NJS 4384 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Incidentally I bought The Greatest Show on Earth on Saturday but haven't started it yet. I did however read one of the appendices where he quotes the poll that 39% of Yanks and just as worryingly 22% of people in the UK agree with "the world was created as is within the last 10000 years" and he also mentioned a UK poll where 19% of people defined a month as "the time taken for the earth to go around the sun". Now I perfectly understand its possible to dislike science in school to a large degree but that later one is fucking incredibly worrying imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 1 in 5 people are thick as fuck? I have no problem believing that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Incidentally I bought The Greatest Show on Earth on Saturday but haven't started it yet. I did however read one of the appendices where he quotes the poll that 39% of Yanks and just as worryingly 22% of people in the UK agree with "the world was created as is within the last 10000 years" and he also mentioned a UK poll where 19% of people defined a month as "the time taken for the earth to go around the sun". Now I perfectly understand its possible to dislike science in school to a large degree but that later one is fucking incredibly worrying imo. Aren't other people fucking thick. I refer you back to my earlier point... The rage is there to entertain those that read his books to have their own indignation reinforced imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trophyshy 7083 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Do Dawkins' books tell an atheist anything they don't know? Seems to me like reading a book on the evidence against alien life forms or astrology. Very dull. only one of his books is explicity about atheism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fish 10857 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Sorry I should qualify, I meant whenever I've seen him actually speak with the members of the public face to face. Just wish he could get on FOX or the like on American TV and have a debate without it turning into a bout of soundbite tennis, with Glenn Beck shouting over any sensible point to try and squirrel a tiny victory out of the discourse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Manson 0 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Will Kaufman - The Comedian as Confidence Man It's for my dissertation on Bill Hicks. Currently reading about Hicks's routine being censored by Letterman. I see Dennis Leary is advertising Ford these days. He can only take the Bill Hicks impression so far. As Bill said, 'any, any performer that ever sells a product on television is for now and all eternity removed from the artistic world.' Leary does amazingly well to take Hicks' act and not make it funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJS 4384 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Do Dawkins' books tell an atheist anything they don't know? Seems to me like reading a book on the evidence against alien life forms or astrology. Very dull. Speaking personally they condense and illustrate the evidence and arguments. I found Hitchens' book to be the best as I found his widespread intellectualism and occasional nastiness refreshing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJS 4384 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Just wish he could get on FOX or the like on American TV and have a debate without it turning into a bout of soundbite tennis, with Glenn Beck shouting over any sensible point to try and squirrel a tiny victory out of the discourse. I think he was on Fox last week with O'Reilly - the description I read just said O'reilly ended up shouting over him about "no morality without God". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Do Dawkins' books tell an atheist anything they don't know? Seems to me like reading a book on the evidence against alien life forms or astrology. Very dull. only one of his books is explicity about atheism. I didn't realise. Didn't Darwin have the old evolution thing pretty much on the button. How's he gotten ten books out of that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Just wish he could get on FOX or the like on American TV and have a debate without it turning into a bout of soundbite tennis, with Glenn Beck shouting over any sensible point to try and squirrel a tiny victory out of the discourse. I think he was on Fox last week with O'Reilly - the description I read just said O'reilly ended up shouting over him about "no morality without God". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fish 10857 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 love that they've put Atheist in quotation marks, like it's in doubt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renton 21623 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Do Dawkins' books tell an atheist anything they don't know? Seems to me like reading a book on the evidence against alien life forms or astrology. Very dull. Speaking personally they condense and illustrate the evidence and arguments. I found Hitchens' book to be the best as I found his widespread intellectualism and occasional nastiness refreshing. Same here, and as Trophyshy says, out of all his published books (must be double figures), only one tackles religion overtly head on. Must confess I Hitchins has passed me by a bit. I did read Francis Wheen's 'How Mumbo Jumbo took over the world' a couple of years ago which was interesting in parts. HF, seems you don't care that the enlightenment period has stalled and we are under the threat of a new age of religious fundamentalism and the loss of freedom that would entail. OK, that's a bit of an extreme case scenario, but who knows? Don't criticise others for being interested though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trophyshy 7083 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Do Dawkins' books tell an atheist anything they don't know? Seems to me like reading a book on the evidence against alien life forms or astrology. Very dull. only one of his books is explicity about atheism. I didn't realise. Didn't Darwin have the old evolution thing pretty much on the button. How's he gotten ten books out of that Ignoring your wink, perhaps because the process of the evolution of life is arguably the most interesting thing in the universe. This also conveniently explains UFO sightings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Do Dawkins' books tell an atheist anything they don't know? Seems to me like reading a book on the evidence against alien life forms or astrology. Very dull. Speaking personally they condense and illustrate the evidence and arguments. I found Hitchens' book to be the best as I found his widespread intellectualism and occasional nastiness refreshing. Same here, and as Trophyshy says, out of all his published books (must be double figures), only one tackles religion overtly head on. Must confess I Hitchins has passed me by a bit. I did read Francis Wheen's 'How Mumbo Jumbo took over the world' a couple of years ago which was interesting in parts. HF, seems you don't care that the enlightenment period has stalled and we are under the threat of a new age of religious fundamentalism and the loss of freedom that would entail. OK, that's a bit