Comments by ridelo

Comment #27419 by ridelo on March 24, 2007 at 1:21 pm

DavidMcC, why can bees see in the UV-range? Is it because they have smaller and dryer(?) eyes with less absorption in those wavelengths?

302. New clues to why we see red

Comment #27401 by ridelo on March 24, 2007 at 11:46 am

Could this mean that with some genetic tinkering we could learn to see see infrared or ultraviolet?

303. Gimme That Old Time Religion (Bashing)

Comment #27397 by ridelo on March 24, 2007 at 11:40 am

I would like to see one religious minded author who took one point of Dawkins, Dennet or Harris and showed it wrong in stead of calling their arguments unfounded, shrill etc... Then I might consider reading his article till the end.
Who takes up the glove?

304. 'God Is Not a Moderate'

Comment #26176 by ridelo on March 17, 2007 at 1:24 pm

I ask myself what makes otherwise intelligent people religious. I was raised a catholic with praying at home, in school, in church etc... During my youth I slowly came loose from all that but I could not show it too openly as I lived in rather religious surroundings. Maybe because I never had such epiphanies like mr Sullivan. Or maybe because I studied science and even if I never became very good at it, I took it very seriously.
For me it is simple: trough darwinism I believe we are animals with amazing cerebral capacities but nevertheless animals. If I claim an afterlife for myself why not for that amoebe in my gastro-intestinal tract? It has as long an evolutionary history behind it as I.
Mr Sullivan, I will not be saved and I can live with that idea. Hopefully still a lot of years. And maybe, if I become senile, I will repent and fall back on the certainties of my youth.
I cannot believe you're dishonest but I cannot help to have the impression you never could give up your toy pet. I think Sam will never be able to 'convert' you how long as this discussion may go on. And I fear the worst for the rest of humanity if he even cannot persuade an intelligent person like you.
Even if moderate christians cannot be persuaded to give up their belief let us hope that there can be found enough common ground to live in peacefull coexistence with atheists.
(And sorry if my grammatics and spelling are not 100%)

305. Cold is hot in evolution -- Researchers debunk belief species evolve faster in tropics

Comment #25991 by ridelo on March 16, 2007 at 1:39 am

Isn't it logical that where extinction rates are higher speciation is quicker? I would think that if intermediate forms are removed interbreeding is more difficult. Et voil�: two species!

306. Beyond Stones & Bones

Comment #25311 by ridelo on March 12, 2007 at 2:19 am

The third, called ASPM and also involved in brain size, clocks in at 5,800 years. That was just before people established the first cities in the Near East and is well after Homo sapiens attained their modern form. It therefore suggests that we are still evolving.

Because of this recent change can it be that some now living humans got that ASPM that possibly was connected with establishing cities while others did not get it? I know it sounds a bit like those Nazi race ideologists but could one say that having such traits makes people differently, or even more or less, human?
Human groups have always exploited the least differences between them and others to claim superiority for the own group. Are we now going to discriminate using DNA bits?

307. The Archbishop whose words came from same hymnsheet as a Marxist

Comment #25262 by ridelo on March 11, 2007 at 11:49 am

Comment #25063:about your avatar

An old catholic joke here went: "If Christ had been drowned in stead of crucified we now had to hang small aquariums on our walls."

308. Science, Faith, and Evolution

Comment #24888 by ridelo on March 9, 2007 at 4:00 am

Maybe Dowd is a useful 'missing link' between creationists and evolutionists. But reading The Selfish Gene is a better way for understanding life. I just finished it. Awesome!

309. Long live satire

Comment #24406 by ridelo on March 6, 2007 at 12:38 pm

Sue Blackmore, I don't like your hair color but I like what you've said.
Hopefully I didn't offend you. I'm off to google up some Mohammeds.

310. Houses of the Holy

Comment #24233 by ridelo on March 5, 2007 at 12:33 pm

How can religious people account for this? Exploiting gullible people should be a crime in any decent society.
How could this go on for so long? Wasn't Jim Jones and Heavens Gate enough? Don't these people read papers or watch TV?

311. Was there ever dog that praised his fleas?

Comment #24202 by ridelo on March 5, 2007 at 8:38 am

Atheism is to religion what silence is to noise.

312. Was there ever dog that praised his fleas?

Comment #24138 by ridelo on March 5, 2007 at 1:56 am

Don't bother buying any of these books. If any one of them will have any valuable argument it will be cited and commented extensively here. But don't expect it. Probably they'll contain evermore the same trash. How could it be else when the subject is fairy tales?

313. The Dawkins Confusion: Naturalism ad absurdum

Comment #23677 by ridelo on March 2, 2007 at 3:29 am

About that fine tuning I have a question for someone who knows more about it then me. I read somewhere that if some constant would differ by about 1 in 10e14 our universe would be inhabitable for life. But has somebody calculated what would be the effect of a smaller change? Could our universe then be a cosier place than the one we have now? You have to admit that the one we have now with al those arid planets, black holes and quasars could stand some improvement. All that unusable real estate with nowadays such high prizes for building area!

