (PBUH):

But this is all nothing more than the most self-indulgent question-begging unless you can come up with hard evidence for God's existence. And I don't mean evidence that it would be nice if God exists, or evidence that people need God to exist. I mean that God actually exists.

This is the beauty of Hume's fork. We can define anything we like. And it will be true in the sense that a definition like all unicorns have one horn is true (it's in the definition, analytic). But it tells us nothing about this world. It's just a description of nothing. To know if a unicorn exists, you have to go out in this world and take evidence. If we don't find the evidence, then we are justified in presuming unicorns don't exist. Likewise, saying God is perfect, or whatever, may make sense as a unicorn having a one horn, but it doesn't make God exist. We need evidence, and until that is furnished, nobody should believe that God exists.

Further discussions here:
http://philosophicalneuron.blogspot.com/2008/01/desciptions-definitions-and-existence.html
and here: http://philosophicalneuron.blogspot.com/2008/01/fork-in-road.html

:) Shameless plugging over.

166. A Letter From Hell

Comment #116199 by BAEOZ on January 25, 2008 at 7:59 pm

I stopped after the first bit (assuming, as there always is, that there were more bits) about going to hell. What if? What if Quetz gets mighty angry with me for making a pot of English breakfast, then not taking the time to drink it. That worries me more about some kid not knowing more about Jebus.

Now all you types who like philosphy lite get over to my http://philosophicalneuron.blogspot.com/2008/01/fork-in-road.html"
to discuss Hume's fork.

167. The New Theology

Comment #115798 by BAEOZ on January 24, 2008 at 8:04 pm

Like my fellow darling atheists I await your evidence for the existence of the gods with baited breath. I am indubitably like a coiled spring.

I fear you will be rusty and unsprung before Brother John provides anything approaching what you seek dear Cartomancer.

168. The real danger in Darwin is not evolution, but racism

Comment #115652 by BAEOZ on January 24, 2008 at 1:42 pm

Henri:

I advise you to control your emotions, they betray you.

I sense fear, fear leads to anger, anger leads to the dark side. The pull of the dark side is very strong young skywalker....

Did anybody else have a moment when they thought Henri was channeling Emperor Palpatine?

Anyway, this whole article is just and argumentum ad consequentiam (As I tried to spell out last night). Even if Evolution does mean racism, which it doesn't, it won't make it wrong.

169. The real danger in Darwin is not evolution, but racism

Comment #115337 by BAEOZ on January 24, 2008 at 3:28 am

Thanks Steve. On an unrelated topic. Nobody appreciated my effort in typing?

170. The real danger in Darwin is not evolution, but racism

Comment #115330 by BAEOZ on January 24, 2008 at 3:03 am

Steve, I've got The Anscestor's Tale and God Delusion. I haven't read selfish gene, but I believe I understand evolution (inasmuch as it's not teleogical and fitness refers to the actual environmental conditions, not Carl Lewis.*) I've also done some undergrad bio. Do I need more?

I forgot: I've got The origen of Species. But I've only read half it. I'm not a pigeon fancier

I forgot to add, that evolution relies on random mutation and non-random natural selection to winnow away those mutations that are deleterous to a species in a given environment and these become the foundation of mutation too

171. The real danger in Darwin is not evolution, but racism

Comment #115325 by BAEOZ on January 24, 2008 at 2:54 am

Chant together folks:

Give me an A: A
Give me an R: R
Give me a G: G
Give me a U: U
Give me an M: M
Give me an E: E
Give me an N: N
Give me a T: T
Give me a U: U
Give me an M: M

Give me an A: A
Give me a D: D

Give me a C: C
Give me an O: O
Give me an N: N
Give me an S: S
Give me an E: E
Give me a Q: Q
Give me an S: S
Give me an E: E
Give me an N: N
Give me a T: T
Give me an I: I
Give me an A: A
Give me an M: M

What have you got?

A dickhead......

172. The real danger in Darwin is not evolution, but racism

Comment #115177 by BAEOZ on January 23, 2008 at 5:53 pm

When Darwin referred to race, he didn't mean it in the sense we now use it. It was synonymous with species back then.

173. The devilish church practice of exorcism

Comment #114817 by BAEOZ on January 23, 2008 at 12:26 am

Where are ADH and Krisking and Wooter and Fides et Ratio when it really WOULD be interesting to hear them try to defend their god?

Paula, you don't understand. That's not their god, nor his will. You silly sod, you don't realise that ADH, Krisking, Wooter and Fides sin ratio have a real, meaningful understanding of God and his will. Those other people are sadly following the wrong path. God and religion are not to be blamed for them, oh no. Just ask them, I'm sure they'll corroborate this. :) And aren't us atheists always asking for corroborating evidence?

174. Life-Forming Chemicals Found in Distant Galaxy

Comment #114774 by BAEOZ on January 22, 2008 at 7:20 pm

There is a substantial amount of ethanol out there, even if methamphetamine hasn't been found.

