“Lying for Jesus?” – By Richard Dawkins
“A man’s ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.”
- Albert Einstein
No less than a week after I commented on the Creation-Evolution debate, I came across this absolutely fantastic piece of prose written by well-known Darwinist Richard Dawkins. Call it luck, chance or, if I may, God’s will. It’s a slightly lengthy piece but for the cynical ones out there who thrive on sarcasm and witty jokes, I assure you it’ll be worth the read. I won’t bother explaining what the article is about here because Richard Dawkins has, more or less, already given sufficient information to fill you in.
What I must say is why I adored the article – Apart from his impressive vocabulary and how he conveyed his ideas in an articulate manner, he not only brought up some very strong arguments against Creationism/Intelligent Design,
My point here was that design can never be an ULTIMATE explanation for organized complexity. Even if life on Earth was seeded by intelligent designers on another planet, and even if the alien life form was itself seeded four billion years earlier, the regress must ultimately be terminated (and we have only some 13 billion years to play with because of the finite age of the universe)
he also illustrated in an exemplary manner how scientists (or for that matter anyone seeking truth) should behave and, in my opinion, the key factor that distinguishes Evolutionists and Creationists – getting out of one’s comfort zone and arguing against one’s own arguments,
Toward the end of his interview with me, Stein asked whether I could think of any circumstances whatsoever under which intelligent design might have occurred. It’s the kind of challenge I relish, and I set myself the task of imagining the most plausible scenario I could. I wanted to give ID its best shot, however poor that best shot might be.
Would a Creationist ever consider ” Let’s just say, there was no God, and, uhm … ” All and I do mean all of the pillars that once supported their arguments will collapse. This fundamental constraint prevents any Creationist from questioning their own ideas and arguments and props must be given to the people that began as pioneers of religion – they created a social institution that effectively prevented those that abided by it from ever questioning the status quo, and best of all it still works up till today! But I digress.
The 2-year stint in SAF must have made my wits blunt and my mind dull. I used to be able to be able to retort with comments so sarcastic that people would never ask to hear my comments, but nowadays I, albeit unwillingly, behave in a more socially-acceptable well-mannered fashion. As icing on the cake, Richard Dawkins made a well-deserved mockery of Mark Mathis throughout the article, insulting his movie-making talents, his cast and his script.
The whole tone of the film is whiny, paranoid — pathetic really. The narrator is somebody called Ben Stein. I had not heard of him, but apparently he is well known to Americans, for it is hard to see why else he would have been chosen to front the film. He certainly can’t have been chosen for his knowledge of science, nor his powers of logical reasoning, nor his box office appeal (heavens, no), and his speaking voice is an irritating, nasal drawl, innocent of charm and of consonants. I suppose that makes it a good voice for conveying the whingeing paranoia that I referred to, so maybe that was qualification enough.
Read it for the hype and fuss, read it for the language and prose, or read it for the arguments and facts – hopefully you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.
The Creationism-Evolution Controversy
From wikipedia,
The creation-evolution controversy (also termed the creation vs. evolution debate or the origins debate) is a recurring political dispute about the origins of the Earth, humanity, life, and the universe,[1] between those who espouse the validity and superiority of a particular religiously-based origin belief (i.e., creationism), and the scientific consensus, particularly in the field of evolutionary biology, but also in the fields of geology, palaeontology, thermodynamics, nuclear physics and cosmology.[2]
First off, I have to clarify the presumably misleading title. This controversy between evolution and creationism (also recently known as “Intelligent Design”), exists only in the public minds. That is to say, among the respective fields of science that are proponents for evolution, there is no controversy that evolution exists. An important distinction to note is that scientists do debate how evolution, in its specific details, actually happen; but the overwhelming consensus still remains that there is enough evidence to support the theory of evolution.
Theory? Wait, evolution is only a theory? It’s common knowledge that a theory is probably somewhere in between a general hypothesis and a law. This is a common issue that Creationists often harp on, and one which the layman often fall prey to.
According to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), a scientific theory is “a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate facts, laws, inferences, and tested hypotheses.”
In other words, the way scientists refer to evolution as a theory is vastly differently from how the layman jokes and concocts various “theories” on which pick-up lines works and which doesn’t. As stated in the wiki definition, Evolution is very much supported by compelling evidence from different fields of science with one common consensus.
One of my major irks of us being labeled products of Intelligent Design, is that there are some parts of the human anatomy that are clearly NOT well designed at all. In the video the eye and the jaw was mentioned. Other examples include our appendix, our vestigial tails, and our easily worn-out knees (I can personally attest to this). Here’s an excerpt from Christopher Hitchens’ God Is Not Great :
The anatomy of the human eye, in fact, shows anything but “intelligence” in its design. It is built upside down and back-wards, requiring photons of light to travel through the cornea, lens, aqueous fluid, blood vessels, ganglion cells, amacrine cells, horizontal cells, and bipolar cells before they reach the light-sensitive rods and cones that transduce the light signal into neutral impulses – which are then sent to the visual cortex at the back of the brain for processing into meaningful patterns. For optimal vision, why would an intelligent designer have built an eye upside down and backwards?
- Dr. Michael Shermer
That’ll fall under the micro-dimension for arguments against design. But are there any evidence from a macro perspective? Initially I was intrigued when I noticed evidence used from the field of Cosmology used to argue against design. As Hitchens succinctly puts it :
But when it comes to the whirling, howling wilderness of outer space, with its red giants and white dwarfs and black holes, its titanic explosions and extinctions, we can only dimly and shiveringly conclude that the “design” hasn’t been imposed quite yet ..
If we could put aside our solipsistic tendencies for a moment and appreciate the chaos and increasing entropy that is present in the rest of the universe, we’d eventually come to realise that no superior being is actually in charge, or at least there’s no sign of him/her doing so. Why isn’t God, with the traditional characteristics of being omnipotent and omniscience, bringing order to the rest of the universe? Is He unwilling, or more interestingly, unable to? If unwilling, could that also mean that this unwillingness could also be applied for his brethren in certain scenarios? If unable, then why worship Him at all?
I hope to return to this topic in the near future, because what I’ve just stated is merely the tip of the iceberg. Dinosaur bones proving the Earth is a few billion and not a mere 5000 years old, and all that jazz can easily be google-d but I thought I’d point out the more interesting aspects of this debate that appealed to me and hopefully appeals to the thinking readers of this blog too.
Playlist – March 2008 Week #2
Missed out Week 1 of March’s Playlist due to pure laziness, but due to the overwhelming demand the weekly recap is back.
My mocks are finally over, and somehow or rather I haven’t been listening to the recent batch of trance radio shows, which I’m guessing is due to the fact that I listen to them mostly when I’m traveling around and/or keeping myself awake. And let’s not forget running! Trance is, from the bottom of my heart, the best music to listen to whilst running.. but that’s reserved for another blog post.
Andrelli and Blue ft Hila – Imagine ( Mike Nichol Remix )
If these walls could speak, Imagine
Would they talk to me?, Imagine
If these walls could speak, what would they say
about the bullets that kill, about the bones that may breakwould You love me?
would You love me?
would You love me?Cause I would love you.
A slightly dark, poignant tune that has grown on me. There’s a beautiful contrast between the harsh realities of the outside world and an insecure lover troubled with domestic affairs. The walls,however, doesn’t make a clear distinction between the two.
Gianluca Motta Feat.Molly – Not Alone (Deadmau5 Remix)
I can’t believe that you still think we’re friends
Like someone I just met, you can’t pretend
That you don’t feel the magic, tell your mind
And I am on a mission to show you how
These are moments you can’t live without
Knowing that you can’t ever say goodbye
Oh I can’t even begin to describe how I love this song… apparently I’ve heard it before because it appears on past radio shows that I’ve finished listening… anyhow, it appears on Trance Around The World 207 and this single song has been on repeat for the whole night. I can’t decide which aspect of the song strikes me most – the progressive house “feel”, Molly’s vocals, or the lyrics itself. Very likely it’s a combination of all three. The only thing stopping me from blasting this song is the fact that my sub-woofer might just break down and not forgetting, the parents and neighbours.
Elton John – Benny & the Jets
Chanced upon this song where a scene in 27 Dresses played it. The piano notes teases and tickles and Elton with the muppets are so adorable.
P.S. This playlist is dedicated to a close friend of mine, whose parents were involved in a potentially serious accident but thankfully are fine now. Once again the brevity of such a situation serves as a constant reminder to me to rearrange my priorities in life and give attention to what actually matters in the very end.
The Olympics – A cause for celebration?
A Chinese worker bikes past the National Stadium being constructed for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, which are controversial because of China’s human rights record.
Less than a month ago, distinguished U.S. film director Steven Spielberg stepped down from his post of Artistic Advisor for the 2008 Beijing Olympics due to China’s lack of intervention regarding the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. Here I’ll quote him :
“At this point, my time and energy must be spent not on Olympic ceremonies, but on doing all I can to help bring an end to the unspeakable crimes against humanity that continue to be committed in Darfur.”
Beijing is Sudan’s biggest backer – buying two thirds of the country’s oil, selling it weapons and blocks any attempts by the UN to take action. With more than 200,000 dead and around 2.5 million forced from their homes since the start of the conflict five years ago due to actions organised by the Sudanese government, one wonders if “close ties” such as these are sufficient grounds for China closing both eyes on the alarming situation and, more importantly, is there really a cause for celebration?
The state-run media in Beijing blasted Spielberg for dragging politics into what China insists is a purely sporting event. I, however, feel there’s a distinct difference between human rights issues and political issues. Human rights issues should transcend all barriers and should always be placed top priority when making decisions. That said, a sporting event is never just a sporting event when its host chooses to shirk responsibility to intervene in a humanitarian crisis and chooses instead to focus its efforts on displacing it’s own citizens and forsaking its past sporting champions.
THE NUMBERS GAME
1,500,000
Residents displaced or evicted to make way for building work, according to human rights campaigners6,037
Residents displaced or evicted, according to the Chinese government80,000
Seats in the new Beijing National Stadium30,000
Residents displaced by the effects of construction work in advance of the 1996 Games in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.20
Families evicted in Barcelona and 200 others relocated to make way for ring-roads leading up to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.40%
The rise in rents in Sydney between 1996 and 2003, during which time the ‘Olympic effect’ forced many families to move to the Australian city’s fringe.85,100
Miles to be traveled by the Olympic torch in the run-up to next year’s Games5
Continents will be visited by the torch on its journey to the Games4,500
Minibuses will be operated by a total of 8,000 drivers to transport people to and from various venues300,000
Houses in Beijing demolished to make way for construction work so far28
Sports will be represented – just one event more than the Athens Games of 2004.
It’s a common, and startling, trend whereby families have to evicted and houses to be demolished to make way for any new Olympic stadiums – It happened in Barcelona, Atlanta, and China is no exception. Human rights campaigners have estimated nearly 1.5 million people have been displaced because of Olympic-related reasons – While it might seem insignificant considering how huge China is, that’s nearly one-third of Singapore. Uprooting communities and towns that have taken decades to form, and all this in the name of the Olympic games?
And to my horror I woke up this morning and found that the culling of cats on a scale so immense is taking place in Beijing.
The cull of Beijing’s estimated 500,000 cat population is certain to provoke international outrage as it comes just over a year after the Chinese were criticised for rounding up and killing stray dogs across the country.
To facilitate this abominable act, a healthy dose of fear is injected into the minds of Beijing’s citizens – A government campaign warning that cats carry diseases. How awfully convenient of these diseases to suddenly grow rampant and have to be kept in check through culling, in the same year the Olympics will be held. The picture speaks for itself – The cages hardly allow space for these cats to move at all and, in such close proximity, even if they aren’t sick there’s a fairly high possibility they’ll eventually catch one.
And finally, an unlikely casualty of the Olympic games – The Chinese athletes themselves.
The system that is so good at churning out Olympic medalists seems to be even better at producing poverty-stricken retired athletes. Last year, China’s national news agency Xinhua reported that almost half of 6,000 professional athletes retiring from competition each year end up jobless or without further schooling plans.
So if the local folks don’t benefit from the Olympic games, and neither do the athletes, and definitely not the strays on the streets, then who exactly does?
Playlist – February 2008 Week #4
The Doppler Effect – Beauty Hides in the Deep (The Blizzard Remix)
The original mix didn’t have much of an impact on me as compared to this remix. Did I mention how much I love The Blizzard’s style? Euphoric and uplifting with a generous dose of melody injected into their tunes.
Tiesto Feat BT – Break My Fall
I’ll admit this song has a little “pop” feel to it. It even has the standard structure of a pop song – verses, bridge, chorus, rinse and repeat. The bridge is undoubtedly the climax of the song (ironically) and while the lyrics are a little lame, it’s still catchy enough for a few more rounds of listening.
This is slightly off-topic but I felt the urgent need to mention them. While the rest of the world is crazy over David Archuleta (of American Idol fame), I spent quite a bit of (unnecessary) time pouring over the videos of these guys – JabbaWockeeZ. Contestants of on-going show America’s Best Dance Crew, I’m betting on these guys to win. You heard it here first! I chanced upon them on youtube and was simply stunned by how talented they were. You be the judge.
Too close for comfort
- JI Detainee, Mas Selamat escaped while using the toilet at the Whitley Detention Centre.
- Walks with a limp.
- Do notify the authorities immediately if you happen to see him.
All bloggers are urged to put this picture up on their blogs to raise and spread awareness to their readers.
In an unrelated issue, I stumbled onto this :
Here’s the source.
This supports the findings I mentioned here. So the BBC confirmed it, and so has Reporters without Borders. Will return to comment on this once my papers are done.
Ensure Net Neutrality
