It's almost Hogswatch!

I just finished watching The Hogfather movie last night, which was enjoyable. If I ever had a nanny, I would want it to be Susan of Sto Helit. Wish Death could have been more like I imagined though, but that's the problem with movies from books is it not. As always, Mr Pratchett has some great lines in amongst the humour. My favourite would be the following, which was taken from the book:
Susan: "Thank you. Now ... tell me ..."
Death: What would have happened if you hadn't saved him"
"Yes! The sun would have risen just the same, yes?"
No.
"Oh, come on. You can't expect me to believe that. It's an astronomical fact."
The sun would not have risen.
She turned on him.
"It's been a long night, Grandfather! I'm tired and I need a bath! I don't need silliness!"
The sun would not have risen.
"Really? Then what would have happened, pray?"
A mere ball of flaming gas would have illuminated the world.
They walked in silence for a moment.
"Ah," said Susan dully. "Trickery with words. I would have thought you'd have been more literal-minded than that."
I am nothing if not literal-minded. Trickery with words is where humans live.
"All right," said Susan. "I'm not stupid. You're saying that humans need ... fantasies to make life bearable."
Really? As if it was some kind of pink pill? No. Humans need fantasy to be human. To be the place where the falling angel meets the rising ape.
"Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little ---"
Yes. As practice. You have to start out learning to believe the little lies.
"So we can believe the big ones?"
Yes. Justice. Mercy. Duty. That sort of thing.
"They're not the same at all!"
You think so? Then take the universe and grind it down to the finest powder and sieve it through the finest sieve and then show me one atom of justice, one molecule of mercy. And yet --- Death waved a hand. And yet you act as if there is some ideal order in the world, as if there is some ... rightness in the universe by which it may be judged.
"Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what's the point ---"
My point exactly.
She tried to assemble her thoughts.
There is a place where two galaxies have been colliding for a million years, said Death, apropos of nothing. Don't try to tell me that's right.
"Yes, but people don't think about that," said Susan. Somewhere there was a bed ...
Correct. Stars explode, worlds collide, there's hardly anywhere in the universe where humans can live without being frozen or fried, and yet you believe that a ... a bed is a normal thing. It is the most amazing talent.
"Talent?"
Oh, yes. A very special kind of stupidity. You think that the whole universe is inside your heads.
"You make us sound mad," said Susan. A nice warm bed ...
No. You need to believe in things that aren't true. How else can they become? said Death, helping her up onto Binky.
"These mountains," said Susan, as the horse rose. "Are they real mountains, or some sort of shadows?"
Yes.
Susan knew that was all she was going to get.

The line about human being where the fallen angel meets the rising ape, that's what I'm celebrating. Happy Hogswatch everyone, and Merry Christmas.
Scott

PS And other things ending in 'olly

Winter Solstice & Lunar Eclipse

It's all over the interwebs, but just in case you didn't know, a full Lunar Eclipse and Winter Solstice fall on the same day this year. Get out there and look at that moon. If you're like me and on MST, then total eclipse will begin at 0:41 MST on Tuesday. Here's a link to NASA's page. I sure hope we have clear skies for it. "Good night, and keep watching the skis."
Cheers,
Scott
This picture can be found here.

Happy Saturnalia!

Today is the traditional first day of Saturnalia, Dec 17. I love the Christmas season, so much history, across so many cultures. Living in the north, with cold, dark and snow a constant, celebrating seems like a proper reaction. In a different time of my life, I used to feel offended when people would take away from a Christian focused Christmas time, now I know how silly that was. James McGrath has a good entry on that topic. With that in mind, I very much appreciate the Wikipedia entry on Winter Solstice observances. It has a list of a lot of other celebrations during this time of year. So many good excuses to party and be with the ones you love. It seems like there are also many good excuses to scare small children.
Music is an integral part of the Christmas season, and my favourite modern Christmas song is by Tim Minchin. It have some very good lines that sum up how I feel about Christmas. If you choose to buy it on itunes, all the proceeds go to charity. Go buy it. I really like this song.



For an older Christmas carol, I love the Roger Miller classic "Old Toy Trains".

