This is Abiogenesis For Dummies. In other words, even I understand it. What a great job Aussie James Hadfield aka Potholer54 did on this video. As Calpurnpiso, from the Raving Atheist Message Board mentioned in a video reply, 'this video should be seen in every church, synagogue and mosque just before they do the services.' Watch this video, it is fantastic:
OK, the one thing theists have been using lately is the "how did the universe start?, and how matter got started." This is not addressed in the above video, because it is a different "matter" altogether. Sorry for the pun...no I'm not.
Potholer54 only has done one other video, and it too is well done. Here, he explains how intelligent design is just plain ridiculous. It is called "God and DNA Made Easy":
Oh, and if you are curious about the big A on my sidebar, Pharyngula explains what it means.
July 31, 2007
July 30, 2007
Michael Vick Is Not An Atheist
Michael Vick was on the radio today. He said this: "I just want to thank all my fans and all my support and all the people that are praying for Mike Vick and are in my corner right now. It's a crisis situation for me, but I'm going to get through it and I feel, by the grace of God, that's the only way. I believe in the outcome at the end, and that's why I put my faith in the man upstairs. It pains me not be down there right now because I know so many people want to see me and I want to be there."
Believers think they can commit a horrendous crime and then plead to God for support and forgiveness (though Michael Vick is pulling an OJ right now by saying he is innocent).
I can't see too many atheists getting involved in this dog killing crap. It is definitely a theist sport. Atheists tend to value lives more than theists because we know this is it. And it is it for all the dumb animals on this planet, including Michael Vick.
Austin Cline on Michael Vick and Theology
Small Rant
I can't believe my url is blocked by DIGG. I'm guessing this had to do with my posts about that scumwad Joseph Cohen, the imbecile who converted from Judaism to Islam and now laughs at Daniel Pearl's death. I'm pretty sure he and his buddies flagged me to death.
I've written 3 emails and sent them to DIGG asking them to lift the ban and to investigate the flaggings. So far I've received no response.
Rickey Continues To Cyber Stalk Me
Rickey is the only reason I moderate comments. He has caused many of my frequent visitors to enable their blog moderation too. He is definitely mentally unstable. Right now, he comments on my posts via Netscape or Redit. He actually submits my blog posts but gives them idiotic titles if I don't submit them first. Here is his IP info:
Visitor 9-pool1.ras01.sfo01.dial.cogentco.com IP Address 206.148.32.9
Date 30 Jul, Mon, 19:20:15 Net Speed Dial-Up
Organization AGIS Browser MSIE 7
Continent North America Operating System Windows XP
Country United States Screen Resolution 800x600
State / Region California Screen Color 32 Bit (16.7M)
City Birds Landing Javascript Enabled
*******************************
Note: He uses different IPs but they all start with following: 206.148.32.
Believers think they can commit a horrendous crime and then plead to God for support and forgiveness (though Michael Vick is pulling an OJ right now by saying he is innocent).
I can't see too many atheists getting involved in this dog killing crap. It is definitely a theist sport. Atheists tend to value lives more than theists because we know this is it. And it is it for all the dumb animals on this planet, including Michael Vick.
Austin Cline on Michael Vick and Theology
Small Rant
I can't believe my url is blocked by DIGG. I'm guessing this had to do with my posts about that scumwad Joseph Cohen, the imbecile who converted from Judaism to Islam and now laughs at Daniel Pearl's death. I'm pretty sure he and his buddies flagged me to death.
I've written 3 emails and sent them to DIGG asking them to lift the ban and to investigate the flaggings. So far I've received no response.
Rickey Continues To Cyber Stalk Me
Rickey is the only reason I moderate comments. He has caused many of my frequent visitors to enable their blog moderation too. He is definitely mentally unstable. Right now, he comments on my posts via Netscape or Redit. He actually submits my blog posts but gives them idiotic titles if I don't submit them first. Here is his IP info:
Visitor 9-pool1.ras01.sfo01.dial.cogentco.com IP Address 206.148.32.9
Date 30 Jul, Mon, 19:20:15 Net Speed Dial-Up
Organization AGIS Browser MSIE 7
Continent North America Operating System Windows XP
Country United States Screen Resolution 800x600
State / Region California Screen Color 32 Bit (16.7M)
City Birds Landing Javascript Enabled
*******************************
Note: He uses different IPs but they all start with following: 206.148.32.
July 29, 2007
The Mentality Of The Palestinians Is Enough To Make Me Want To Vomit
I have a different audience than the Elder of Ziyon, so I'm sure he doesn't mind me venting on the same subject that he recently did in his post, Gazans happy three girls are dead.
Here is what happened (I'll mostly quote the article in Newsweek by Kevin Peraino, Inside Gaza Where Murder Is Easy):
A gravedigger, Yehia Abu Moghaseb, noticed that men were dumping three large bundles in black plastic bags late at night in freshly dug pits.
