Put a cat in a box which, at any given second, may or may not kill it and close the lid. Presume, for the moment, that the cat is incapable of any conscious observation of itself and its surroundings. Perhaps it is asleep, or too highly stoned, or insufficiently evolved to possess what might be called awareness. Read the rest of this entry »
Why? …why? …why?
…anyone?
Though playfully mocked down the years for his lowing cow-voice and greyscale manner (he even does so himself in closing), presenter and comic actor Ben Stein’s 2008 documentary EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed contains an absolute wealth of intelligence – from a certain point of view. Read the rest of this entry »
I came to Christopher Hitchens’ famously irreligious book quite late, having already read similarly themed work by Dennett (Breaking the Spell), Harris (The End of Faith; Letter to a Christian Nation) and Dawkins (The Blind Watchmaker; I’ve not read The God Delusion, but I’ll probably get around to it one day). The argument being made, more or less, in these books is that there is no place in the modern world where dogmatic belief systems are more beneficial than humanism and rationalism, and that in many cases they do active harm more often than good. Read the rest of this entry »
When a reviewer describes Sam Harris’s debut as “pugilistic”, he’s probably thinking about statements like this:
“Some propositions are so dangerous that it may even be ethical to kill people for believing them.” Read the rest of this entry »
He addresses You, directly and personally, and although he doesn’t know your name he does know what you think. Written in response to a deluge of pro-biblical retortions to his previous book, The End of Faith, Sam Harris’ Letter to a Christian Nation is very short and pointedly sharp – A Challenge to the Faith of America. Read the rest of this entry »
Almost blindly.
What I have to do.
Screams in my ears already bursting from cannon fire, bodies crashing into me. My throat choked with bloody, sweaty dust, my coughs tearing me apart.
Terror on the faces of the fleeing people. Bandaged heads, crushed limbs . . . I’m constantly turning around: Elias is behind me. Huge, pushing his way through the crowd. He has Magister Thomas over his shoulders, lifeless.Where is the omnipresent Lord? His flock is being slaughtered. Read the rest of this entry »
I know I get a bit worked up at times, but I don't mean anything by it. C'mere, givuzanug.