Changing ones mind

It's been several months since I've had time to do any entries. That does not mean the thinking has stopped. If it had, then maybe I would have stopped? Lately something I've been pondering is changing your mind or deconversion from previous beliefs. Many of the people who know me know I've changed my beliefs a lot in the last decade. I feel it very keenly sometimes. I think the video below explains how ones belief slowly can be eroded away. He's specifically talking about belief in g0d, but I think it can apply to anything. I know it's sort of how it worked for me. Enough points get countered strongly enough, you just end up waking up one day believing something different. On a slightly related note, I asked a friend a few months back what started him on his road to deconversion. To paraphrase my memory of what he said, he said that instead of just reading the quotes that apologists would use, he went to the source material. Finding that Christian apologists tend to distort and 'lie for Jesus' makes it hard to buy into their arguments. That's a specific reason not to believe, but as the video shows, it takes more than just one specific reason.

WNYC - Radiolab Is Awesome

I know I'm probably one of the last people to have started listening to Radiolab. I've listened to the oldest three episodes that itunes has, each from 2007. All three have left me feeling excited and wishing my vocabulary was bigger. Not that the show is hard to understand. I just wish my brain would not keep saying, "This is such a "expletive of your choice" amazing podcast."
The most memorable phrase from the Who Am I episode was that you are one head injury away from being a completely different person. The ramifications of that have me a little dumbfounded. The Placebo episode also has me seriously pondering the amazing ability our bodies have to heal ourselves. Something that does not exist can cure you. Well, at least 25% of the time, but you'll have to listen to get the whole story.
Anyways, if anyone has room for one more podcast to fit into their play list, I would strongly, energetically, beseechingly, heartily, and vigorously encourage everyone to listen to Radiolab! I'm looking forward to a road trip soon, just so I can listen to 30+ hours of it.  Though my lovely wife might not be so keen. Who am I kidding. She's intelligent and beautiful, and intelligent beautiful people love Radiolab.
Cheers,
Scott

The White Stripes

I was just listening to The White Stripes, and I thought I would share one small reason I think they are great.
They did a tour of every province and territory in Canada, something big bands rarely, if ever, do.

The director was interviewed on CBC's show Q, the episode can be listened to here. The actual interview starts at the 44:40 minute mark of the podcast.
I like the Simpsons bit with them too.

Dilution

Oh xkcd how I love you. It's just water people.

Katie Melua is a good sport

I had never heard this story before, but I thought it was pretty funny. Katie Melua wrote a song, and obviously songs are not the place to look for accuracy. Simon Singh wrote an article about it, and she actually wrote a little joke revision. I realize this is a pretty old story, but it's new to me.



The video clip comes from the end of Micheal Shermer's TED talk.
Cheers,
Scott

Penn Jillette on why you should read your Bible and more

For the record, I have read the entire Bible, twice, and was halfway through a third when I decided I just didn't want to anymore. 
There's a new study that suggests anxiety may be at the root of religious extremism.
I've been listening through all the Reasonable Doubts podcast, and just heard the one Determinism v Free Will.
http://doubtreligion.blogspot.com/2009/01/episode-29-free-willy-vs-determinator.html
The idea that we are not uncaused causers makes sense to me. I still have not come down on one side though, and it seems like a very complicated discussion. If anyone else has time to listen to the podcast, I would love to hear others thoughts.
Cheers,
Scott

Knowledge is preferable to ignorance

If I could choose to meet anyone I wanted from the last 100 years, living or dead, my first choice would be Carl Sagan. I have yet to come across a quote or interview I have not thoroughly enjoyed. I think it's time to have a Cosmos party.
The second would probably be Tolkien.
Who would you choose?



I love the quote at the end of that video.
"The significance of our lives and our fragile planet is then determined only by our own wisdom and courage. We are the custodians of life's meaning. We long for a Parent to care for us, to forgive us our errors, to save us from our childish mistakes. But knowledge is preferable to ignorance. Better by far to embrace the hard truth than a reassuring fable. If we crave some cosmic purpose, then let us find ourselves a worthy goal."
Carl Sagan - "A Pale Blue Dot"
Cheers,
Scott

McGrath has a good point.

