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Comments by Jiten


151. We need a more intelligent religion debate

Comment #68446 by Jiten on September 7, 2007 at 7:47 am

We need a more intelligent religion debate

There is no such thing and anyway even if there were we're not going to get one from you,are we?

152. Honest Mistakes or Willful Mendacity

Comment #68357 by Jiten on September 7, 2007 at 1:49 am

To prepare for my BBC Radio 4 discussion with John Cornwell I read Cornwell's book Darwin's Angel: an angelic response to The God Delusion

Ahh I feel for you! To read such bilge can't have been fun.

153. The Flea Circus moves to your iPod!

Comment #68071 by Jiten on September 6, 2007 at 2:53 am

But with your own admitted disinterest in actually checking it out, any attack on the author is invalid.

Nonsense.There is not enough time in our short lives to check everything out rigoursly befre dismissing it.Are you going to check out every nutty idea before rejecting it? Are you going to read the Bhagvad Gita before saying that its cosmology is laughably rubbish in the light of modern theories?

154. The Mix Tape of the Gods

Comment #67966 by Jiten on September 5, 2007 at 12:14 pm

Today I guess we'd send an ipod loaded up with audio and videos.A bonus is that the aliens wouldn't have to build a player first like with the phonograph.

155. Like any half-decent atheist, I'm fond of a bit of religion

Comment #67836 by Jiten on September 5, 2007 at 1:29 am

Like any half-decent atheist, I'm fond of a bit of religion

Because they have the ceremonies for weddings and funerals and births.There exist humanist ceremonies but religions have a thousands of years head start.

156. This human's life, decoded

Comment #67708 by Jiten on September 4, 2007 at 1:10 pm

I think Venter's use of race is what Pinker means by bureaucratic pigeonholes.

157. India to charge writer Nasreen with 'hurting Muslim feelings'

Comment #67598 by Jiten on September 4, 2007 at 1:26 am

Under Indian law, promoting "disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill will" between religious groups is punishable by up to three years in jail.


Funny that as all the right-wing hindu politicians are freely doing just this.

158. In God we doubt

Comment #67342 by Jiten on September 3, 2007 at 4:57 am

What? In ONLY God we doubt? Shouldn't that be"In God and Fairies we doubt"? Wait,shouldn't it really be "In God and Fairies and in all sorts of other beings that people have dreamt up over the millenia we doubt"?

159. What do these atheists understand of religion?

Comment #67274 by Jiten on September 3, 2007 at 2:13 am

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown is so so ignorant that I wonder if they feel no shame in letting the whole world know just how ignorant they are by writing and publishing this stuff?

Has anyone else also noticed how this type of article is always written by the scientifically illiterate?

160. Christopher Hitchens and Bill Donohue on Mother Teresa

Comment #66538 by Jiten on August 30, 2007 at 10:53 am

After these revelations of Mother T's atheism Christopher Hitchens is being very magnanimous.

BTW it is hilarious that Christopher's name means the carrier of Christ.

161. The Sacrifice of Reason

Comment #66287 by Jiten on August 29, 2007 at 3:31 pm

Sam is just tireless! And I always learn something new.

162. Scientists Induce Out-of-Body Sensation

Comment #65376 by Jiten on August 24, 2007 at 1:00 am

It's all in the mind.

163. Scientists should unite against threat from religion

Comment #65244 by Jiten on August 23, 2007 at 10:19 am

SteveN writes:

Healthy, constructive criticism is usually more helpful in the long run than polite but insincere praise.

True.I'd just add this.In an open and free society Any criticism,both helpful and unhelpful, should be allowed and encouraged.After all you'd be free to vigorously defend your position.Evidence will decide.

164. Scientists should unite against threat from religion

Comment #65228 by Jiten on August 23, 2007 at 8:44 am

Thankyou for your excellent post Omar Ali.A scientific journal is no place for articles like Sardar's and much less so in a journal as august as Nature.

165. Scientists should unite against threat from religion

Comment #65181 by Jiten on August 23, 2007 at 5:16 am

Another excoriating reply from Sam Harris.His writing is always coruscating.

166. Sleights of Mind

Comment #64642 by Jiten on August 21, 2007 at 5:34 am

The human mind is so endlessly facinating.I love reading about it.It's AMAZING.

