“50 shades of raised eyebrow” – Stefan Molyneux
An excellent tribute to Spock and the philosophy of Spock and Star Trek and how it relates to our real lives.
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Posted by pwl on March 9, 2015
“50 shades of raised eyebrow” – Stefan Molyneux
An excellent tribute to Spock and the philosophy of Spock and Star Trek and how it relates to our real lives.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Biology, Complex Systems, Ethics in Science, Fun, Get some perspective people, Good science attitude, Ontology of Being, People|Reason, Philosophy, Rational Thinking, Science Education, Science Ficition, Science Shows, Scientific Method, Space Travel, Spock, Video | Leave a Comment »
Posted by pwl on September 24, 2011
Debate between renowned journalist and author Christopher Hitchens and Dr. Barry Brummett (Chair, Department of Communication Studies, University of Texas at Austin) on the resolution “Religion has been a positive force in culture,” June 4, 2011. Organized by the Department of English Language and Literature, University of Waterloo (http://www.english.uwaterloo.ca/), as part of the Literature, Rhetoric, and Values Conference, 3-5 June 2011.
Moderated by Jian Ghomeshi, an award-winning broadcaster, writer, musician and producer. He is the host and co-creator of the national daily talk program, Q, on CBC Radio One and CBC TV (http://www.cbc.ca/q/). Since its inception in 2007, Q has garnered the largest audience of any cultural affairs program in Canada and has become the highest-rated show in its morning time slot in CBC history.
In Part 1, Jian Ghomeshi introduces the two debaters.
Preliminary video-editing by Ken Cooper. Final edits by MetaMedia Productions, Waterloo, Ontario.
The Department gratefully acknowledges the support of a Social Sciences and Humanities Council Aid to Conferences Grant for the Conference on Literature, Rhetoric, and Values.
Posted in Christopher Hitchens, Humbled by Nature, Invisible Friend Crowd, Philosophy, Religion, Scams, Video | 2 Comments »
Posted by pwl on April 23, 2011
Christopher Hitchens writes:
Dear fellow-unbelievers,
Nothing would have kept me from joining you except the loss of my voice (at least my speaking voice) which in turn is due to a long argument I am currently having with the specter of death. Nobody ever wins this argument, though there are some solid points to be made while the discussion goes on. I have found, as the enemy becomes more familiar, that all the special pleading for salvation, redemption and supernatural deliverance appears even more hollow and artificial to me than it did before. I hope to help defend and pass on the lessons of this for many years to come, but for now I have found my trust better placed in two things: the skill and principle of advanced medical science, and the comradeship of innumerable friends and family, all of them immune to the false consolations of religion. It is these forces among others which will speed the day when humanity emancipates itself from the mind-forged manacles of servility and superstitition. It is our innate solidarity, and not some despotism of the sky, which is the source of our morality and our sense of decency.
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Posted in Christopher Hitchens, Damn it!, Get some perspective people, Humbled by Nature, Ignorance to Knowledge, Philosophy, Quotations, Rational Thinking, Science over Propaganada, Something to think about, The End is Nigh, Wait for it!, Yikes!, Yikes! The sky really is falling! | 3 Comments »
Posted by pwl on October 9, 2010
Posted in Awesome, Awesome beyond awesome, Bill Maher, Biology, Charles Darwin, Hard Science, Human|Ape, Humbled by Nature, Philosophy, Rational Thinking, Richard Dawkins, Science Education, Science over Propaganada, Video | Leave a Comment »
Posted by pwl on September 22, 2010
“It is only those who claim to know things like the mind of god and the origins and destination and intention of the universe, it is they, and only they who owe the explanation, and so far this evening haven’t cared to furnish it.” – Christopher Hitchens.
Posted in 1984, Adult Supervision Required, Christopher Hitchens, Eeek!, Ethics in Science, Human|Ape, Humbled by Nature, Philosophy, Rational Thinking, Science over Propaganada, Video | Leave a Comment »
Posted by pwl on August 27, 2010
Thank you Christopher Hitchens for your incredible and erudite explanations of the pure evil of all forms of religion. You’ve made an amazing positive difference in the world. Focus on healing. You deserve to live life to it’s maximum potential even as you’ve burned the candle at both ends. Get well now!
Posted in Christopher Hitchens, Human|Ape, Humbled by Nature, Video | Leave a Comment »
Posted by pwl on November 6, 2009
The Ontology of Being
“It’s to give people an opportunity to think for themselves… what happens is that most of us think that our very strongly held beliefs, you know those things we hold, our opinions, that are very strong, we think that that is thinking for ourselves but it isn’t really. The ability to think for yourself really means the ability to think something that you haven’t thought before. To think outside the allowable range of thoughts rather than just inside the allowable range of thoughts.” – Werner Erhard, TV Interview
Learn to think for yourself out side of your allowable range of thoughts and especially outside the cage of your beliefs and opinions.
The Known Knowns.
The Known Unknowns.
The Unknown Knowns.
The Unknown Unknowns.
“There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we now know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns. These are things we do not know we don’t know.” – quote popularized globally by Donald Rumsfeld in justification of mass murder; quote popularized by Werner Erhard in the 1970’s and 80’s to make the world a better place one person at a time.
