This latest piece by the BHA is at last a balanced collection of views from notable humanists – about what humanism is about. (I made a plea for balance earlier.) A little too much focus on the “life after death” issue maybe – surely a non-issue to a humanist. The “why we hold science in high [...]
Entries from July 2012
Real Humanism
1
July 31, 2012 at 9:37am
by Psybertron
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Humans – the A in AGW
0
July 30, 2012 at 5:18pm
by Psybertron
The Conversion of a Climate-Change Skeptic (Richard Muller) in the NYT, via BBC. Call me a converted skeptic. Three years ago I identified problems in previous climate studies that, in my mind, threw doubt on the very existence of global warming. Last year, following an intensive research effort involving a dozen scientists, I concluded that [...]
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The Cult of Science
0
July 24, 2012 at 8:37am
by Psybertron
Great piece by Jonathan Ree in the New Humanist reviewing the work of Bruno Latour particularly his latest “The Modern Cult of the Factish Gods” (Hat tip to David Morey on Facebook) But who in this great brawl is really believing naively? Not the religious believers, according to Latour, but the modern atheists, afflicted as they [...]
NRA Ban Movies
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July 23, 2012 at 8:36am
by Psybertron
Andy Borowitz in The New Yorker. In the aftermath of Aurora, the NRA propose sweeping ban on movies. (Hat tip to David Lavery)
Gotcha
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July 20, 2012 at 3:02pm
by Psybertron
Nice one from Pharyngula. And nice to see that PZMyers has lightened up his style of late. Some hope for intelligent debate. (Check out atheist inspired by eloquence etc. Less than scientistic.)
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Battle Lines @rickygervais
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July 20, 2012 at 11:46am
by Psybertron
This is trending in the twittersphere (via @rickygervais who else?) Post – My son is 15 he gave his heart to the Lord when he was 4, but now he claims to be an atheist. I’ve been praying for him day and night I don’t know what else to do. PLEASE help. Response (example) – [...]
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Refreshing
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July 20, 2012 at 11:04am
by Psybertron
Saw this clip the other day – Craig Bellamy being interviewed about being in the GB Olympic football team – and thought as well as being surprisingly articulate, his school-boyish enthusiasm and all round good humour made such a change from all the usual earnest and corporately correct punditry and commentary. I wasn’t the only [...]
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Imperfect Knowledge
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July 19, 2012 at 2:01pm
by Psybertron
If we will disbelieve everything, because we cannot certainly know all things, we shall do much what as wisely as he, who would not use his legs, but sit still and perish, because he had no wings to fly. John Locke – “On The Understanding” (1670-80ish) Been looking for this quote. Two purposes; firstly the [...]
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Stunning Correlation
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July 19, 2012 at 11:45am
by Psybertron
Flavour of Christianity vs 10 year bond spreads, relative to German rates. No joke. Austerity = fiscal protestantism.
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@BHAhumanism Creationism in Schools
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July 19, 2012 at 8:24am
by Psybertron
I’m against the teaching of creationism in school. Teaching about it in social / cultural / religious studies is a different matter of course. Teaching its content as factual is a no-no. But then the balance of good teaching is not pedagogical anyway – it’s about learning how to learn and think. I’m also totally [...]
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Soccer Mad
0
July 18, 2012 at 1:53pm
by Psybertron
Why would anyone want to play or watch football in a sh*t-hole like that ? It’s bad enough it has a running track, but there’s about another track and a half width on top of the track itself between the pitch and the supporters – utter madness.
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Pullman on Blake
1
July 17, 2012 at 6:31pm
by Psybertron
Been reading around Philip Pullman since discovering earlier this year he was a beacon of hope in the BHA (British Humanist Association) and that he’d received the BHA award for services to humanism in 2011. (I guess in that context Dawkins‘ award in 2012 counts as balance?) I’ve been a humanist since I recognised the [...]
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Who’s This We ?
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July 17, 2012 at 6:51am
by Psybertron
Free will, or quantum indeterminism ? (Hat tip to PsybertronJr)
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Police State ?
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July 15, 2012 at 7:04pm
by Psybertron
Stevie’s right when he asks, When did Britain become a police state? Little people (the people holding the event license) hide behind applying rules, to apply objectivity rather than sound judgement. It’s what gives “health and safety” and a lot more a bad name. The only point he has wrong, is in blaming the police, he [...]
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Somatic Stomach
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July 11, 2012 at 1:39pm
by Psybertron
Never been any doubt that the workings of our minds reside throughout our entire electro-chemical system, not just the hemispheres of the organ we call the “brain” confined to our skulls. Gut feel is no joke. Case in point.
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Tragic Case
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July 11, 2012 at 11:46am
by Psybertron
Seems strange to add this case to my agenda, just one extreme example of valuing what can be counted rather than what counts. Life is more than logic and objective calculations.
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Reading Update
2
July 10, 2012 at 12:50pm
by Psybertron
Couple of things to report – little time for reviews – quite a few half-finished reads to come back to, but for now … I finished Martin Sixsmith’s “Russia” in 3 or 4 concentrated sittings last week whilst on aircraft / in airports / in hotel bars etc. Un-put-down-able – straightforward, knowing and journalistic history [...]
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Agius on Diamond
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July 10, 2012 at 11:26am
by Psybertron
Agius self-assured as you’d expect and still loyal to Diamond, despite the fact both have resigned their posts – ex-chair Agius is now temporarily de-facto acting CEO – a little Putin & Medvedev there Plenty of admission of specific failures. Very clear message that Diamond was and still is wanted and seen as very strong [...]
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Internet – the Death of Social Networks
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July 10, 2012 at 8:15am
by Psybertron
Niall Ferguson’s latest Reith Lecture. Internet social networks communicate, may even communicate collective action and action collective communications, but don’t themselves take collective physical action. Drawing extensively on de Toqueville. US experience of low individual reliance on central government and state institutions, and high propensity to form voluntary institutions for so many different ends and moral [...]
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Reckless
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July 9, 2012 at 1:25pm
by Psybertron
Good to hear Baroness Betty Boothroyd on BBC R4 Today this morning. Reform needs institutional conservatism. I for one cannot believe the hypocrisy of those baying for blood at government culpability in so many political and economic so-called scandals, yet demanding popular elections for the second chamber. Reckless and ill-considered outrage, as she says. [Surely [...]
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Less is More #34
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July 9, 2012 at 1:08pm
by Psybertron
One in a long series, but here an example that’s new to me. Faster frame rate TV and Film, cameras and projectors, and interpolation of additional frames to smooth slower frame rate media – may make images more “real”, but not necessarily better. Here : Home vs showroom vs cinema settings generally. Here : Slumdog [...]