167. Atheists and believers have got religion wrong

Comment #63586 by Jiten on August 15, 2007 at 2:22 am

In a just and fair world, these ideas would be no more harmful than the irrational following people have for football teams.

Good point.

For those who haven't heard of Mark Steel,he is a comedian and his articles are meant to make you laugh whilst making serious points.

168. Saudis to build their own version of Eden Project

Comment #63467 by Jiten on August 14, 2007 at 12:32 pm

This sort of thing a malarkey? How small minded! It's a step in the right direction.It'll present evidence to its visitors that life has a long history,no doubt a surprising fact to those who are indoctrinated by religious texts.And remember this'll be built in a country in the grip of Wahabism.

This should be seen a first step in the fall of Wahabism-a long term view.

169. These preachers of hate must be exposed

Comment #63457 by Jiten on August 14, 2007 at 12:15 pm

Being threatned with prosecution has other bad consequenses-perhaps in the future television companies will think it's not worth the risk to make programs like this.We need more programs like this not less.

170. Richard Dawkins and the New Age fakers

Comment #63437 by Jiten on August 14, 2007 at 6:15 am

I've seen the first program now and it was excellent.I'm really looking forward to the episode on health.I hope Dawkins has something to say about psychoanalysts as well-they're complete charlatans.

171. When did the police start collaring television?

Comment #62960 by Jiten on August 12, 2007 at 2:24 pm

taken 'out of context'

Yeah right! This is the favorite weasely pleading of the devious and the dishonest and their apologists.

172. Richard Dawkins and the New Age fakers

Comment #62803 by Jiten on August 11, 2007 at 1:40 pm

What about those other charlatans the stock market analysts and their fellow travellers?Isn't Dawkins going after them?Are they safe to peddle their snake oil because they wear ties and suits?

173. Richard Dawkins and the New Age fakers

Comment #62727 by Jiten on August 11, 2007 at 3:13 am

The lack of scientific education means that people are not armed, not equipped to see through irrationality."

This is the key requirement (a scientific education) to live in this scientific age and to be innoculated against irrationality.

[A belief in all this nonsense is]"a betrayal of what it is to be human, when the human species has achieved so much in understanding the universe."

Absolutely!

174. Why Richard Dawkins is right on alternative medicine - but not when it comes to religion

Comment #62621 by Jiten on August 10, 2007 at 12:10 pm

He loathes the idea of Hell, but the notion of torture by eternal sulphurous flames is as dead as Hieronymus Bosch

So has some new scripture been found then saying DOG got it wrong first time round and here is his new idea for Hell?

175. Atheist 'Metaphysics' and Religious Equivocation

Comment #62370 by Jiten on August 9, 2007 at 12:30 pm

Bonzai:

if my purpose is some kind of ways to makes sense of personal experience and build a personal narrative in what sense should I worry about "reliablity"?

In this sense:Your personal narrative will be based on what you already know about the world and believe it to be true.If you tell yourself that your depression is caused by a witch's spell then this narrative will not correspond with reality.
I don't know how you would subject "the brothers Karamazov" to a "scientific study" to find out how "reliable" it is. Please elaborate.

You misunderstand me.How can we tell that Dostoevsky's view of human nature corresponds with reality?What we read in The Brothers Karamazov may ring true to us but until we test it against reality we cannot be sure.
Secondly, how reliable is the knowledge you gain from "evidence" in the humanities?

How reliable are our answers judged to be by our optician when he asks us if it is better with this lens or that lens?Evidence in the humanities can be reliable if the experiment is designed well and enough data are collected.

176. Atheist 'Metaphysics' and Religious Equivocation

Comment #62328 by Jiten on August 9, 2007 at 9:52 am

Bonzai:

I find it astonishing that some of you actually try to argue that literature, poetry and art serve absolutely no function in understanding the human condition and that science is all there is

The thing is only science can give us RELIABLE knowledge about the world as it is backed up by EVIDENCE.Sure when you read a novel by Dostoevsky you might think you've learned something about the human condition but you have to take Dostoevsky's word for it.How does he know? Did he do any research?It may just seem right to you but unless you check it against reality then you can't be sure.