During the 1970’s and 1980’s Werner Ehard’s est Training Program used this quote (or a variant thereof that covers all four possibilities, known knowns, known unknowns, unknown knowns, unknown unknowns) as a part of the course material. Landmark Education’s The Landmark Forum course also uses it. One point of using it is to help people see the limits of their knowledge and the edges of the metaphorical box they live in. Where are our blind spots when it comes to our knowledge or lack there of? What are the risks of ignorance? The exploration of these four domains would be extensive and take many hours of these courses.
Posted in Adult Supervision Required, Awesome, Awesome beyond awesome, Ethics in Science, Exercise for the Reader (that's you), Get some perspective people, Hard Science Required, Human|Ape, Humbled by Nature, Ideas Crazy Enough to Have a Chance, Ignorance to Knowledge, It's a good thing that your god(s) die with you, Live Brains!, Ontology of Being, Philosophy, Rational Thinking, Science over Propaganada, Something to think about, Video, Werner Erhard, WOW!!! | 8 Comments »
Posted by pwl on June 21, 2009
Posted in Awesome, Christopher Hitchens, Fun, Hard Science, Human|Ape, Humbled by Nature, Ignorance to Knowledge, Intelligent Designer - Yeah Right, Philosophy, Politics, Proof God Can NOT Exist, Rational Thinking, Religion, Video | 1 Comment »
Posted by pwl on May 10, 2009
Posted in Bill Maher, Exercise for the Reader (that's you), Fun, Politics, Rational Thinking, Really Funny, Video | Leave a Comment »
Posted by pwl on April 18, 2009
Posted in Christopher Hitchens, Holding those who run the world responsible for their crimes against humanity, Politics, SkyNet Battlefield Earth, Something to think about, Total Control Over Our Lives, Video | Leave a Comment »
Posted by pwl on April 15, 2009
Posted in Belief Stricken, Big Brother Planetary Control System, Christopher Hitchens, Evil Walks the Earth and Carries a Big Stick, Hard Science Required, History, Human|Ape, Humbled by Nature, Ignorance to Knowledge, Intelligent Designer - Yeah Right, Invisible Friend Crowd, It's a good thing that your god(s) die with you, Live Brains!, My Invisible Friend Needs Me For His-Her-Its Existence, Philosophy, Politics, Proof God Can NOT Exist, Proofs Needed, Rational Thinking, Really Funny, Religion, Scams, Some Intelligent Designer, Something to think about, Video | Leave a Comment »
Posted by pwl on April 14, 2009
As the Hitchens points out Paul Edwards is evil precisely because he (Paul Edwards) embraces the notion of being a slave of “god” who will do whatever “god” tells him to do even if it’s committing murder and genocide because that’s what “god” might want. Since “anything is possible” with “god” “god” might want his slaves to commit murder and genocide and in fact the “bible” does advocate such actions in the name of “god” – thus it’s evil. Being a slave to “god” is to be evil because it removes your responsibility for your actions by deferring them to your imaginary super friend who ordered it or who forgives you.
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Posted in Awesome, Christopher Hitchens, Fun, Hard Science Required, Human|Ape, Humbled by Nature, Intelligent Designer - Yeah Right, Invaders from Earth, Invisible Friend Crowd, It's a good thing that your god(s) die with you, Majestic Universe, My Invisible Friend Needs Me For His-Her-Its Existence, Rational Thinking, Really Funny, Religion, Scams, Video | Leave a Comment »
Posted by pwl on April 12, 2009
Posted in Christopher Hitchens, Human|Ape, Humbled by Nature, Intelligent Designer - Yeah Right, My Invisible Friend Needs Me For His-Her-Its Existence, Rational Thinking, Really Funny, Religion | Leave a Comment »
Posted by pwl on April 10, 2009
Posted in Big Brother Planetary Control System, Christopher Hitchens, Human|Ape, Ignorance to Knowledge, Intelligent Designer - Yeah Right, It's a good thing that your god(s) die with you, Politics, Religion, Video | Leave a Comment »
Posted by pwl on March 31, 2009
Posted in Awesome, Bad Ideas, Belief Stricken, Bill Maher, Ethics in Science, Evil Walks the Earth and Carries a Big Stick, Exercise for the Reader (that's you), Hard Science Required, Human|Ape, Humbled by Nature, Intelligent Designer - Yeah Right, Invisible Friend Crowd, It's a good thing that your god(s) die with you, My Invisible Friend Needs Me For His-Her-Its Existence, Proof God Can NOT Exist, Rational Thinking, Really Funny, Religion | Leave a Comment »
Posted by pwl on March 28, 2009
Posted in Christopher Hitchens, Politics, Really Funny, Religion, The End is Nigh | Leave a Comment »
Posted by pwl on March 23, 2009
REAL TIME BILL MAHER PT 1 OPENING MONOLOGUE MARCH 20 2009
Shams and Scams collide in the night.
Posted in Bill Maher, Fun, Proof God Can NOT Exist, Really Funny, Religion | Leave a Comment »
Posted by pwl on March 22, 2009
Posted in Belief Stricken, Christopher Hitchens, Human|Ape, Humbled by Nature, Intelligent Designer - Yeah Right, Invisible Friend Crowd, It's a good thing that your god(s) die with you, Majestic Universe, Politics, Religion, Total Control Over Our Lives | Leave a Comment »
Posted by pwl on March 18, 2009
Posted in Christopher Hitchens, Human|Ape, Intelligent Designer - Yeah Right | Leave a Comment »