Galactic party!

175. Top 10 Reasons to Believe Logic Over Religion

Comment #114733 by BAEOZ on January 22, 2008 at 4:17 pm

I would think alcohol is the only cause of drunk driving

No, you've got it all wrong. First, you get a drunk, strap on 4 wheels to his sides. Jerry-rig a motor to the back wheels and some form of steering to the front wheels and off you go, drunk-driving. Of course alcohol may be involved in you choosing to do this act to a drunk.

176. Top 10 Reasons to Believe Logic Over Religion

Comment #114731 by BAEOZ on January 22, 2008 at 4:15 pm

Certainly, God does not limit them, but other things do.

If God knows what you're going to do, then you doing it doesn't change it. It would seem set in stone by God's knowing.

177. Top 10 Reasons to Believe Logic Over Religion

Comment #114623 by BAEOZ on January 22, 2008 at 1:32 pm

If what you are going to do is 'predetermined' in some way, this doesn't necessarily mean that you are not free. Furthermore, we have no proof that we are free so this incompatibility would be no evidence against God either.

I think the point is, whatever you decide, God has always known what you were going to do. Long before you were born, it was known. Hence, you had no say in it. No matter how many times you've changed your mind, these changes were always known. You're naught more than a puppet.

178. CBC News: Sunday - Richard Dawkins

Comment #114324 by BAEOZ on January 22, 2008 at 12:18 am

Epeeist. If I may make a request. Do you know much about the theology if God's immutability viz his ability to decide? I started a thread https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6890785081186080960&postID=1063645337728564131 on The Divine Command theory of morality and it mutated into something else. If you've got the time, can you give it a sqiz? My understanding of logic and philosophy is very limited. I think I've asked you this before and if you are not interested, please ignore this. :)

179. This Week's Flea

Comment #114246 by BAEOZ on January 21, 2008 at 4:01 pm

Apologists will say that it's about Judah not believing in God and so God abandoned him to the iron chariot dudes. There's always an interpretation that shows God in a good light. Sad.

180. This Week's Flea

Comment #114241 by BAEOZ on January 21, 2008 at 3:53 pm

The old testament God was not only a vicious bully, he got his arse whipped by those folks with iron chariots.

"And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron."

181. The devilish church practice of exorcism

Comment #114152 by BAEOZ on January 21, 2008 at 1:03 pm

If a Christian is somebody who follows the example of Christ, these people are true and good Christians – and they are also deeply immoral human beings.

Classic quote. Baby Jesus, meek and mild, will kill you if you don't do as he says.

182. Ethical storm as scientist becomes first man to clone HIMSELF

Comment #113832 by BAEOZ on January 20, 2008 at 5:49 pm

Cartomancer. My understanding of the change in the church's stance came because early users of microscopes thought they saw little men "homunculi" in sperm. Pregnancy then became the growth of a little man, implanted in the womb via sperm, into a baby. If the embryo already contained a little man, he must already have a soul. Before this time, the church had a teaching, which has never been repudiated that the soul entered the body after conception. I read this in Rachel's book Principles of Moral Philosophy.

183. Why people believe weird things about money

Comment #113815 by BAEOZ on January 20, 2008 at 4:49 pm

Batman V: The gay bathouse.

Scene 24:....
Robyn: Batman, why must I always go first through the window?
Batman: That's just the way it is my firm thighed companion......

184. Why people believe weird things about money

Comment #113812 by BAEOZ on January 20, 2008 at 4:46 pm

Gay bats congregating in houses these days....Makes one think...

185. Why people believe weird things about money

Comment #113806 by BAEOZ on January 20, 2008 at 4:25 pm

This thread has become quite surreal. Is it in danger of becoming a car-crash in slo-mo type thread? :P

186. Violence fear over Islam film

Comment #113772 by BAEOZ on January 20, 2008 at 1:42 pm

I think Steve got it about right. Freedom of expression means that no one has the right not to be offended. But that they can express their offense and argue their case.

Check this out:
http://www.jesusandmo.net/2008/01/18/piety/

187. Why people believe weird things about money

Comment #113189 by BAEOZ on January 18, 2008 at 8:16 pm

Thanks Cartomancer. I thought the case for acu was ablative. I missed the subject of the verb obviously. Still. I wasn't bad for being quite pissed (drunk) and tired at the time. I'm surprised I made any sense at all. :)

188. The New Theology

Comment #113167 by BAEOZ on January 18, 2008 at 6:04 pm

Instead, he says, God's love led to a world that's always open to new directions for life, without the need for overpowering divine supervision. The chance-fueled nature of evolution doesn't disprove God's existence, Haught believes. It's what God wanted.

That is a hypothesis not necessary to explain anything.