177. Atheist 'Metaphysics' and Religious Equivocation

Comment #62156 by Jiten on August 8, 2007 at 12:05 pm

stag,Bonzai I think it boils down to understanding conciousness.Your position seems to be that we'll never understand it.Why? How do you know what marvels of understanding will not be brought to us by science in the future? Of course we may never understand conciousness but we haven't finished yet.

178. Atheist 'Metaphysics' and Religious Equivocation

Comment #62155 by Jiten on August 8, 2007 at 11:56 am

epeeist You wrote:

Like Newton's theory of gravity you mean ;-)


Whoever said Newton's theory is no longer true? It's still as true today as it was in Newton's time.NASA uses it to send humans to the moon! It's just that it is an approximation to reality and has been superceded and incorporated by a better approximation-Eienstein's theory of Relativity.

179. Atheist 'Metaphysics' and Religious Equivocation

Comment #62042 by Jiten on August 8, 2007 at 2:26 am

stag You forgot the word yet at the end of your last sentence.

180. Arrogance, dogma and why science - not faith - is the new enemy of reason

Comment #61806 by Jiten on August 7, 2007 at 1:18 am

german-atheist That comment is not a joke but is made by a deeply ignorant person in all seriousness.

He is also confusing Dawkins for Hawking.

181. OUT Campaign Launched, 'Scarlet Letter' Shirts Now Available!

Comment #59702 by Jiten on July 30, 2007 at 10:00 am

As this a T shirt for the OUT campaign it is only for those who are "IN" and who want to come OUT.There are many of us who were never IN and others who've been OUT a long time already.I've always been OUT ever since I read The Selfish Gene about 17 years ago.

I'd rather I didn't have to make my position known on this at all as it is topsy-turvy.The default position is non-belief.It is the believers who should be identifying themselves! I just want to be left alone as I am on for example my position on the existence of fairies.

182. Proboscidean Mitogenomics: Chronology and Mode of Elephant Evolution Using Mastodon as Outgroup

Comment #58877 by Jiten on July 26, 2007 at 1:49 pm

We're living in such interesting times when science is just exploding and it's impossible for any one person to keep up with all the advances in all the fields.

In biology we've got the final theory-now we're just filling in the details."just" filling in the details!! This endevour will occupy whole working lives of countless scientists.

183. Red Mosque Fueled Islamic Fire in Young Women

Comment #58630 by Jiten on July 25, 2007 at 1:09 pm

To the 6 new worshippers of Quetzalcoatl : do as you please but just don't label your children as his followers too.

184. Susan Blackmore interviews Dan Dennett

Comment #58215 by Jiten on July 24, 2007 at 3:36 am

I liked the phrase at the end:"vacuum philosophy".Dennett has a gift for saying in a few words where others need whole sentences.Science is much more interesting.

Consciousness is just so hard a problem.It is not even easy to talk about.As far as natural selection is concerned we are here to survive and reproduce and having consciousness makes no difference to that.What good can come of "enjoying" strawberry ice-cream,or the smell of a rose?

185. PZ Myers on Blogging Heads

Comment #57947 by Jiten on July 22, 2007 at 2:47 pm

John Horgan is a likeable guy but a bit of a windbag.I know it's a question of taste and I prefer a straight forward serious interview to a casual,matey exchange.Cf Robert Wright who has interviewed many scientists whom I prefer.

186. Interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Comment #57234 by Jiten on July 18, 2007 at 4:02 pm

Fanusi writes:

I don't want to see millions of innocents die.


Well,exactly! Already 650,000 dead in Iraq according to the figures of British Medical Journal,and a strike on Iran will no doubt add to this.All that death and destruction (including women and children) and you don't want to see millions die.Perhaps you don't consider them "innocents".

How about trying to block the Saudi funding of madrassas all over the world? This will go a long way to save the minds of millions of children being poisoned.

We don't have to fight an actual war.We can battle to save young men's minds from being radicalised and infected with the virus of this death cult.

187. Preventing More Lal Masjids

Comment #57213 by Jiten on July 18, 2007 at 2:58 pm

one must not minimize the danger posed by madrassas


This is where the virus enters their minds.Nothing to do exclusively with socio-economic factors,although these play contributory role.

