Letters to the Editor
Tobbar
Published Letters: 159 Editor's Choice: 9
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It's about freaking time.
[Read the article: State of the climate]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I keep sending James Inhofe copies of Scientific American and National Geographic that point to the anthropogenic sources of global climate change- to no avail! Maybe if his boss sends him one, he'll get with the program.
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I always thought-
[Read the article: The readers strike back]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]- that the letters section was a really bad idea. I mean, honestly, 120+ letters, most of them trying to be funny ('oh look at me, I'm writing a snarky letter about the dangers of dumbasses writing snarky letters') on this article alone?
One of my favorite movie scenes ever was in 'Jay and Silent Bob STrike Back'- when they make a million dollars and blow it all tracking down and beating down the people who bad-mouthed them on various internet forums.
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First, the nice thoughtful comments-
[Read the article: God and gorillas]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This was a great article. I'm fascinated by our monkey bretheren and how thier behavior mirrors/relates back to our own. In fact, check out some of our wee parrallel evolutionary kin here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6311619.stm
However, as gordon213 said, humans have a unique ability to recognize patterns, and even to make them up. Further, what I think (although I have no proof of this) what really seperates us from our hairy relations is that recognize and make up patterns through time- superimposing them over things that have already happened, and trying to figure out what will happen.
We think about the future a lot. Mostly about what we're going to be eating next (and I don't mean that as an insult, it's just how we are). We plan far into the future, and don't let anything like our own eventual deaths stop that planning. In fact, it's probably pretty hard to think of not doing anything, and not 'being' anything.
We are also really lazy, I think. And unique in the lengths that we will go to manipulate others into doing things for us. Especially as we get older and slower. Why go outside the cave and forage when you can wave your spooky jasper rock/face at the young 'uns and send them out? And bang some of the really young ones while everybody is out gathering- double evolutionary bonus!
And, as communication and language are so crucial to our survival as individuals, groups, and societies, one can see how easily manipulative/misinformation can be fed to the young, who are predisposed to believe what they are told.
A veritable petri dish for the cultivation of the desease of religion!
I found King's discussion about the 'spirituality' of primates to be fascinating. But, (and King herself may have said this) just because they look like they are in awe of the waterfall doesn't mean that they are. Maybe they are just making sure that nothing in or around it is going to eat them, or that there might be something there that they can eat.
But, even if they do have a sense of awe and 'spirituality', one of the crucial differences, to me, is that there is no monkey in a funny hat and a dress to tell them where that experience came from and what it (should) mean. That takes language, that takes an agenda.
I guess I'm still in the 'meme' camp. Nothing remarkable about empathy, about morality, about hunting out patterns and causes, or even about grief at the loss of a loved one. What's remarkable is that human cultures have allowed strange guys in funny hats to harness those ordinary things, tie them together in a big knot of ritual and misinformation, and use it to harness everyone else.
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Now, into the fray!
[Read the article: God and gorillas]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Rob Anderson, Healthy Skeptic, and your ilk. It's sad enough that you don't have the balls to face the hard facts, but do you not at least have the spine to stand up to a little criticism? Geez, three books, a bunch of non-believers daring to post opinions in internet forums, and you're all hand-wringin', cryin', and itiching for a backlash.
Pathetic.
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Still one more ape joins the fight!
[Read the article: God and gorillas]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Keep up the confidence, No Name Given. I had to work all day and could thus not hurl any fact-laden-feces into the camp of the theists.
Is Rob Anderson still going on about the whole STalin/Russia/science thing? Lame! If Stalin had any undertanding of science or any respect for the evidence at hand he would have realized that, no matter how much you say it will, that wheat just won't grow there.
I'm always amazed when the believers retreat to the 'who has killed the most people' argument. Do they actually think that the various crusaders/jihadist/warrior priests would have NOT killed as many people, had there just been that many people around to kill and they had access to communication, tools, or supplies to carry it out? Hah! Again, I say hah!
It also always amazes me that the religeous never bother to think about the possibility that indroctination into the cult might actually be real child-abuse. What if it is? It may be. Maybe not, but don't discount it.
And what was with that whole '20-somethings can't have faith like I do with my life experience and all' thing? Sounds like some older, weaker ape, is worried about the younger, stronger apes and trying to get a psychological edge.
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Walking in Oklahoma
[Read the article: The K Chronicles]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]True story. In 1998 my wife and I had a big backpacking trip planned and to get in shape we did a lot of walking. No big deal. Until we added the packs (you know, to acclimate for the weight).
The only people wearing big packs in public around here are strange transient hobo types. People gawked at us like we were had wings or something. This nearly caused some traffic accidents.
Good times, good times.