Author Archive for Mark
Just a bit of fun Take the test here.
Apparently, I share this personality type with only 1% of the population - as well as few other people:
Augustus Caesar - Roman Emperor
Thomas Jefferson - American President
Sir Isaac Newton - Astronomer
Stephen Hawking - Theoretical Physicist
Friedrich Nietsche - Philosopher
Aristotle - Philosopher
Mr. Darcy - Pride and Prejudice
Gandalf - Lord of The Rings, The [...]
It depends.
The answer turns on whether one emphasizes belief or God. Science does not make belief in God obsolete, but it may make obsolete the reality of God, depending on how far we are able to push the science.
On the question of belief in God, the answer is clearly no. Surveys conducted in 1916 and [...]
No, but it should.
Until about 1832, when it first seems to have become established as a noun and a concept, the term “scientist” had no really independent meaning. “Science” meant “knowledge” in much the same way as “physic” meant medicine, and those who conducted experiments or organized field expeditions or managed laboratories were known as [...]
Yes.
Once upon a time there were a number of strong scientific arguments for the existence of God. One of the oldest and most prevalent is the argument from design. Most people look at the complexity of the world and cannot conceive of how it could have come about except by the action of a being [...]
No.
Despite the fact that I’m an atheist, I recognize that belief offers something that science does not.
Science isn’t remotely about a scientist announcing truths or The Truth. It’s about stating things with a certain degree of certainty. A scientist will say, “In this experiment, I observed that A causes B; it didn’t happen every single [...]
Absolutely not!
Now that we have scientific explanations for the natural phenomena that mystified our ancestors, many scientists and non-scientists believe that we no longer need to appeal to a supernatural God for explanations of anything, thereby making God obsolete. As for people of faith, many of them believe that science, by offering such explanations, opposes [...]
No, and yes.
No, as a matter of reason and truth. The knowledge we have gained through modern science makes belief in an Intelligence behind the cosmos more reasonable than ever.
Yes, as a matter of mood, sensibility, and sentiment. Not science itself but a reductive “scientific mentality” that often accompanies it, along with the power, control, [...]
Yes, if by…
“Science” we mean the entire enterprise of secular reason and knowledge (including history and philosophy), not just people with test tubes and white lab coats.
Traditionally, a belief in God was attractive because it promised to explain the deepest puzzles about origins. Where did the world come from? What is the basis of life? [...]
Yes. But, at the same time no.
To me, the answer to this question depends, very heavily, on which definition of God is used. In the above question, replacing the word ‘God’ with Yahweh, Allah, Zeus, Woden or Vishnu would demand a very different answer to a question pondering the obsolescence of an abstract, Einsteinian concept [...]
…according to a United Nations investigation, into the role of religion in the UK, and also by the latest edition of Social Trends, a report published by the Office for National Statistics and described as “An established reference source”, aggregating “social and economic data from a wide range of government departments” and painting “a [...]
Another interesting blog post, by Agnostic Atheist
They have produced a very quick set of questions, aimed at Atheists or Agnostics, to get a flavour of how common ‘fundamental atheists’ really are, in the blogosphere. These were my answers:
Do you consider yourself an “atheist fundamentalist?”
Nope, I guess I’d consider myself an Agnostic Atheist, or secular Humanist. I [...]
I recently stumbled accross a really good blog post that might be particularly interesting to free-thinkers, and moderate religious people. I think it’s a good thing that people, particularly fellow Atheists, are openly noticing that fundamentalist Atheism can be just as arrogant, and intolerant, as fundamentalist religion. I think it suggests that fundmentalism is more likely a social and psychological problem, rather than something inherently evil about [...]
This is going to be an ongoing project, and is intended to be an easy-to-understand guide to the principles of evolution. It’s aimed particularly at people with little or no scientific understanding of evolution, who are left confused and bewildered by the so-called creationist vs Darwinist debate. If you believe in Intelligent Design or Creationism [...]
I’ve never really been into comics myself, but I stumbled across quite a fun website the other day…
Described as the youtube of comic strips, Bitstrips is basically an online collection of user made comics. With an extensive, and simple to use , editor; Bitstrips allows anyone to easily design your very own cartoon characters, and [...]
“You have been entrusted with the care and feeding of the most extraordinary and complex creation in the universe. Home to your mind and personality, your brain houses your cherished memories and future hopes. It orchestrates the symphony of consciousness that gives you purpose and passion, motion and emotion.” - The Franklin Institute
Psychology, as a [...]
Environmental activism - with a solid foundation in rigorously tested, mainstream, scientific evidence - has the potential to be a very powerful force for fighting climate change. Eco-extremism, on the other hand, is possibly one of the greatest (ideological) threats to the global environment; based on little more than a gross misinterpretation, and a fundamental [...]
The most effective and calming meditative practice, for me, will probably strike most people as quite obvious, and nothing like their stereotypical image of meditation, at all. Mindfulness meditation is not only very relaxing, but is also said to protect against (severe) stress, anxiety and depression, as well as sharpening the senses, improving concentration and [...]
My girlfriend recently made an interesting post on whether some prisoners are treated too lightly, and it’s sparked a bit of a debate. She also raised a serious point on whether Eastern spiritual practices could be used, or adapted, to help give prisoners the chance to develop compassion and have a fresh start. This reminded [...]
Now, I’m no astronomer but I recently stumbled across the Hubble Space Telescope website, and the gallery is absolutely incredible! Describing the indescribable seems like a silly waste of time to me, so you’re probably better off clicking on the image below, instead
This video is about the collective evolution of humanity, as seen through the lense of the evolution of complex life, the development of dynamic social structures and the communications revolution. It’s by the theoretical physicist and eco-philosopher, Peter Russell, and basically asks the question: where do we go next?
I highly recommend listening to it in the background while [...]
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