Three days later the gravedigger was interviewed:
The murders had been an honor killing, he explained; he says he was later told that the victims were orphans and had been working as prostitutes. A devout Muslim, Abu Moghaseb said that he has mixed feelings about the practice of honor killing and seemed to be working through his rationale while we talked. "If a woman works as a prostitute, she must be killed," he reasoned. "It will spread diseases." Still, he went on, "Our religion says not to kill," and then after another moment: "But our tradition says to kill." As we baked in the midday Gaza sun, he eventually gave up on the tortured logic. "You don't kill a girl," he told me finally, looking a little disgusted, before walking back up the hill toward his house.
WTF, how can he differentiate religion from culture in this way? It is all religion, even the traditional part. The same Koran obviously sends out mixed messages, but the end result is a culture of death, and of course, constant spinning.
A suspect was caught. He was a cousin to the sisters. Yes, he was an individual, so I won't go ragging on the Palestinian YET:
....the Executive Force had swiftly arrested a suspect in the Juha case, a cousin of the victims, and that he was currently under interrogation. Shehwan (Hamas spokesman for the Executive Force) explained that he had met with the alleged killer yesterday and claimed that the man had confessed. "He was very calm," the official told me. "He was proud of it." Still, Shehwan didn't seem particularly sympathetic to the murdered sisters. "They were prostitutes," Shehwan told me matter-of-factly. "We are good investigators. We have big files for them. We have many stories. One was taking drugs. They were caught having sexual relationships many times—more than five times." (Sharia requires four firsthand witnesses to convict a woman of prostitution; family law in Gaza is strongly influenced by Sharia, even before the Hamas takeover.)
Now for the sickening part. The reaction by the Palestinians collectively:
Quoting Palestinian attorney general, Ahmed al-Moghani, "Look, we have information from intelligence sources that they have been committing sins," the attorney general explained. He told me that he had taken a personal interest in the case, and ordered "forensic work" to be done on the bodies. "After the work was done, it was determined that they were not virgins," he continued. "We could detect that there were recent sexual relationships." He lifted his hands and cocked his head, as if to say: case closed. "Of course, this is not a pretext to kill them," he added. "Nobody is allowed to take the law into his own hands." The attorney general sounded very much like he was trying to convince himself.
This is a case of hardwired human morality, that is usually followed in the West, versus a culture that is taught hate from day one, and taught standards that are repulsive to anyone with an ounce of empathy and compassion.
A neighbour of the slain girls was no different in his reaction:
A neighbor who identified himself as Abu Ahmad said that the three had lived alone; their father had died years before of a heart attack, an older brother had been killed as an Israeli collaborator in the 1990s, and their mother had also been murdered. "They used to talk to boys in the street," the neighbor recalled. "They used to go without a headscarf. Now we're rid of them." Relatives I visited were no more helpful or sympathetic. Not a single family member was willing to talk about the girls. Mahmoud Juha, the family mukhtar—the head of the clan—explained that he would have nothing to say about the young women or their murders. When we stopped by his home, he told my translator firmly: "I advise you not to talk to anyone else."
Human beings know what is right and wrong generally. Many Palestinians may be too brainwashed though, and have voided themselves of this human trait, just like the Phelps family in the US have.
To Yehia Abu Moghaseb, that attitude is part of the problem. The crime should be publicized and the killers punished, the gravedigger told me, as we stood in the sun at the cemetery near where the bodies had been dumped. "We can't be silent," he went on, his voice rising slightly. "We can't cover it up." Then he was quiet. I thought of what he had told me earlier, with the simple, sound judgment of a man who has seen more than his share of bodies covered with earth: "You don't kill a girl." In the absence of law, at least there is someone in Gaza with a little common sense.
A couple of real good posts I want to bring to the attention of my reader here.
Oleh Michael asks Some Questions About Gaza
, where he illustrates that Gaza land has many possibilities when it comes for growth potential. The location and the fertility of the land is prime. But what can expect from a culture that in bent on revenge on honour killings?
Also of interest is a post by Beaman called Why I Strongly Support Israel. Beaman's profile on Technorati states: A 20-something Englishman. Writer, artist, poet and slob. Likes fine food, wine, chocolate and German beer. Formula One and cat fanatic. Philosophical and political.
He left out atheist, which he is as well. Oh, and he makes it clear that he is not a Jew.
He makes a point in his post that many in England are misinformed about the I/P conflict, mainly because Muslims outnumber Jews, and the Brits tend to get one side of the story....the wrong side. Many secularists, as I've stated previously have a warped understanding of victimhood. They feel that those with the less resources and less wealth, and whoare in the most dire straights must be the collective victims. Beaman points out that this line of thinking is not necessarily true all the time, and especially in the case of the Palestinians.
Here is what happened (I'll mostly quote the article in Newsweek by Kevin Peraino, Inside Gaza Where Murder Is Easy):
A gravedigger, Yehia Abu Moghaseb, noticed that men were dumping three large bundles in black plastic bags late at night in freshly dug pits.