188. Is there an Artificial God?

Comment #57200 by Jiten on July 18, 2007 at 2:17 pm

At last something good about religion-it helps the Balinese to grow rice.

189. Interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Comment #57191 by Jiten on July 18, 2007 at 2:06 pm

The moderate Al-Sistani's website talks about us being kafirs.Well fan my brow and blow me down with a feather! What's new? He's just being true to the Koran. After all,all religions have a us-them classification-however repugnant it may be to our sensibilities.

Fanusi,what exactly are you trying to convince us of here?That Islam is bad? That muslims commit the most appalling of atrocities in its name?

The issue is how to deal with it.You say bomb them.But isn't this just continuing the cycle of violence? Islam and especially the Wahabi sect is a death cult.How exactly is your prescription for violence different?

190. Don't Mince Words: The London Car-Bomb Plot Was Designed to Kill Women

Comment #57115 by Jiten on July 18, 2007 at 10:00 am

Goatboy you say that all Xenocratic keeps saying is that America is a terrorist state.Well all you are saying is that Islam is bad.Now this is not news.No one in their right mind is going to disagree with you that our morality is better than theirs.But these two statements are not mutually exclusive.Both are true.

The key point of dispute is the cause of terrorism.What is not disputed is the barbaric violence against ...well you know.

191. Interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Comment #57080 by Jiten on July 18, 2007 at 8:50 am

Henri,I agree to most of the items on your list.But I saw no bombs on that list.

192. Interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Comment #57078 by Jiten on July 18, 2007 at 8:48 am

So Henri are you writing this from Basra?

193. Interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Comment #57074 by Jiten on July 18, 2007 at 8:45 am

For the nth time : I'm not an apologist.Calling someone an apologist just because he disagrees with you about how to deal with a problem is a cheap shot.We're agreed that we need to deal with Islam.But how? You say bombs,I say first we stop bombing them.They're really pissed off about that.

194. Interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Comment #57066 by Jiten on July 18, 2007 at 8:25 am

So Henri,you're all for bombing the muslims.What about the muslims in Scandinavia? When do you think bombing will begin there?

195. Interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Comment #57026 by Jiten on July 18, 2007 at 7:17 am

Boy you're deluded Henri.No amount of facts or arguments will convince you that you are wrong.Why this accusation of being "apologists"? I'm no apologist.I'm disgusted by Islam as much as you.As Rtambree has said repeating over and over that Islam is bad is not news to anybody.

196. Interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Comment #57021 by Jiten on July 18, 2007 at 7:07 am

Henri Bergson you write that

"The only way to reduce the threat of militant islam is invasion of islamic countries"

Have you not learnt anything from history or from current affairs? You also write "Islam must be destroyed". How? By killing its believers? Remember once Christianity was just as bad.And yet today it's nowhere like what Islam is like.What caused this?Can we not do the same for Islam? Mind you there will be no quick solutions.

197. Fears Grow Over 'Mega Mosque'

Comment #56798 by Jiten on July 17, 2007 at 9:16 am

I don't know on what grounds we can prevent this from happening.Perhaps only on planning issues such as parking and traffic consequences.

Certainly not on grounds that it'll be likely that hate speech will be espoused there.How can the authorities know that? And anyway there are already plenty of mosques.It's not as if they're lacking in places where they can brainwash and radicalise young men.

198. Kenya: The Death of Religion And Rise of Atheism in the West

Comment #56591 by Jiten on July 16, 2007 at 1:40 pm

My mistake.

199. Kenya: The Death of Religion And Rise of Atheism in the West

Comment #56585 by Jiten on July 16, 2007 at 1:32 pm

Richard Dawkins "was a well-known communist sympathiser".

Does anyone know if this is true?

200. Believing the Unbelievable: The Clash Between Faith and Reason in the Modern World

Comment #56398 by Jiten on July 15, 2007 at 3:35 pm

Bonzai,I think he means moderates v fundamentalists.But as Dawkins and others have pointed out moderates enable fundamentalists to exist.I think it would be very hard to convert all fundamentalists into moderates,just as hard I imagine as to convert them into atheists directly.So I think reformation will not work.Although Christianity has had a reformation you've still got the fundamentalists around today.Nuclear armed!

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