April 2012
66 posts
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“Every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. And the atoms in your...”
– Lawrence Krauss (via allhailtheinfidel) (via ageofreason, neightkelly)
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“It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept...”
– Albert Einstein
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Correctly Pronouncing the Weird Names of Your...
If you fumble with a philosopher’s name, nothing you say afterward will sound credible. So, learn to pronounce these names correctly, then start worrying about their ideas.
(George) Berkeley is properly pronounced like Charles Barkley (bark-lee). This name is commonly mispronounced “burk-lee” like Berkeley, California, which, ironically, is named after George Berkeley.
(Friedrich) Nietzsche is...
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Mantra from the Dalai Lama
1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three R’s: Respect for self Respect for others and Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know...
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Irony at it's finest →
This is a link to a facebook page called “sensible human beings against militant atheism”.. the page is ironically self-described as “tolerant” but most of the posts attack atheists, atheism, and misquote prominent atheist leaders. If any of you are particularly bored, there are many lulz to be had trolling this page.
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Procrastinative* Thoughts
(*Yes, “procrastinative” is a word I made up using my poetic license.)
I genuinely feel like there exists some amount of good, beauty, and uniqueness in every human being waiting to be encouraged by a little love and compassion. With all of the hatred, anger, and violence perpetuated in our country, can we really be surprised depression, suicide, and drug abuse have sky rocketed? What...
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A Beautiful War
“This is a beautiful war,” she said with her eyes, as we stood in the hallway, both saying goodbye.
And I realized this was how we live our lives.
There is a Beautiful War raging inside of us. It is the story of our world, the story of our lives.[[MORE]]
It’s worry and wonder, awe and impulse. It’s the first day of school and the final breath. A baby’s strained peas and a killer’s last meal.
...
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“I am not lacking in words
Where physical distance comes between these yearnings...”
– Love Notes From My Sleepy Stalker
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The End Result: Abortion. →
theendresult:
So I’m treading on a pretty darn sensitive topic here. But I want to. And I apologize to any readers who are offended by this. That isn’t my purpose. The other week in my Critical Thinking class this was the topic at hand. Let me tell you, it was pretty intense. And I was not prepared for one of…
Abortion is one of the few issues in which I honestly can’t say I have a...
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A Theist, Atheist, & Agnostic Go Out For Breakfast
Snap: “Hey everyone I just found this box that I am holding, and it has the answers to Life, the Universe, and Everything!!”
Crackle and Pop: “What box, I don’t see a box?”
Snap: “Oh, it is here, and if you truly believe, donate a portion of your income, and devote time in the name of the Box, you will find peace because this is a Box of love and forgiveness, but if you don’t, when you die, you will suffer for eternity in an endless pit of styrofoam peanuts.”
Crackle: “Well damn, I must respect your strong beliefs though I see no evidence of a box now or at anytime in the past. But, who can really say; maybe there could be a box there, or maybe we all have a different conception of what a box is…”
Pop: "Oh, for the love of Box! Shut up! I don’t see any box, and if either one of you had one, I’m pretty sure the only thing it would be filled with is crap. See you later, I have more important things to do.”
Crackle: “Wow, he is so self righteous when he can’t even prove that the invisible, immeasurable thing you say exists does not exist! How close-minded can you be? Luckily, I am so very enlightened that I can respect you and your box as well as all other wonderful box-related traditions and beliefs.”
Snap: “BLASPHEMER!! There is only one Box, and all other boxes shall fit in the one true Box until the Great Unwrapping, whereupon an innocent child shall pull it from beneath the festively decorated Tree of the Apocalypse and open it.”
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GOP’s War on Women Backfires
The Republicans’ gamble that they could ride a backlash against the Obama administration’s efforts to increase the availability of contraception has gone terribly bad. It turns out that most Americans, especially women, agree that insurance companies should have to cover contraception – for example, birth control pills – in their health insurance plans.
One result of this battle has been a record...
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Why am I in a sorority, you ask?
A lot of people ask me why I’m in a sorority because I don’t seem the “type.” Granted, as a tattoo-bearing, piercing-loving, cigarette-smoking, sailor-swearing, legalization-supporting, profoundly philosophical atheist Biological Chemistry major, I do not—by any stretch of the imagination—fit the stereotype. ..but, today, I was reminded exactly why.[[MORE]]
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Ask a child for advice. They may not know much,...