Abu Moghaseb asked a neighbor to call the Hamas-controlled "Executive Force," a network of troops composed mostly of former militants from the group's Izzedine al-Qassam militia. When the Hamas men arrived, wearing their trademark black uniforms and cradling Kalashnikovs, Abu Moghaseb helped them uncover the graves. A doctor tore open the black body bags. Inside, the gravedigger saw three young women, two of them still in their teens. "They were beautiful," he said later. "Except for the blood." Two of the girls had been stabbed repeatedly in the chest; the third had her throat cut.
Three days later the gravedigger was interviewed:
The murders had been an honor killing, he explained; he says he was later told that the victims were orphans and had been working as prostitutes. A devout Muslim, Abu Moghaseb said that he has mixed feelings about the practice of honor killing and seemed to be working through his rationale while we talked. "If a woman works as a prostitute, she must be killed," he reasoned. "It will spread diseases." Still, he went on, "Our religion says not to kill," and then after another moment: "But our tradition says to kill." As we baked in the midday Gaza sun, he eventually gave up on the tortured logic. "You don't kill a girl," he told me finally, looking a little disgusted, before walking back up the hill toward his house.
WTF, how can he differentiate religion from culture in this way? It is all religion, even the traditional part. The same Koran obviously sends out mixed messages, but the end result is a culture of death, and of course, constant spinning.
A suspect was caught. He was a cousin to the sisters. Yes, he was an individual, so I won't go ragging on the Palestinian YET:
....the Executive Force had swiftly arrested a suspect in the Juha case, a cousin of the victims, and that he was currently under interrogation. Shehwan (Hamas spokesman for the Executive Force) explained that he had met with the alleged killer yesterday and claimed that the man had confessed. "He was very calm," the official told me. "He was proud of it." Still, Shehwan didn't seem particularly sympathetic to the murdered sisters. "They were prostitutes," Shehwan told me matter-of-factly. "We are good investigators. We have big files for them. We have many stories. One was taking drugs. They were caught having sexual relationships many times—more than five times." (Sharia requires four firsthand witnesses to convict a woman of prostitution; family law in Gaza is strongly influenced by Sharia, even before the Hamas takeover.)
Now for the sickening part. The reaction by the Palestinians collectively:
Quoting Palestinian attorney general, Ahmed al-Moghani, "Look, we have information from intelligence sources that they have been committing sins," the attorney general explained. He told me that he had taken a personal interest in the case, and ordered "forensic work" to be done on the bodies. "After the work was done, it was determined that they were not virgins," he continued. "We could detect that there were recent sexual relationships." He lifted his hands and cocked his head, as if to say: case closed. "Of course, this is not a pretext to kill them," he added. "Nobody is allowed to take the law into his own hands." The attorney general sounded very much like he was trying to convince himself.
This is a case of hardwired human morality, that is usually followed in the West, versus a culture that is taught hate from day one, and taught standards that are repulsive to anyone with an ounce of empathy and compassion.
A neighbour of the slain girls was no different in his reaction:
A neighbor who identified himself as Abu Ahmad said that the three had lived alone; their father had died years before of a heart attack, an older brother had been killed as an Israeli collaborator in the 1990s, and their mother had also been murdered. "They used to talk to boys in the street," the neighbor recalled. "They used to go without a headscarf. Now we're rid of them." Relatives I visited were no more helpful or sympathetic. Not a single family member was willing to talk about the girls. Mahmoud Juha, the family mukhtar—the head of the clan—explained that he would have nothing to say about the young women or their murders. When we stopped by his home, he told my translator firmly: "I advise you not to talk to anyone else."
Human beings know what is right and wrong generally. Many Palestinians may be too brainwashed though, and have voided themselves of this human trait, just like the Phelps family in the US have.
To Yehia Abu Moghaseb, that attitude is part of the problem. The crime should be publicized and the killers punished, the gravedigger told me, as we stood in the sun at the cemetery near where the bodies had been dumped. "We can't be silent," he went on, his voice rising slightly. "We can't cover it up." Then he was quiet. I thought of what he had told me earlier, with the simple, sound judgment of a man who has seen more than his share of bodies covered with earth: "You don't kill a girl." In the absence of law, at least there is someone in Gaza with a little common sense.
A couple of real good posts I want to bring to the attention of my reader here.
Oleh Michael asks Some Questions About Gaza
, where he illustrates that Gaza land has many possibilities when it comes for growth potential. The location and the fertility of the land is prime. But what can expect from a culture that in bent on revenge on honour killings?
Also of interest is a post by Beaman called Why I Strongly Support Israel. Beaman's profile on Technorati states: A 20-something Englishman. Writer, artist, poet and slob. Likes fine food, wine, chocolate and German beer. Formula One and cat fanatic. Philosophical and political.