189. Why people believe weird things about money

Comment #112796 by BAEOZ on January 18, 2008 at 5:22 am

Richard! I believe I just got your barb. I'm a bit tired and thus slow tonight.

Unless, of course, you happen to specialise in producing music that nobody wants to listen to...

You a quite likely referring to my atonal compositions in this sentence? N'est-ce pas?

Steve. Thanks for your comments on my blog. :)

190. Why people believe weird things about money

Comment #112789 by BAEOZ on January 18, 2008 at 5:02 am

Pedantic but:
Tetigisti = I have touched (c.f. tango or tangent)
Rem = thing in accusative case (c.f. republic)
acu = sharp in some case (c.f. acute)
So, whilst it may translate as hit the nail on the head, it parses as I have touched the sharp thing. I wasn't too far off.

191. Why people believe weird things about money

Comment #112788 by BAEOZ on January 18, 2008 at 4:56 am

In the music industry, this is the only way to live your (professional) life. Unless, of course, you happen to specialise in producing music that nobody wants to listen to...

If there's one thing I've learned from posting on the internet. It's not to make statements so general that they can be contradicted in part. Yet I still make them! Perhaps I've learnt nothing. Or maybe your example is the exception that proves the rule.

192. Why people believe weird things about money

Comment #112785 by BAEOZ on January 18, 2008 at 4:52 am

Rem acu tetigisti!

I (have) touched the sharp thing? Sorry, but that's all my mind parses from that phrase. Which would make sense. It may be scooter's "issue". But that would be presumptuous of me to assume. :)

193. Why people believe weird things about money

Comment #112780 by BAEOZ on January 18, 2008 at 4:38 am

BAEOZ you miss the whole point of accountability and responsibility

Scooter. It's possible that I do. But that would negate pretty much my understanding of humanity. If I see a person suffering or hurt. I don't wait till I know whether they are responsible or accountable. I just empathize*. Later on, if I may find out that that person was a cad and not deserving of empathy, because they lacked accountability for their actions and needed to be responsible to those that had been screwed. I accept that I got jibbed. But that's just part of being a human. For all I know, they did nothing wrong and purely through circumstance they ended up in a harmful situation.

*Sure sometimes people can pull the wool over your eyes. But if you live your life assuming every person is out to take from you, well, you're not living.

194. Why people believe weird things about money

Comment #112776 by BAEOZ on January 18, 2008 at 4:28 am

Scooter. I've noticed this: You say your actions are for the betterment of others. Let them help themselves. It's for their own good. Make them take responsibility It's like you're a philanthropist. But in the end, your argument seems (correct me if I'm wrong)to boil down to "screw you. I worked hard, you can't have what's mine you deadbeat" which is a bit more misanthropic.
Of course I may have misread your arguments as you've misread mine. :)

195. Why people believe weird things about money

Comment #112774 by BAEOZ on January 18, 2008 at 4:23 am

We can only observe then that you agree with the idea of NOT holding people personally accountable and personally responsible for their choices

From a false premise you can draw any conclusion. I never said what you say. The world isn't as black and white as you'd pretend.

196. Why people believe weird things about money

Comment #112771 by BAEOZ on January 18, 2008 at 4:20 am

I think Pathos means suffering as well.
Empathy - to feel another's suffering as your own.
Sympathy - to suffer with another (sym = with).
Pathetic - to be afflicted.
Pathology - study of suffering.

But. Words change in each language. The word generous is related to genus. It refers to being well-born. But you'd never think that a poor person who gave to charity was generous only because he was well born (in that unlikely event). You'd think he was generous because he gave more than you'd expect.

197. Why people believe weird things about money

Comment #112768 by BAEOZ on January 18, 2008 at 4:11 am

Having "empathy", placing yourself in his/her shoes, is merely saying, "if it were me I'd want you to hand me a dollar"

Wow. No need to tell me scooter. That says it all. Talk about denying your nature. I'm not saying you're a bad guy. But your ideology leads you to deny science. Animals exhibit empathy. Pigs, cats, dogs, apes. Are they all asking for the other's dollar?

198. Why people believe weird things about money

Comment #112766 by BAEOZ on January 18, 2008 at 4:07 am

Scooter. I'm a bit lazy. So can you tell me the gist of the discussion you're having?

199. Why people believe weird things about money

Comment #112764 by BAEOZ on January 18, 2008 at 4:06 am

Actually. I just clicked on the link. That's too much to ask of any person with a life. Please ignore. :)

200. Why people believe weird things about money

Comment #112761 by BAEOZ on January 18, 2008 at 4:03 am

Excuse my impertinent interruption in your Randian discussion. But can Steve, Richard, or Epeeist (if he's lurking) pop over to this thread on my rather amateur blog and see where reason lies? By the way, there's not one theist ratbag there so far as I can tell. But that Quetzocoatl is a worry.
If you can't be bothered. I totally understand. :)