I think James McGrath at Exploring Our Matrix has a very good point about YEC's preaching a false gospel. He was recently interviewed, in which they briefly talked about it.
Even mentioning young earth creationists is depressing to me. I find Carl Sagan is the perfect antidote.



Cheers,
Scott

There is much I don't know.

I've been working with my Dad a lot the last few weeks. It involves running heavy equipment, which gives me lots of time to listen to podcasts. The three that have been in my ear non stop have been Q, Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean, and Conversations From The Pale Blue Dot. I highly recommend all three. Conversations is particularly interesting to me, as Luke does not only interview people that would reinforce his viewpoint. He mainly focuses on the philosophy of religion and the Atheism/Christian divide.  Someone who comes up a lot in discussion is William Lane Craig. Dr Craig is someone who would most definitely destroy me in any sort of intellectual challenge. There is something about him that bugs me though, and I feel as if it is indicative of most evangelicals. The following three quotes illustrate my unease.

"Therefore, when a person refuses to come to Christ it is never just because of lack of evidence or because of intellectual difficulties: at root, he refuses to come because he willingly ignores and rejects the drawing of God's Spirit on his heart. No one in the final analysis really fails to become a Christian because of lack of arguments; he fails to become a Christian because he loves darkness rather than light and wants nothing to do with God." [William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics, (Revised edition, Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1994), pp. 35-36.]

"Should a conflict arise between the witness of the Holy Spirit to the fundamental truth of the Christian faith and beliefs based on argument and evidence, then it is the former which must take precedence over the latter, not vice versa." [William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics, (Revised edition, Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1994), p. 36.]


"The Bible says all men are without excuse. Even those who are given no good reason to believe and many persuasive reasons to disbelieve have no excuse, because the ultimate reason they do not believe is that they have deliberately rejected God's Holy Spirit." [William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics, (Revised edition, Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1994), p. 37.]

I know we all have our bias'. That humans tend to accept evidence that reinforces personal viewpoints, and reject anything that contradicts. With that said, I feel I have changed my mind on many issues when thinking through the evidence, and examining my own inner reasons. My vastly different outlook on Christianity within the last ten years would be an example. These quotes drive home to me the futility of trying to reason with anyone with an entrenched religious position. I know I changed, but I think the change comes organically within the person. It can not be forced. Dr Craig illustrates this perfectly. He claims to be all about reason and evidence, but quotes like this lead me to distrust that. Much like the young earth creationists, it seems that nothing would ever change his mind. I just find that to be very dishonest.
This has led me to think that I will keep my personal intellectually journey to a close few, and try to avoid debate as much as possible. I love the debate, but I am beginning to see the futility of it. People will believe whatever they want, no matter how mind numbingly ignorant and crazy. Let me be clear, in no way am I saying religion makes people stupid. When a person is so committed to a viewpoint that nothing will change their mind, that's just stubbornness, and very human.
Cheers,
Scott

Gorilla Encounter

This is a pretty amazing encounter between two different species. I don't know how much is anthropomorphizing, but there is obviously some sort of actual relationship. I think for people who treat all species of equal value, this raises some interesting points.

Evolution of the Eye

David Attenborough's voice is just great. Really have to get around to watching 'Planet Earth'.

Fallacies

 

I have a brief barrage of fallacies spoken at me today. I thought I would list the ones I can remember. It was sort of amusing, and I did not say too much as the person ranted. With some people, the relationship is important, you know saying anything of substance is not really going to get you anywhere, and it's best to just let everything go without comment. Until writing about it later on a blog of course.

Now for the fallacies committed, at least the ones I can remember:

Argument From Adverse Consequences (Appeal To Fear, Scare Tactics):
saying an opponent must be wrong, because if he is right, then bad things would ensue. For example: God must exist, because a godless society would be lawless and dangerous. Or: the defendant in a murder trial must be found guilty, because otherwise husbands will be encouraged to murder their wives.
Excluded Middle (False Dichotomy, Faulty Dilemma, Bifurcation):
assuming there are only two alternatives when in fact there are more. For example, assuming Atheism is the only alternative to Fundamentalism, or being a traitor is the only alternative to being a loud patriot.
Argument By Question:
asking your opponent a question which does not have a snappy answer. (Or anyway, no snappy answer that the audience has the background to understand.) Your opponent has a choice: he can look weak or he can look long-winded. For example, "How can scientists expect us to believe that anything as complex as a single living cell could have arisen as a result of random natural processes ?"
Actually, pretty well any question has this effect to some extent. It usually takes longer to answer a question than ask it.
Argument By Vehemence:
being loud. Trial lawyers are taught this rule:
If you have the facts, pound on the facts.
If you have the law, pound on the law.
If you don't have either, pound on the table.
The above rule paints vehemence as an act of desperation. But it can also be a way to seize control of the agenda, use up the opponent's time, or just intimidate the easily cowed. And it's not necessarily aimed at winning the day. A tantrum or a fit is also a way to get a reputation, so that in the future, no one will mess with you. Depending on what you're loud about, this may also be an Appeal To Force, Argument By Emotive Language, Needling, or Changing The Subject.
Complex Question (Tying):
unrelated points are treated as if they should be accepted or rejected together. In fact, each point should be accepted or rejected on its own merits. For example, "Do you support freedom and the right to bear arms?"
Argument By Pigheadedness (Doggedness):
refusing to accept something after everyone else thinks it is well enough proved. For example, there are still Flat Earthers.
Non Sequitur:
something that just does not follow. For example, "Tens of thousands of Americans have seen lights in the night sky which they could not identify. The existence of life on other planets is fast becoming certainty !"
Another example: arguing at length that your religion is of great help to many people. Then, concluding that the teachings of your religion are undoubtably true. Or: "Bill lives in a large building, so his apartment must be large."
Argument By Fast Talking:
 if you go from one idea to the next quickly enough, the audience won't have time to think. This is connected to Changing The Subject and (to some audiences) Argument By Personal Charm. However, some psychologists say that to understand what you hear, you must for a brief moment believe it. If this is true, then rapid delivery does not leave people time to reject what they hear.

All those and more can be found at this site. There were probably a few more committed, but those are the ones that stand out. Several were done at the same time. I obviously commit some of them myself, but I think the slower a discussion is, and more thought out, that tends to keep fallacies to a minimum.
Cheers,
Scott

Explanation

 I was blogging through Tim Keller's book, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. I had already read through it, and was proceeding to blog through each chapter. It's been awhile since my last entry, so I thought I would explain why. I get the e-skeptic email, which had an article that ended with the quote below. It neatly summed up why I just didn't want to keep going through that book.
 "Timothy Keller’s, The Reason for God, though falling short of any expectations one might harbour based on the title, does serve us with distinction as an important offering of contemporary conservative Christian thought. The reader hoping for philosophically satisfying discourse on an Uncaused First Cause may find himself frustrated and sadly disappointed by the more narrow scope of Reverend Keller’s dogmatic perspective. Nevertheless, for anyone wishing to maintain an understanding of modern fundamentalist Christian doctrine, this work is a must read." - Kenneth Grubbs
The whole article can be found here. I was really looking for something different when I started going through that book. It seems to be more for people who want to believe, or already do believe in a particular fundamentalist world view. It's not really for skeptics though. In that way, I found it very similar to the Alpha course.
I do feel a little bit of a quitter for not blogging through each chapter, but it's just not worth the time. If you have not really thought about belief before, are not really a skeptic, or maybe want a glimpse into one version of Christianity, then it's is a perfect book. I just don't fall into any of those categories at the moment.
Cheers.
PS - SMBC, it just makes me laugh so much.

TED: The Dangers of Science Denialism - Michael Specter

Among the books I am currently busy trying to read, is Michael Specter's book Denialism. If you don't have time to read his book, watch his TED talk. I appreciate how he points out our problems, but love the call to fix them. Denialism gets us no where.