He left out atheist, which he is as well. Oh, and he makes it clear that he is not a Jew.
He makes a point in his post that many in England are misinformed about the I/P conflict, mainly because Muslims outnumber Jews, and the Brits tend to get one side of the story....the wrong side. Many secularists, as I've stated previously have a warped understanding of victimhood. They feel that those with the less resources and less wealth, and whoare in the most dire straights must be the collective victims. Beaman points out that this line of thinking is not necessarily true all the time, and especially in the case of the Palestinians.
July 26, 2007
FAQ's To Atheists: Replying To The Friendly Atheist
The Friendly Atheist has asked atheists to reply to a few questions that are often asked by theists of atheists. He also asked for simple and short answers. So here goes:
* Why do you not believe in God?
There is absolutely no evidence that any God exists or has ever existed.
* Where do your morals come from?
"Morality" is about 90% genetic (it is hardwired in us) and 10% nurture (cultural values that are taught to us).
* What is the meaning of life?
The meaning of life is purely subjective and differs from one person to the next. We make life meaningful as per our priorities, and they change over time as well.
* Is atheism a religion?
Atheism simply means not believing in God. There are no rules, philosophies, or places not to worship attached with being an atheist.
* If you don’t pray, what do you do during troubling times?
Reflect mostly.
* Should atheists be trying to convince others to stop believing in God?
When separation of church and state is involved or religious bigotry becomes an issue, I think it is my duty to let people know that there is no evidence of God.
Note: This currently gives my life meaning.
I can't disprove God, but my message is stop acting like an idiot because there is no evidence God exists.
* Weren’t some of the worst atrocities in the 20th century committed by atheists?
First off, Hitler was a theist or at least a deist. No atrocities were committed on the basis that God doesn't exist. Pol Pot and Stalin had political beliefs strongly influenced by the cultures they lived in, not by atheism. With over 650 million atheists in the world today, there is bound to be a couple of bad apples.
Other than Stalin and Pol Pot, almost every other major atrocities that have been committed in recorded history, had believers behind them.
* How could billions of people be wrong when it comes to belief in God?
I think we are hardwired to accept the supernatural as an explanation for things that we can't understand or don't want to understand. It kept our ancestors from going crazy since they were without many scientific explanations.
* Why does the universe exist?
There is no purpose in nature. But there is a scientific explanation as to why it exists, we just don't have all the answers yet. We will in the near future.
* How did life originate?
Again, we don't know for sure, but it was most likely a chemical reaction in a very hostile environment that produced the first one celled life form.
* Is all religion harmful?
Not always. Only when a religious person hurts or hinders someone (and that someone could also be religious too) because of their own beliefs. By hurt, I mean physically or emotionally. Like shunning gays. Hindering someone would be trying to force someone else from learning real science, or imposing non science in science classes.
* What’s so bad about religious moderates?
There is usually a form of bigotry that has its root in religion that comes out of even religious moderates.
* Is there anything redeeming about religion?
It might keep the odd nutball from murdering people, because religious people often say that without belief in God, nothing would hold them back from doing ugly things.
Also, many humanitarian reliefs are associated with religious organizations.
* What if you’re wrong about God (and He does exist)?
I'd love to ask him or her why he or she didn't put any evidence of his or her existence here.
* Shouldn’t all religious beliefs be respected?
No. Those who deny reality (evolution and an ancient earth) should be mocked because it is those types of beliefs that are the root of all religious bigotry.
* Are atheists smarter than theists?
In general, I would say yes. 65% of Americans who dropped out of high school believe in Young Earth Creationism versus 25% of Americans who graduated from college. The nations with the lowest IQs tend to have the highest percentage of believers as well.
* How do you deal with the historical Jesus if you don’t believe in his divinity?
Up to around 4 years ago, I just thought he was just another dude. Now, I doubt he ever existed. I think Paul put a name to the Gnostic God that was starting to become worshiped around his time.
* Would the world be better off without any religion?
Yes. I think an enlightened world would arise from it. Less bigotry and less conflicts.
* What happens when we die?
We become worm food.
H/T God Is For Suckers
Also, for a laugh, read Oh, The Hilarious Comments People Make...
* Why do you not believe in God?
There is absolutely no evidence that any God exists or has ever existed.
* Where do your morals come from?
"Morality" is about 90% genetic (it is hardwired in us) and 10% nurture (cultural values that are taught to us).
* What is the meaning of life?
The meaning of life is purely subjective and differs from one person to the next. We make life meaningful as per our priorities, and they change over time as well.
* Is atheism a religion?
Atheism simply means not believing in God. There are no rules, philosophies, or places not to worship attached with being an atheist.
* If you don’t pray, what do you do during troubling times?
Reflect mostly.
* Should atheists be trying to convince others to stop believing in God?
When separation of church and state is involved or religious bigotry becomes an issue, I think it is my duty to let people know that there is no evidence of God.
Note: This currently gives my life meaning.