of an extreme case scenario, but who knows? Don't criticise others for being interested though. Did I criticise? I apologise unreservedly if I did. Just an area of non-fiction I have no interest in whatsoever. Seems to me like the sideshow it always has been. Keep the surfs arguing over religion, the split between church and state, how much gets taught in the classroom, make out it's what causes war etc. while the government steal trillions from us and wage war for oil. Religion has very little impact on schooling or government so I do think your last paragraph is a bit extreme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Do Dawkins' books tell an atheist anything they don't know? Seems to me like reading a book on the evidence against alien life forms or astrology. Very dull. only one of his books is explicity about atheism. I didn't realise. Didn't Darwin have the old evolution thing pretty much on the button. How's he gotten ten books out of that Ignoring your wink, perhaps because the process of the evolution of life is arguably the most interesting thing in the universe. This also conveniently explains UFO sightings. I'll have to give one of his earlier books a go, before he joined the unholy trinity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fish 10857 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 I just realised, religious-types argue the same way as women. They ask a question which has no accurate answer, then when reason does rear it's head, they shout over you and remind you about that time you left the fridge door open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJS 4384 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Religion has very little impact on schooling or government so I do think your last paragraph is a bit extreme. ???? Even in the UK the impact is tangible and wrong imo - elsewhere it's definitely worrying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Religion has very little impact on schooling or government so I do think your last paragraph is a bit extreme. ???? Even in the UK the impact is tangible and wrong imo - elsewhere it's definitely worrying. Perhaps you could say what tangible impact religion has. I can't really prove the lack of impact (like we can't prove the lack of god ) I know Songs of Praise is annoying on a Sunday night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trophyshy 7083 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Religion has very little impact on schooling or government so I do think your last paragraph is a bit extreme. ???? Even in the UK the impact is tangible and wrong imo - elsewhere it's definitely worrying. Perhaps you could say what tangible impact religion has. I can't really prove the lack of impact (like we can't prove the lack of god ) I know Songs of Praise is annoying on a Sunday night. Christ on an infinitely massive cycle at the end of the universe. How long have you got? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJS 4384 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Religion has very little impact on schooling or government so I do think your last paragraph is a bit extreme. ???? Even in the UK the impact is tangible and wrong imo - elsewhere it's definitely worrying. Perhaps you could say what tangible impact religion has. I can't really prove the lack of impact (like we can't prove the lack of god ) I know Songs of Praise is annoying on a Sunday night. The number of faith schools - including the whackier recent academies thanks to Blair - this also includes creationist teaching - curriculum or not. The Bishops in the lords and also in recent years consultations/exceptions made for Catholics on adoption. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Face 29 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Religion has very little impact on schooling or government so I do think your last paragraph is a bit extreme. ???? Even in the UK the impact is tangible and wrong imo - elsewhere it's definitely worrying. Perhaps you could say what tangible impact religion has. I can't really prove the lack of impact (like we can't prove the lack of god ) I know Songs of Praise is annoying on a Sunday night. The number of faith schools - including the whackier recent academies thanks to Blair - this also includes creationist teaching - curriculum or not. The Bishops in the lords and also in recent years consultations/exceptions made for Catholics on adoption. I don't want to belittle that issue, but the freedom of choice to send your kid to a faith based school or not seems to me the opposite of a... threat of a new age of religious fundamentalism and the loss of freedom that would entail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renton 21623 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Apart from any of the poltical and societal implications (which are huge), I personally find discussing the big questions of life quite interesting personally. Perhaps I also feel a tad bitter I was brainwashed for 16 years when I was at school as well mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fish 10857 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 I just can't fathom their reasoning for ID in science classes? Surely their logic is that it's an explanation for the progression of life? Which is either fairly similar to Evolution or Magic Man Done it. so either some deity nudged life in the right direction and then let it be to evolve by itself (and is therefore evolution which has scientific support) or God was involved in every genetic leap (and it is therefore not a science, but a faith driven progression and should be in RE). I don't mind any and all faiths being taught in school, just not in Science classes. It'd be like teaching Drama in Maths or Shop in PE... it's a legitimate subject, but has no place in that particular classroom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renton 21623 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Religion has very little impact on schooling or government so I do think your last paragraph is a bit extreme. ???? Even in the UK the impact is tangible and wrong imo - elsewhere it's definitely worrying. Perhaps you could say what tangible impact religion has. I can't really prove the lack of impact (like we can't prove the lack of god ) I know Songs of Praise is annoying on a Sunday night. The number of faith schools - including the whackier recent academies thanks to Blair - this also includes creationist teaching - curriculum or not. The Bishops in the lords and also in recent years consultations/exceptions made for Catholics on adoption. I don't want to belittle that issue, but the freedom of choice to send your kid to a faith based school or not seems to me the opposite of a... threat of a new age of religious fundamentalism and the loss of freedom that would entail. It was a future projection which I admitted was somewhat unlikely. However, looking what has happened in some muslim countries since the 1970s (Egypt being a prime example for instance), maybe not as unlikely as you think HF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trophyshy 7083 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 praying 5 times a day is the second biggest waste of human time after ironing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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