314. The Dawkins Confusion: Naturalism ad absurdum

Comment #23661 by ridelo on March 2, 2007 at 1:37 am

All of life has come to be by way of unguided Darwinian processes.

Let us replace this with:

God does his very best to let it look like as all of life has come to be by way of unguided Darwinian processes.

He's playing hard to get or what? I prefer no god above one who pulls legs. Maybe we better should call him THE JOKER!

315. Merkel wants EU to be vocal about Christian roots

Comment #23573 by ridelo on March 1, 2007 at 2:56 pm

I'm dreaming that someday a spaceship will take me away to a godless planet where people are concerned with real issues.

316. Faith

Comment #23216 by ridelo on February 27, 2007 at 1:03 am

'Tu quoque' again.
I tought 'tu quoque' came from the words of Julius Caesar, when he was stabbed by a mob of senators including his adopted son Brutus: "Tu quoque, fili mi!" (Also you, my son!)
It shows bewilderment that an unsuspected person is part of a plot.
Sorry if my English isn't completely flawless.

317. In Loving Memory of William Luke Ashton: July 10th 1989 - Dec 25th 2006

Comment #22305 by ridelo on February 14, 2007 at 2:14 am

I know this will sound almost religious but the existence of a universe where life, art, science and love can blossom has to mean something. The only thing we can do is to use reason to gain an ever deeper understanding.
My condolences for you and your family.

318. The God Delusion

Comment #22129 by ridelo on February 13, 2007 at 1:46 am

With regard to the eucharistical fast (I presume here that you are talking about how Catholics no longer have to give up meat on Fridays? Please correct me if I am wrong � I have had a protestant upbringing). Well, again this does not effect the Church in any great way. Incidentally, on a personal level, as a vegetarian, I need hardly talk about how little this has influenced me!

Having been a catholic I can give here a small correction. Eucharistical fast when I was a boy in the fifties meant that you had to be sober from midnight if you wanted to go to the communion the next day. Even a drop of water in your mouth was enough to break the fast. As catholics believed that the Lord himself was present in the host, I remember 'Him' clinging tenaciously for several minutes to my dry palate before I could swallow 'Him' down!
And I remember that many catholics were not very pleased with the abolition of the eucharistical fast, especially in small communities. Because the only other reason for not going to communion was capital sin! So, not going was the same as a public confession or... coming out of the closet as an unbeliever.
And yes, yesterday this site was also here extremely slow. But it seems repaired today. Hallelujah!

319. The God Delusion

Comment #22032 by ridelo on February 12, 2007 at 12:57 pm

FortunaAdiuvatForte:
My native language isn't also English (it's Dutch) but I'll try to explain where I suppose you haven't understood Dawkins (sorry if I'm wrong!): even if religion was the best thing that ever happened to mankind (but it isn't), that wouldn't make it TRUE. The existence of a loving God would be a very comforting asset for a humankind with lots of pain and sorrow. But if he should exist he could not be very omnipotent, isn't it?
Maybe anthropology can find out that virtually every human society that ever existed was religious in some way but even that is no proof. This may sound arrogant but if you read and tried to really understand evolution you can see that in the whole proces there is no place for God. There may be lots of gaps in our knowledge but desto more we know about nature desto more we see that god is irrelevant.
We are on our own and it is our duty to make the best of it.
Having been a catholic for a good part of my life I can a little feel how you feel. But only a little!

320. The God Delusion

Comment #21977 by ridelo on February 12, 2007 at 3:00 am

I think that the main problem moderates have with Dawkins is that he leaves them no other option than to be an atheist or a fundamentalist.
And they don't like any of these.

321. Does Richard Dawkins exist?

Comment #21473 by ridelo on February 9, 2007 at 10:59 am

Well that clip hit me right between the eyes. Now I'm doubting everything: does America exists, does the backside of the moon exists? Never been there.
Do I have a stomach, a heart? Never seen it.
Does the world exists or am I only imagining it?
Heeeeeeeeeeeelp!!!!

322. Atheist Rap: Extian, The Verse from Atheist Nation Pt III

Comment #20656 by ridelo on February 5, 2007 at 2:26 pm

Liked it. Even if I didn't understand all the words. Not used to listen to rap. Can it be that being 66 and not being American has something to do with it?

323. Root of All Evil? Discussion

Comment #20400 by ridelo on February 2, 2007 at 8:11 am

Richard seemed a little bit tired to me. If anybody deserves a good vacation it's he. I hope to have him around for a long, long time.

324. Blashpemy Challenge Interview

Comment #20136 by ridelo on January 31, 2007 at 3:02 pm

Explain! I don't get it with my tiny brain.