I can't disprove God, but my message is stop acting like an idiot because there is no evidence God exists.
* Weren’t some of the worst atrocities in the 20th century committed by atheists?
First off, Hitler was a theist or at least a deist. No atrocities were committed on the basis that God doesn't exist. Pol Pot and Stalin had political beliefs strongly influenced by the cultures they lived in, not by atheism. With over 650 million atheists in the world today, there is bound to be a couple of bad apples.
Other than Stalin and Pol Pot, almost every other major atrocities that have been committed in recorded history, had believers behind them.
* How could billions of people be wrong when it comes to belief in God?
I think we are hardwired to accept the supernatural as an explanation for things that we can't understand or don't want to understand. It kept our ancestors from going crazy since they were without many scientific explanations.
* Why does the universe exist?
There is no purpose in nature. But there is a scientific explanation as to why it exists, we just don't have all the answers yet. We will in the near future.
* How did life originate?
Again, we don't know for sure, but it was most likely a chemical reaction in a very hostile environment that produced the first one celled life form.
* Is all religion harmful?
Not always. Only when a religious person hurts or hinders someone (and that someone could also be religious too) because of their own beliefs. By hurt, I mean physically or emotionally. Like shunning gays. Hindering someone would be trying to force someone else from learning real science, or imposing non science in science classes.
* What’s so bad about religious moderates?
There is usually a form of bigotry that has its root in religion that comes out of even religious moderates.
* Is there anything redeeming about religion?
It might keep the odd nutball from murdering people, because religious people often say that without belief in God, nothing would hold them back from doing ugly things.
Also, many humanitarian reliefs are associated with religious organizations.
* What if you’re wrong about God (and He does exist)?
I'd love to ask him or her why he or she didn't put any evidence of his or her existence here.
* Shouldn’t all religious beliefs be respected?
No. Those who deny reality (evolution and an ancient earth) should be mocked because it is those types of beliefs that are the root of all religious bigotry.
* Are atheists smarter than theists?
In general, I would say yes. 65% of Americans who dropped out of high school believe in Young Earth Creationism versus 25% of Americans who graduated from college. The nations with the lowest IQs tend to have the highest percentage of believers as well.
* How do you deal with the historical Jesus if you don’t believe in his divinity?
Up to around 4 years ago, I just thought he was just another dude. Now, I doubt he ever existed. I think Paul put a name to the Gnostic God that was starting to become worshiped around his time.
* Would the world be better off without any religion?
Yes. I think an enlightened world would arise from it. Less bigotry and less conflicts.
* What happens when we die?
We become worm food.
H/T God Is For Suckers
Also, for a laugh, read Oh, The Hilarious Comments People Make...
July 23, 2007
I Made It To The City Of Dis
The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Sixth Level of Hell - The City of Dis!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:
Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test
H/T The Atheist Hussy who seems to be a saint compared to me.
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:
| Level | Score |
|---|---|
| Purgatory (Repenting Believers) | Very Low |
| Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers) | Very Low |
| Level 2 (Lustful) | Extreme |
| Level 3 (Gluttonous) | High |
| Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious) | High |
| Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy) | Very High |
| Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics) | Extreme |
| Level 7 (Violent) | High |
| Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers) | Very High |
| Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous) | High |
Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test
H/T The Atheist Hussy who seems to be a saint compared to me.
July 21, 2007
DUELING CHRISTIANS
Many Protestants/Baptists believe that Catholics are not real Christians. Of course, many Catholics, including the Pope, think that non Catholics are not Christians either.
I figure I might as well make a video on the subject:) Enjoy:
This video was Stardust inspired:
Pope says other Christians not true churches and most recently, Dueling Christians Continued...
I figure I might as well make a video on the subject:) Enjoy:
This video was Stardust inspired:
Pope says other Christians not true churches and most recently, Dueling Christians Continued...
July 18, 2007
What Theists Can't Answer
Michael Gerson recently wrote an article in the Washington Post, What Atheists Can't Answer.
The question he states that atheist can't answer is:
He goes on with some assmonkey rhetoric:
The reality is that not only is the atheist answer to the question simple, it is also based on reality.
We have evolved a mindset that allows us to be inclined to be able to survive and procreate and to do our best for our offspring to survive as well, just like every other animal on this planet. By survival, I am talking about food, shelter, getting along with mates, and avoiding predators which includes doing stuff that will make someone else want to kill us with certainty.
Yes, we are conflicted, the selfishness that comes with our individual survival (which could lead to "bad" behavior) versus doing things that appear good or altruistic in order not to piss others off, and even doing good things on the expectation that "if I open the door for you, you will open the door for me."
Culture does add rules as well. Laws that remind us to be good or pay the consequences (jail not hell). Culture norms that keep us in good standing in the culture as well, influence us. Most norms and laws are just common sense that benefits our evolutionary survival written down on paper.
Good and bad instincts are constantly being weighed in our brains, mostly subconsciously. Good instincts win out usually, because we would be extinct by now if they didn't.
Now for the question that theists can't answer. I am defining theists in this case as anyone who thinks we need a belief in God to be able to choose between right from wrong:
How do chimpanzees decide between good and bad instincts?
Before you say they don't. Read this:
Chimps may display genuine altruism
CHIMPS are not known for their manners, but it turns out they are more civilised than we give them credit for. They seem happy to help both unrelated chimps and unfamiliar humans, even if it means exerting themselves for no reward.
True altruism - completely unselfish acts for somebody else's benefit - was until recently considered uniquely human. When animals help, the theory went, they either help relatives, thereby increasing chances of passing shared genes to the next generation, or they count on having favours returned in the future.
Now Felix Warneken and colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, have found that 12 of 18 semi-wild chimpanzees went out of their way to help an unfamiliar human who was struggling to reach a stick. They even did this when they first had to climb into a 2.5-metre-high ropeway and for no reward. Equivalent experiments ...
or this
Chimps get angry but not spiteful, study finds
LONDON (Reuters) - An angry chimpanzee will take revenge but -- unlike a human -- it will not do so out of spite, according to a study published on Monday that offers insights into how people perceive what is fair.
The study showed chimpanzees would seek retribution when wronged but did not punish others out of spite, for instance if another chimpanzee was better off, said Keith Jensen, an evolutionary biologist at the Max Planck Institute in Germany, who led the study.
Scientists had debated whether a sense of fairness and social comparison applied only to humans and the study was an attempt to answer some of the questions, Jensen said in a telephone interview.
"Like humans, chimpanzees retaliate against personally harmful actions, but unlike humans, they are indifferent to simply personally disadvantageous outcomes and are therefore not spiteful," he and colleagues wrote in a study published on Monday in the Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Sciences.
The study suggests that anger is an important motivational force but what causes it differs greatly between chimpanzees and humans, Jensen said.
"Humans and apes both get upset at theft but humans are more likely to get upset at unfairness," he said.
For more reaction to Gerson's article check out Rank Atheism and also An Atheist Responds by Christopher Hitchens.
Big H/T to Internet Infidels News Wire, a great place for what is hot in the world of belief and atheism.
The question he states that atheist can't answer is:
How do we choose between good and bad instincts? Theism, for several millennia, has given one answer: We should cultivate the better angels of our nature because the God we love and respect requires it.
He goes on with some assmonkey rhetoric:
Atheism provides no answer to this dilemma. It cannot reply: "Obey your evolutionary instincts" because those instincts are conflicted. "Respect your brain chemistry" or "follow your mental wiring" don't seem very compelling either. It would be perfectly rational for someone to respond: "To hell with my wiring and your socialization, I'm going to do whatever I please." C.S. Lewis put the argument this way: "When all that says 'it is good' has been debunked, what says 'I want' remains."
The reality is that not only is the atheist answer to the question simple, it is also based on reality.
We have evolved a mindset that allows us to be inclined to be able to survive and procreate and to do our best for our offspring to survive as well, just like every other animal on this planet. By survival, I am talking about food, shelter, getting along with mates, and avoiding predators which includes doing stuff that will make someone else want to kill us with certainty.
Yes, we are conflicted, the selfishness that comes with our individual survival (which could lead to "bad" behavior) versus doing things that appear good or altruistic in order not to piss others off, and even doing good things on the expectation that "if I open the door for you, you will open the door for me."
Culture does add rules as well. Laws that remind us to be good or pay the consequences (jail not hell). Culture norms that keep us in good standing in the culture as well, influence us. Most norms and laws are just common sense that benefits our evolutionary survival written down on paper.
Good and bad instincts are constantly being weighed in our brains, mostly subconsciously. Good instincts win out usually, because we would be extinct by now if they didn't.
Now for the question that theists can't answer. I am defining theists in this case as anyone who thinks we need a belief in God to be able to choose between right from wrong:
How do chimpanzees decide between good and bad instincts?
Before you say they don't. Read this:
Chimps may display genuine altruism
CHIMPS are not known for their manners, but it turns out they are more civilised than we give them credit for. They seem happy to help both unrelated chimps and unfamiliar humans, even if it means exerting themselves for no reward.
True altruism - completely unselfish acts for somebody else's benefit - was until recently considered uniquely human. When animals help, the theory went, they either help relatives, thereby increasing chances of passing shared genes to the next generation, or they count on having favours returned in the future.
Now Felix Warneken and colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, have found that 12 of 18 semi-wild chimpanzees went out of their way to help an unfamiliar human who was struggling to reach a stick. They even did this when they first had to climb into a 2.5-metre-high ropeway and for no reward. Equivalent experiments ...
or this
Chimps get angry but not spiteful, study finds
LONDON (Reuters) - An angry chimpanzee will take revenge but -- unlike a human -- it will not do so out of spite, according to a study published on Monday that offers insights into how people perceive what is fair.
The study showed chimpanzees would seek retribution when wronged but did not punish others out of spite, for instance if another chimpanzee was better off, said Keith Jensen, an evolutionary biologist at the Max Planck Institute in Germany, who led the study.
Scientists had debated whether a sense of fairness and social comparison applied only to humans and the study was an attempt to answer some of the questions, Jensen said in a telephone interview.
"Like humans, chimpanzees retaliate against personally harmful actions, but unlike humans, they are indifferent to simply personally disadvantageous outcomes and are therefore not spiteful," he and colleagues wrote in a study published on Monday in the Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Sciences.
The study suggests that anger is an important motivational force but what causes it differs greatly between chimpanzees and humans, Jensen said.
"Humans and apes both get upset at theft but humans are more likely to get upset at unfairness," he said.
For more reaction to Gerson's article check out Rank Atheism and also An Atheist Responds by Christopher Hitchens.
Big H/T to Internet Infidels News Wire, a great place for what is hot in the world of belief and atheism.
July 13, 2007
ABOUT THE MENTALLY ILL ASSMONKEY, JOSEPH COHEN/YOUSEF AL-KHATTAB
I knew this lying hypocritical imbecile looked familiar when I saw his video "Daniel Pearl I Am Happy Your Dead:)" He is the same POS who Richard Dawkins interviewed in his Root of All Evil documentary. Yes, Takferi is Yousef Al-Khattab aka Joseph Cohen. A Jew, who grew up secular in Brooklyn, and turned Orthodox at 18. He went to an Israeli settlement, where one day, his already mushed up brain fell for a pitch made by a Muslim on the internet. Since that time he has been an Al Qaeda loving Muslim. His wife, also an ethnic Jew and former Orthodox Jew, stuck with him and he has also polluted the minds of his children.
Here is the Dawkins interview (it is a good one as it includes the Teapot Atheist analogy after Dawkins spits out a piece of Cohen):
Joseph isn't very bright. His Youtube videos are full of double talk and back tracking as well. It isn't very difficult to see right through the retard.
Here is his story of conversion. I'm sure it isn't the exact truth, because of his history of changing his stories:
The Dawkins piece was a little different this time out. The first time I saw it, Cohen stated that he converted because he went to pick up his kids and saw female teachers showing too much leg. He is really a depraved individual.
UPDATE: Youtube pulled his account today. Personally, I want it still there for the world to see.
The Jawa Report has a great post on him (including a link to my blog). There is a good possibility the POS is in New York once more, and not Morocco. If the loon winds up going to Utah, I wonder if he'll become a Mormon next:)
Here is the Dawkins interview (it is a good one as it includes the Teapot Atheist analogy after Dawkins spits out a piece of Cohen):
Joseph isn't very bright. His Youtube videos are full of double talk and back tracking as well. It isn't very difficult to see right through the retard.
Here is his story of conversion. I'm sure it isn't the exact truth, because of his history of changing his stories:
The Dawkins piece was a little different this time out. The first time I saw it, Cohen stated that he converted because he went to pick up his kids and saw female teachers showing too much leg. He is really a depraved individual.
UPDATE: Youtube pulled his account today. Personally, I want it still there for the world to see.
The Jawa Report has a great post on him (including a link to my blog). There is a good possibility the POS is in New York once more, and not Morocco. If the loon winds up going to Utah, I wonder if he'll become a Mormon next:)
July 11, 2007
Muslims Like This Make Me Sick
This video is called: Daniel Pearl I Am Happy Your Dead:) "Your"?
Takferi represents exactly why the West has a big problem trusting Muslims. Do moderate Muslims exist? This idiot would call himself moderate, because he doesn't condone the head chopping. It is like me saying I don't condone slaughterhouses while eating a steak.
He is a raving hypocrite. Pearl did not kill anyone, yet Takferi blames him because he was a Jew who supported Israel, so he basically says that all Jews who support Israel are guilty for any Palestinian deaths, yet takes exception that people blame all Muslims for acts of terrorism. Not only that, but he lies by saying that Muslims are killed for being born Palestinian. He also called Pearl a spy. Why? Because he was an investigative journalist? The mentality of those like Takferi is mind boggling.
The hypocrisy really gets to me. He calls himself an American, yet here is a quote by him under his Youtube video:
Our lands? OK, so Muslims can come to Western lands, but the West can't come to "Muslim land." I see. And what is the definition of spy or treason to this imbecile?
It is just like the fact that over 10 million people in Brazil today are of Lebanese descent, yet the Arab world took a hissy fit, when Jews started migrating to the non sovereign region of Palestine prior to 1948. Hypocrisy reigns supreme in the Muslim world.
Update: It seems that the hypocritical Muslim has changed the title using proper English. He also has not allowed any posted comments since 1 PM EST. I know I have two pending comments, and I'm sure there are many more.
He also has a Web Site that states: UNITE AND CONQUER Oh yes, the motto of the religion of peace:)
Takferi represents exactly why the West has a big problem trusting Muslims. Do moderate Muslims exist? This idiot would call himself moderate, because he doesn't condone the head chopping. It is like me saying I don't condone slaughterhouses while eating a steak.
He is a raving hypocrite. Pearl did not kill anyone, yet Takferi blames him because he was a Jew who supported Israel, so he basically says that all Jews who support Israel are guilty for any Palestinian deaths, yet takes exception that people blame all Muslims for acts of terrorism. Not only that, but he lies by saying that Muslims are killed for being born Palestinian. He also called Pearl a spy. Why? Because he was an investigative journalist? The mentality of those like Takferi is mind boggling.
The hypocrisy really gets to me. He calls himself an American, yet here is a quote by him under his Youtube video:
takferi (12 hours ago)
we can't enjoy it when the capitalist athiests send daniel pearls to our lands to spy and commit treason. thank you for ur post and concern.
Our lands? OK, so Muslims can come to Western lands, but the West can't come to "Muslim land." I see. And what is the definition of spy or treason to this imbecile?
It is just like the fact that over 10 million people in Brazil today are of Lebanese descent, yet the Arab world took a hissy fit, when Jews started migrating to the non sovereign region of Palestine prior to 1948. Hypocrisy reigns supreme in the Muslim world.
Update: It seems that the hypocritical Muslim has changed the title using proper English. He also has not allowed any posted comments since 1 PM EST. I know I have two pending comments, and I'm sure there are many more.
He also has a Web Site that states: UNITE AND CONQUER Oh yes, the motto of the religion of peace:)
July 7, 2007
Border Collie Watches Border Collies Watching Border Collies
A quickie. Nothing to do with the fact that there is no evidence that God exists, or that Jesus or Moses existed either. Just my best friend Daisy watching a TV show about border collies who watch border collies on TV. It is sort of surrealistic video, though I have no idea what I'm talking about. Enjoy, it is just over 30 seconds.
July 4, 2007
Time To Offend The Catholics Again
First off, the following video is what is called satire. It takes aspects of real life, and tries to make it overblown and humorous. If you are easily offended, please don't watch. If you don't like swear words, please don't watch it either. Anyone else who wants to grin continuously for over 4 minutes, by all means, click the play arrow:
I loved the last line in the video.
To view more of Louis CK on Youtube click here.
Check out Louis CK's web site too.
I loved the last line in the video.
To view more of Louis CK on Youtube click here.
Check out Louis CK's web site too.
July 2, 2007
Canadians Not As Ignorant As Americans When It Comes To Accepting Evolution
59% of Canadians accept the reality of evolution, while only 22% believe some dude named God poofed man, the earth, the universe, and everything else into existence less than 10,000 years ago. Of course, we have a bunch of non committal Canadians who "don't know." These are the same people who would answer "don't know" to just about anything because they just don't want to risk that they might give the "wrong" answer. The don't knows could also have included those yo yo's who believe the earth is old but "macroevolution" never happened.
Click here for the actual poll results.
Here is what Americans "believe."
Of course, the more educated one is, the more likely that person is to accept evolution and an ancient earth. And on a bright note, the younger generation of Canadians accept evolution more than the older generation.
The second poll question was way too wordy. The Big Valley Creation Science Museum opened this month in Alberta. One of the museum’s displays suggests that dinosaurs and human beings co-existed on earth. Do you agree or disagree with this assertion? Canadians don't have the greatest attention spans. After around 12 words, many Canadians minds start wandering off thinking about beer or hockey.
The results just didn't jive with respect to the first question on whether one believed in evolution or creation. 42% agreed with that statement, while only 37% disagreed. Again another 21% were non committal. Besides not really understanding the question, I'm going to blame Canadian television which used to have The Flintstones on way too much.
I was really surprised that Quebec doesn't have as many reality deniers as the rest of the country. I would have thought that they had way more yard ape YECs.
Click here for the actual poll results.
Here is what Americans "believe."
Of course, the more educated one is, the more likely that person is to accept evolution and an ancient earth. And on a bright note, the younger generation of Canadians accept evolution more than the older generation.
The second poll question was way too wordy. The Big Valley Creation Science Museum opened this month in Alberta. One of the museum’s displays suggests that dinosaurs and human beings co-existed on earth. Do you agree or disagree with this assertion? Canadians don't have the greatest attention spans. After around 12 words, many Canadians minds start wandering off thinking about beer or hockey.
The results just didn't jive with respect to the first question on whether one believed in evolution or creation. 42% agreed with that statement, while only 37% disagreed. Again another 21% were non committal. Besides not really understanding the question, I'm going to blame Canadian television which used to have The Flintstones on way too much.
I was really surprised that Quebec doesn't have as many reality deniers as the rest of the country. I would have thought that they had way more yard ape YECs.
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