The three of us were laying on my bed, looking at the ceiling and talking about the day. “Dad, I have to tell you a thing. Promise you won’t get mad,” said Delaney (6), giving me the blinky doe eyes. “Promise?” “Oh jeez, Laney, so dramatic,” said Erin, pot-to-kettlishly. “I plan to be furious,” I said. “Out with it.” “Okay, fine. I…I kind...
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Exchange Ideas
You know when you’re walking across campus, down the street, to work, to lunch, to the grocery store, out to your mailbox or even just answering your door and you’re assaulted by those ever-pervasive theists and their word of god conveniently outlined out for you on some handy dandy pamphlet they shove in your hands? Well, I’m here to turn a negative into a positive for you...
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Evolution vs. Intelligent Design
Moderator: We're here today to debate the hot new topic, evolution versus Intelligent Des---
(Scientist pulls out baseball baat.)
Moderator: Hey, what are you doing?
(Scientist breaks Intelligent Design advocate's kneecap.)
Intelligent Design advocate: YEAAARRRRGGGHHHH! YOU BROKE MY KNEECAP!
Scientist: Perhaps it only appears that I broke your kneecap. Certainly, all the evidence points to the hypothesis I broke your kneecap. For example, your kneecap is broken; it appears to be a fresh wound; and I am holding a baseball bat, which is spattered with your blood. However, a mere preponderance of evidence doesn't mean anything. Perhaps your kneecap was designed that way. Certainly, there are some features of the current situation that are inexplicable according to the "naturalistic" explanation you have just advanced, such as the exact contours of the excruciating pain that you are experiencing right now.
Intelligent Design advocate: AAAAH! THE PAIN!
Scientist: Frankly, I personally find it completely implausible that the random actions of a scientist such as myself could cause pain of this particular kind. I have no precise explanation for why I find this hypothesis implausible --- it just is. Your knee must have been designed that way!
Intelligent Design advocate: YOU BASTARD! YOU KNOW YOU DID IT!
Scientist: I surely do not. How can we know anything for certain? Frankly, I think we should expose people to all points of view. Furthermore, you should really re-examine whether your hypothesis is scientific at all: the breaking of your kneecap happened in the past, so we can't rewind and run it over again, like a laboratory experiment. Even if we could, it wouldn't prove that I broke your kneecap the previous time. Plus, let's not even get into the fact that the entire universe might have just popped into existence right before I said this sentence, with all the evidence of my alleged kneecap-breaking already pre-formed.
Intelligent Design advocate: That's a load of bullshit sophistry! Get me a doctor and a lawyer, not necessarily in that order, and we'll see how that plays in court!
Scientist: And so we see, ladies and gentlemen, when push comes to shove, advocates of Intelligent Design do not actually believe any of the arguments that they profess to believe. When it comes to matters that hit home, they prefer evidence, the scientific method, testable hypotheses, and naturalistic explanations. In fact, they strongly privilege naturalistic explanations over supernatural hocus-pocus or metaphysical wankery. It is only within the reality-distortion field of their ideological crusade that they give credence to the flimsy, ridiculous arguments which we so commonly see on display. I must confess, it kind of felt good, for once, to be the one spouting free-form bullshit; it's so terribly easy and relaxing, compared to marshaling rigorous arguments backed up by empirical evidence. But I fear that if I were to continue, then it would be habit-forming, and bad for my soul. Therefore, I bid you adieu.
mymindasanocean-deactivated2013 asked: Love the blog! I was somewhat of a "closet atheist" for a few years, so I definitely understand where you're coming from. :) It would be rad to hear from you!
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“… imagine a puddle waking up one morning and thinking, ‘This is an...”
– Douglas Adams
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Plato's "The Allegory of the Cave": A Summary
Socrates: “Why do people think philosophy is bullshit? Let me put it this way - imagine you’re in a cave, all chained up so you can’t turn your body at all, and all you get to look at is this one wall. Some assholes behind you are making shadow puppets using the light from a fire and making echo noises and that’s all you or anyone else chained up has seen or heard all your...
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“Don’t be deceived when they tell you things are better now. Even if there’s no...”
– Jean-Paul Marat (1743-1793)
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/facepalm →
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