325. Blashpemy Challenge Interview

Comment #20129 by ridelo on January 31, 2007 at 2:43 pm

"If there was a 1 in a million shot that hell existed?"

And suppose there was a 2 in a million chance only Xians went to hell (Allah's hell of course). What then?
What stupid remarks! Read the Good Book of Dawkins!

326. 'God Is Not a Moderate'

Comment #19032 by ridelo on January 24, 2007 at 12:40 pm

DerrickB - Sorry, I should have been clearer. I wanted to say that labour will be lost in behalf of Mr Sullivan and most of the faithful, not for the rest of us. I hope I'm wrong but I'm afraid that this arguments will make few converts to atheism.
But nevertheless maybe we are witnessing a new awakening for mankind. Perhaps somebody can find new words for "This is the dawning of the age of ..."

I'm waiting for the rest of the argument with impatience - again.

327. 'God Is Not a Moderate'

Comment #18980 by ridelo on January 24, 2007 at 6:36 am

I would like to ask Mr Sullivan the following question: "Can you name any argument, any event that would made you lose your faith?"
Like: "If .... happens then I will become an atheist."
If the answer is negative Mr Harris can stop now with his argument. Labour lost!

328. 12 Year Old Girl Prodigy Paints Pictures of God

Comment #18780 by ridelo on January 23, 2007 at 1:29 am

If have the impression that when you really want to make it in the religion scene nowadays you have to say that you are a converted atheist.

329. 'God Is Not a Moderate'

Comment #18165 by ridelo on January 18, 2007 at 5:29 pm

Sam's argumentation reminds me of those Inca walls where the stones are put so perfectly together that one cannot push a razor knife between them.
I'm waiting for Andrew's response with impatience.

330. Discussion of The God Delusion

Comment #18099 by ridelo on January 18, 2007 at 9:57 am

"What beautiful architecture we would have been deprived of without religion!"
Maybe we would have had less churches but maybe some more libraries. And I suppose they could have been beautiful too.
Weren't it christians who burned down the library of Alexandria and killed Hypathia, one of the first female scientists?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypatia_of_Alexandria

331. Send a Message to God: He has gone too far this time

Comment #17670 by ridelo on January 15, 2007 at 12:02 pm

I wouldn't send that message. There's still the possibility that He could become even nastier. Don't wake Sleeping Dogs!

332. The Only One in Step

Comment #14568 by ridelo on December 23, 2006 at 9:26 am

An old professor once told me: "Do you know why there are so many crackpots inventing machines that violate the first law and almost none inventing machines that violate the second law? For coming up with a machine that violates the second law you first have to understand the second law. And that seems to be a little more difficult." he smiled.
Understanding that second law is like catching an eel in a basket. It always finds a hole to escape again.
Using it in an argument is an ideal means to disconcert the not so scientifically literate.

333. The Only One in Step

Comment #14548 by ridelo on December 23, 2006 at 5:06 am

What interests me: are they frauds or do they really believe in their weird theories.
Maybe they have a double-split brain in order to separate their scientific and religious capacities? ;-)

334. The Only One in Step

Comment #14543 by ridelo on December 23, 2006 at 4:34 am

Many years ago a couple of Jehova's witnesses called at my door for the first time. As a just started science teacher I wanted to debate with them evolution theory and let them into my home. After a while of fruitless argumenting one of them shut his book with a smack and said: "We are doing it the wrong way around. The first thing you have to do is studying the bible and then your arguments pro evolution will melt away as snow in the sun."
Maybe he was right. I think that those otherwise intelligent professors as youngsters have been immersed in a biblical atmosphere that has made an ineffable imprint on their 'souls'.
Does somebody know people like them who eventually were converted to rationalism? Or are they 'doomed' beyond salvation?
I was brought up a catholic. My grandmother prayed with us almost every day. Maybe my luck was that my parents were not very ardent believers. They carried out their sunday duties but not with very much enthousiasm. I suspect that things were different in those professors homes.

335. Richard Dawkins on The Late Late Show with Pat Kenny

Comment #12190 by ridelo on December 11, 2006 at 6:34 am

It escapes me completely how somebody who utterly misunderstood TGD was paired with professor Dawkins as an "expert". That remark about aliens was as futile as it can be.
And I wonder if the audience was random choosen. It rather seemed to me as if some churchmen had rounded them up. Always with the same moot arguments.
I don't know what I admire the most in RD: his wits or his drive to keep fighting irrationality.

336. Take a leaf out of their books/Books of the Year 2006/Guardian UK

Comment #12066 by ridelo on December 10, 2006 at 5:20 am

If rationalism isn't merciless it isn't. Simply as that!

337. When Atheists Have Their Say (5 Letters)

Comment #11618 by ridelo on December 6, 2006 at 1:42 am

"How did religion acquire its extraordinary immunity against normal levels of criticism?"

With a long history of stakes, I suppose. The genes of those who refrained from criticism have been spared. Basic evolution theory. ;-)