Great Courses

     I've made a discovery at my local public library. They have university courses on CD. They're published by The Teaching Company. I get them from the library, rip the course to itunes, and now I can't go anywhere without my headphones. Any down time and I start listening. It's awesome! So far I have taken out:
An Introduction to Greek Philosophy pt 1 & 2
From Jesus to Constantine: A History Of Early Christianity pt 1 & 2
Historical Jesus pt 1
At the moment the library won't let me put on any more holds, something about reaching a 'hold limit'. I'm just waiting for my current holds to come in so I can rip them, return them, and get some more. I highly recommend visiting your local library and checking them out. There is a wide array of subjects.
     I'm currently reading Slavoj Žižek's book, The Puppet and The Dwarf. I'll confess, it is making me feel quiet dull, but hopefully it begins to make sense by the end.
     I had a very good discussion with a friend over beers last Thursday. The conversation meandered over to Anabaptists/Mennonites and I learned more about the Mennonite intellectual traditions. I did not realize the Lutherans considered us such heretics, and only recently retracted that position. Our strong commitment to separation of Church and State. Menno's realized that Church and State just led to Empire, and that Christians should have no part of Empire. It was a very heretical idea at the time. That Mennonites traditionally don't read the Bible is the same way many other Christian traditions do. There are a lot of Mennonite profs in University's and it seems there is a good reason for that. There's a lot to be proud of.
     That's been Scott's thoughts over the last few weeks. I'm still working through the truth seeker challenge. Waiting on the library really. I'll end with a statement that I've been mulling over since last Thursday.
"I believe in God, but I don't think God exists."
Cheers,
Scott

Sir Terry Pratchett Lecture about Alzheimer's and assisted dying.

I found this lecture to be very thought provoking. There are six clips in all, and are all worth watching or listening to.

Alpha - Three Sessions Down

Some xkcd to start off this post:









I wonder if I am too critical. I shall explain.
I have been enjoying Alpha. The people are very nice, the food is great and I even re-connected with an old friend.
There have been three Alpha sessions so far. Number one "Christianity: Boring, Untrue, Irrelevant?", Number two "What is the Evidence for Christianity?", and Number three "Why did Jesus die?". It's been kind of interesting hearing these teachings with a different mindset. There are so many more problems than I used to let myself see. Belief is pretty powerful stuff, and I believed pretty powerfully. When I think about it, it makes me  sad. I do miss it. It almost feels like I am going through the final stages of a separation, except the other person in the relationship might never have existed. I have not yet completely given up on belief, just the more traditional Christian belief, "relationship with Jesus", that I had. If it is something you can lose, I seemed to have misplaced it and picked up some sort of naturalism. The desire to slip back into the more evangelical world view is definitely there. The only thing that stops me is I can't live or preach what I don't really believe. Belief for the sake of belief does not really appeal.
What does this have to do with being too critical? Someone at our table asked to read the notes I had been taking. She made the comment that they seemed to be mostly critical. She was concerned that in criticizing the flaws I saw, I would become bitter. The suggestion was made that I try and write down the positive. She's right, it is too easy to be critical, and I don't want to be bitter. I also don't want to give ideas and beliefs a free ride in my brain. I think the part of it is that there is so much in the Alpha videos that seems contentious to me. I know Mr Gumbel is not trying to, but it seems like he's helping decide what it is that I no longer believe, rather than introduce me to belief. It is also starting to be apparent that Alpha is geared towards Christians, or those with no history in the Christian tradition, not towards the skeptic.
My thoughts are a little all over the place, but I'll end with this. I'll try to write notes in a little more of a positive light. Can a person write critical thoughts of ideas and beliefs without being too critical?
Just to show I'm not too one sided, I am half way through Jesus is Dead by Robert Price. The books seems little all over the place and don't really like his writing style either. Maybe I am too critical. In the words of Megan, "You cynical bastard". I like to think they were said with affection...
Cheers,
Scott

The Challenge

     I've decided to climb a mountain of literature, hopefully within a year. I might have to squeeze two or three years into this, but we'll see how it goes. Lukeprog at Common Sense Atheism has written a post called the Ultimate Truth Seeker Challenge. Go read the post so you get the general idea, I'll wait.

     Now I know this might seem a little silly or pointless, depending on your view of the world and the nature of truth. Some people would probably add, or take away, different books. It's a challenge though, and I want to give it a shot. I don't expect to be any sort of expert when I'm done. I do expect to be able to at least have a better idea of my beliefs, and maybe be a little more eloquent in describing them.

     The tricky part is I can't read the books in order. It all depends on the library, ordering, and when things arrive. I don't have the time to blog through each book, but I might at least write an entry after I finish each one. I'll keep a notebook handy as I'm reading too, just so I don't forget everything.

