tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4299281061620899546.comments2021-11-02T10:03:52.841+00:00Reason most absurdOsianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10393209546600954380noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4299281061620899546.post-50316052608005267102012-07-30T11:02:37.876+01:002012-07-30T11:02:37.876+01:00Thanks for that, very interesting. Good to hear he...Thanks for that, very interesting. Good to hear he was aware of it, and I understand there were mitigating circumstances which led to the books being as they are. Like I said, it could have been a lot worse, and don't blame him really - but still think it's worth discussing.<br /><br />I certainly intend to read the other Foundation books (and I have an enormous stack of his other novels waiting to be read), so it will be interesting to see how these ideas develop.Osianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10393209546600954380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4299281061620899546.post-87954404884060848342012-07-30T09:52:06.673+01:002012-07-30T09:52:06.673+01:00No, I have not - though I've heard about the a...No, I have not - though I've heard about the alien origin of humans idea that it's based on (there's a long segment on the SGU about it: http://theskepticsguide.org/archive/podcastinfo.aspx?mid=1&pid=363). Sounds like interesting sci-fi, but scientifically nonsensical.Osianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10393209546600954380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4299281061620899546.post-1260712642336408822012-07-30T05:26:41.873+01:002012-07-30T05:26:41.873+01:00Before he died, Asimov wrote about his female char...Before he died, Asimov wrote about his female characters and their context: 1) the fact that he was strongly influenced by the pulp science fiction stories that he read while growing up in the 1930s, 2) he modeled his "future history" on Edward Gibbon's "History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", written in the 1700s, 3) when he started writing the Foundation stories, as bookish nerd he had meager personal knowledge of women and 4) there were crippling constraints under which he wrote the Foundation stories for John Campbell (who had fixed ideas about European male superiority) in the 1940s. Given these constraints, Asimov may have done about as good as can be expected in how he wrote the female characters of the Foundation Trilogy.<br /><br />If you get a chance, try reading Asimov's "The End of Eternity", "Prelude to Foundation", "Robots and Empire", and "Nemesis" where the female characters reflect his more mature style.John Schmidthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12557999612244024954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4299281061620899546.post-90347244709423323822012-07-30T04:43:15.529+01:002012-07-30T04:43:15.529+01:00Did you see the movie "Prometheus"?Did you see the movie "Prometheus"?John Schmidthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12557999612244024954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4299281061620899546.post-62764107188289102492012-07-29T18:46:25.664+01:002012-07-29T18:46:25.664+01:00No I haven't yet, but have been intending to s...No I haven't yet, but have been intending to since reading an interview with him in New Humanist (the Culture stuff certainly sounds intriguing). That's reassuring, I will investigate...Osianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10393209546600954380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4299281061620899546.post-3727629521737967792012-07-29T18:29:18.207+01:002012-07-29T18:29:18.207+01:00Have you read much Iain M Banks? I just finished r...Have you read much Iain M Banks? I just finished reading 'Matter', one of his novels set in the galaxy-spanning 'Culture'. Highly recommended all round, and I think you'd find the portrayal of the genders considerably more balanced...!nickfysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03286088628267510720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4299281061620899546.post-33036515753921239372012-06-16T15:21:06.702+01:002012-06-16T15:21:06.702+01:00Thanks ;)
Yeah, unfortunate that a lot of people h...Thanks ;)<br />Yeah, unfortunate that a lot of people have bought into the idea that atheism must lead to nihilism. But yes, a ball of cells developing into an actual person, complete with a brain that spontaneously starts learning and generating a subjective stream of consciousness, without any outside intervention - amazing. Like you say, believing it to be some ineffable miracle just ignores that, or fails to acknowledge the incredible process by which it came about, which is a great shame.Osianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10393209546600954380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4299281061620899546.post-20857282153235285422012-06-16T15:11:37.246+01:002012-06-16T15:11:37.246+01:00:)
Yeah, that was all quite annoying - especially ...:)<br />Yeah, that was all quite annoying - especially since most other things are reasonably secular; and it does seem obscene that it's actually a legal requirement (at least our school didn't bother doing it every day). There was some research recently though, which showed an increasing number of people don't think it should be required, and a petition to put an end to it (by the British Humanist Association I think)... not that it's likely to change imminently but at least people are beginning to talk about it.Osianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10393209546600954380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4299281061620899546.post-77501772200718721082012-06-16T15:01:30.052+01:002012-06-16T15:01:30.052+01:00Diolch yn fawr! I was surprised when I moved here ...Diolch yn fawr! I was surprised when I moved here from Canada that kids in school are still required to say prayers, take religion classes, hear about religion during assembly, etc. That doesn't happen where I come from, not in regular state schools. We have separation of church and state, but here the two are officially and legally joined up. I thought that was all over with years ago.Carolynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03783597246308421323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4299281061620899546.post-42134457815320481112012-06-14T20:18:10.150+01:002012-06-14T20:18:10.150+01:00Beautifully written! Thank you for this. I've ...Beautifully written! Thank you for this. I've always gotten comments about how "sad" I must be as an atheist. Like I'm missing out on some infinite form of happiness. I get more of these comments since I became a mother. People will ask me "how can you find fulfillment as a mother without a belief in god or heaven?" This assumption has always bothered me. The biological process of reproduction and birth is an absolutely marvelous thing. And the growth and development of a child, especially in the first year, fills me with a sense of awe. Why do I need to believe in fairy tales to make this experience more fulfilling? I think it would actually take away from it.Amandanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4299281061620899546.post-28929890525850237222012-06-14T08:38:54.323+01:002012-06-14T08:38:54.323+01:00Thanks :)
Indeed, if we do somehow live on as a di...Thanks :)<br />Indeed, if we do somehow live on as a disembodied soul, without all the worldly associations, acquaintances, or actual physical experiences that define who we are, in some eternal realm devoid of all conflict and sadness, how would that even be us any more? ...From Greta Christina: http://freethoughtblogs.com/greta/2012/05/31/do-we-concede-the-ground-of-death-too-easily/Osianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10393209546600954380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4299281061620899546.post-85641600471428377362012-06-14T06:35:07.274+01:002012-06-14T06:35:07.274+01:00A thousand times yes! I've tried to make virtu...A thousand times yes! I've tried to make virtually all of these points in various discussions with acquaintances over a lifetime, but you have beautifully laid it out in one concise essay! A thought relating to religions that posit an eternal life of the soul: how meager is human imagination if people think that some conscious "soul" that is somehow identifiably "us" would want to live in a struggle-free heaven for ten thousand years, let alone a million, a billion, a trillion years, all of which are nothing to eternity!fiddlepixels (Jess)http://www.jilcp.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4299281061620899546.post-23102542962487079342012-06-14T01:50:05.898+01:002012-06-14T01:50:05.898+01:00Much more! Nicely said.Much more! Nicely said.Philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02115141650963300011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4299281061620899546.post-66535207127506733622012-06-10T14:20:27.801+01:002012-06-10T14:20:27.801+01:00Imagine traveling through the interstices of your ...Imagine traveling through the interstices of your body, noting each of the bacteria, an order of magnitude more than the number of humans who have ever lived. Then slip out through the galaxy, counting the stars and planets. Then on to other galaxies! Yet we are so egotistical that many humans think everything was "created" for us. Such narrow thought. Good that you keep your mind and your eyes open as you ride the rails. May such awareness spread among more of the seven billion.Fiddlepixelsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4299281061620899546.post-33051257736113964452012-06-05T15:40:01.179+01:002012-06-05T15:40:01.179+01:00I suppose we should hope that it is just an excuse...I suppose we should hope that it is just an excuse for a party à la St. Patrick's Day. <br /><br />Honestly, I don't really think the union flag face paint, t-shirts and hats are any different to Guinness hats and green jackets.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4299281061620899546.post-49881072929958949132012-05-30T04:16:19.328+01:002012-05-30T04:16:19.328+01:00http://wfnt.com/why-fruit-fly-testes-matter-and-no...http://wfnt.com/why-fruit-fly-testes-matter-and-not-just-to-lady-fruit-flies/Dan Foleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15699566592649007498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4299281061620899546.post-87175350925277126362012-05-27T11:29:05.641+01:002012-05-27T11:29:05.641+01:00Diolch :)Diolch :)Osianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10393209546600954380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4299281061620899546.post-691385076837222742012-05-27T11:25:58.668+01:002012-05-27T11:25:58.668+01:00Ardderchog!Ardderchog!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4299281061620899546.post-59158338204225180752012-05-26T22:23:20.263+01:002012-05-26T22:23:20.263+01:00Nah it's fine, I like making it up as I go alo...Nah it's fine, I like making it up as I go along.<br /><br />Also I apologise for the comments being bright green. I hadn't realised (fixing...)Osianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10393209546600954380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4299281061620899546.post-52471599062936306372012-05-26T19:28:27.777+01:002012-05-26T19:28:27.777+01:00I feel very sad for anyone who thinks there is no ...I feel very sad for anyone who thinks there is no meaning to life.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com