     I've made up a list of the books and the status of each. If you're in the Edmonton area and you want to read these too, I have an online library list. You can see which ones they have in stock. If anyone feels like donating any of the books, I would not say no. As well, if anyone wants to read them too, let me know, maybe we could discuss the books together as we go.

Cheers,

Scott
PS - If someone had strong objections to a book, thinking there was a much better one to be put in it's place, I am open to discussion.

Library Has in Stock /On Order:

01 - 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God: 

Guy P. Harrison (354 pages, beginner, skeptical)

02 - Handbook of Christian Apologetics: Hundreds of Answers to Crucial Questions:

Peter Kreeft / Ronald K Tracelli (406 pages, beginner, apologetic)

04 - Reasonable Faith:

William Lane Craig (416 pages, intermediate, apologetic)

05 - Jesus is Dead:

Robert Price (279 pages, intermediate, skeptical)

06 - Jesus Legend, The: A Case for the Historical Reliability of the Synoptic Jesus Tradition:

Greg Boyd & Paul Eddy (480 pages, intermediate, apologetic)

07 - Sense & Goodness Without God: A Defence of Metaphysical Naturalism:

Richard Carrier (444 pages, intermediate, skeptical)

09 - The Case Against Christianity (Paperback):

Michael Martin (256 pages, advanced, skeptical)

13 - The Existence of God :

Richard Swinburne (376 pages, advanced, apologetic)
 

Library Is Not Ordering; Trying Through Inter-Library Loans Department:

08 - Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview:

J.P. Moreland & William Lane Craig

10 - Scaling the Secular City:

J.P. Moreland (288 pages, advanced, apologetic)

11 - Arguing for Atheism:

Robin Le Poidevin (184, pages, advanced, skeptical)

14 - Theism and Explanation:

Gregory Dawes (222 pages, advanced, skeptical)

15 - The Non-existence of God:

Nicholas Everitt (352 pages, advanced, skeptical)

19 - The Rationality of Theism:

Paul Copan & others

20- Arguing about Gods:

Graham Oppy (472 pages, advanced, skeptical)

21 - The Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology:

William Lane Craig & others (704 pages, advanced, apologetic)

22 - Logic and Theism:

Jordan Howard Sobel (676 pages, advanced, skeptical)

Library Is Trying to Order:

12 - In Defense of Natural Theology: A Post-humean Assessment :

James F. Sennett & others (336 pages, advanced, apologetic)

18 - Atheism: A Philosophical Justification:

Michael Martin (541 pages, advanced, skeptical)
 

Have Asked Library to Order:

16 - The Miracle Of Theism:

J.L. Mackie (278 pages, advanced, skeptical)

17 - Reasons for Hope Within:

Michael J. Murray & others (429 pages, advanced, apologetic)

19 - The Rationality of Theism:

Paul Copan & others (304 pages, advanced, apologetic)
 

Can try to order at later date:

03 - The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails:

John W. Loftus (385 pages, intermediate, skeptical)

Published in April 27, 2010

Already Own:

23 - Warranted Christian Belief:

Alvin Plantiga (528 pages, advanced, apologetic)

Explore the Matrix

I've been going through my google reader, catching up on whatever interesting blog entries I missed. One that I have been enjoying more and more is James F. McGrath's blog Exporing Our Matrix. It's sometimes academic yet readable, and he posts lots of sci-fi and science stuff, so what's not to like!
This entry from January is a good example of why I like it. His post on Santa and Religion was also very good.

Now for a random xkcd comic.

Cheers.

Alpha Course

A cousin of mine invited me to join him and his wife in the Alpha course. My wife has volleyball on Wednesday nights, so I decided to go. Mainly for kicks and giggles. Tonight's the first night, and depending on how it goes and if I decide to go again, I might write some more about it. My younger brother firmly told me to keep my mouth shut and not to be a shit disturber. With that in mind I'll take my moleskin, try to be quiet, and listen.
On a not incompletely unrelated topic, I just found this website. http://www.philosophyofreligion.info/. I am curious who is behind it, if it was a university or just some random person?
Cheers,
Scott
PS - Just because I like to have pictures in entries, here's a random Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal.