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Results 241 - 270 of 447
16 years ago
Jose
I think I should reiterate the following important distinction:
The God Delusion, as well as all my ensuing arguments on the incompatibility of "god" and science, is all about a "theistic God", which as I've defined previously, is one that regularly intervenes in the world through miracles, prayer, etc.. This is the god of the major religions, including the Abrahamic faiths
Forum: Other Topics (not health related) 16 years ago
Jose
Hey suncloud,
Quote
Although the theory of evolution is accepted by the scientific community as a biological fact, many (or even most) scientists also believe in god.
I think that statement is not true by many measures, usually it has been found that the more distinguished the scientist, the less likely they are to "believe in god", see for example where
Larson and Witham
Forum: Other Topics (not health related) 16 years ago
Jose
If one believes in Darwinian evolution, and the rationality of science, then the theistic gods mentioned above, which are supposed to intervene on a regular basis in the world through prayer, miracles, etc.., would be in complete contradiction with this naturalistic world view. I don't see how science and a theistic god are compatible, as science relies on repeatable empirical experiments as a me
Forum: Other Topics (not health related) 16 years ago
Jose
hehe that's a pretty crazy story coco. I tend to get a much milder similar reaction, but nothing to the extent that you described! I think that feeling you express is generalizable any act of being outside of the mainstream, no matter the philosophy. People like to fit into the group, being somehow concerned of what others may think. I guess everyone feels that way to some extent, perhaps we don'
Forum: Other Topics (not health related) 16 years ago
Jose
245. Re: weird dream
wow, that's a pretty bad dream. I've never had those kind of dreams yet, that I remember of. I used to have one when I was a kid about this big wolf chasing me, but it never managed to catch me, just got closer and closer. Guess that's what living in Norway does to you when you're small
Hope you feel better now!
Forum: Other Topics (not health related) 16 years ago
Jose
It's best to define a few things first:
Intelligent design: Intelligent design is the assertion that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection."[1][2] It is a modern form of the traditional teleological argument for the existence of God, modified to avoid specifying the nature
Forum: Other Topics (not health related) 16 years ago
Jose
What's there to discuss about "intelligent design"?
As far as I can see there is zero evidence for it.
Both Darwinian evolution and the Wolfram's "cellular automata" concept that I've posted on previously are well understood processes that generate complexity from relative simplicity.
"The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins explains things pretty well.
Chee
Forum: Other Topics (not health related) 16 years ago
Jose
Big pharma can only "push" those drugs in collusion with government, and government programs. Free markets combined with limited government, and therefore the end to corporate subsidies, is the solution. Give the power back to the people.
Cheers,
J
Forum: Other Topics (not health related) 16 years ago
Jose
<<In England it's illegal to write something bad about another individual in a book, even if it's totally true>>
That is not a true statement, of course you can. If someone has gone to jail for murder, for example, which is presumably a bad thing, you can definitely mention that in a book or in any other medium.
There are libel laws and so on just like in any other country, but
Forum: Other Topics (not health related) 16 years ago
Jose
This is pretty amazing and inspiring
Cheers,
J
Forum: Other Topics (not health related) 16 years ago
Jose
Hey veronique, that's a really god point you make about being our own best buddy. I think I agree with you there, and it's interesting to think about making a contract with oneself and be as strict as we are when we have a contract with someone else. Maybe one thing to think about is that we do give ourselves a second chance (or more) when we do things wrong, when we don't keep up our end of the
Forum: Other Topics (not health related) 16 years ago
Jose
ps I also think that once someone is aware of these different mindsets, it is possible to change them, even much later in life.
Forum: Other Topics (not health related) 16 years ago
Jose
I generally agree with the view proposed above, what do you think?
Cheers,
J
Forum: Other Topics (not health related) 16 years ago
Jose
oh dear, just read your story, hope it wasn't as traumatic as it sounded!
Yeah, I think the butcher out to be able to chop it up, and the same with the fish if you ever buy some of that.
Hope the cats get better! Yours sound pretty hairy too Lois!
Cheers,
J
Forum: Other Topics (not health related) 16 years ago
Jose
<<But his paper is in the crank category. >>
I'm not so sure about that, why do you think so?
Cheers,
J
Forum: Other Topics (not health related) 16 years ago
Jose
Hey coco, you're welcome! I thought this article was also very interesting - hadn't heard of this tree before!
Moringa Oleifera: The Miracle Tree
Imagine a tree in your backyard that will meet all your nutritional needs, take care of you medicinally, and purify your water for you. This tree actually exists. For centuries, the natives of northern India and many parts of Africa have known
Forum: Living and Raw Foods Discussion (Vegan) 16 years ago
Jose
Hey coco, thanks for that, those SIGG water bottles look pretty cool!
Cheers,
J
Forum: Other Topics (not health related) 16 years ago
Jose
I've said it before, but the US is rapidly turning into a police state. It might be harder to tell from the inside, but from the outside looking in it's as plain as day.
The bad thing in this case is that what happens in the US tends to spread around the world...
Forum: Other Topics (not health related) 16 years ago
Jose
Just wanted to start a thread on scientific articles which show just how good fresh fruits and vegetables are for you, for those that maybe need some more encouragement to add more fresh fruits and vegetables to their diets.
Here's a few interesting articles mainly just confirming what we all know, but in more detail than usual. Hopefully this will help people to see the awesome power of the r
Forum: Living and Raw Foods Discussion (Vegan) 16 years ago
Jose
Here is an account by Garrett on his story, comes across as quite a nice guy
Cosmic Variance readers like the straight, inside story; so this seems a good opportunity to tell mine. Ten years ago, I got my PhD and looked at my options. I love differential geometry, general relativity, and particle physics. But the only options available then for a postdoc in those combined areas were in string
Forum: Other Topics (not health related) 16 years ago
Jose
I said that "he(Garrett)" comes across as quite a reasonable chap, quite willing to discuss his ideas in the threads I quoted above. I have read that "critical" article you quote above, and Garrett addresses those concerns in the second thread I quoted above. The main difference is that while Motl includes plenty of personal insults against Garrett (and others), they are not r
Forum: Other Topics (not health related) 16 years ago
Jose
Many people have attempted to construct Grand Unified Theories, Garrett Lisi is certainly not the first one. Whether one exists or not is a matter of exploration. No one knows the answer to that question.
I don't know the guy whatsoever, but he does admit some reservations throughout his paper, and in his conclusion
The theory proposed in this paper represents a comprehensive unification p
Forum: Other Topics (not health related) 16 years ago
Jose
He's also not your typical "surfer dude"
9/91-5/99 University of California, San Diego
5/99 Ph.D. in Physics
G.P.A. - 3.9
Honors Fellowships - UC Regents fellowship, ARCS Foundation fellowship.
9/86-6/91 University of California, Los Angeles
6/91 B.S. in Physics and B.S. in Mathematics
G.P.A. - 3.9 (4.0 in Physics and 4.0 in Mathematics)
Academic Honors - Phi Beta Kappa, S
Forum: Other Topics (not health related) 16 years ago
Jose
The group E8 is a pretty incredible object. Aside from the fact that it was used in this paper to attempt a grand unification of all forces, it has long been considered one of the most intricate and beautiful mathematical structures.
Here is some more info and a video of the decompositions he claims would form the various subgroups containing the four forces as we know them.
Here's a video
Forum: Other Topics (not health related) 16 years ago
Jose
Hey veronique, not sure how exactly it's happening, but
Scientists say they don't know how the compounds are being released into the environment. They speculate that as Teflon, Stainmaster, Scotchgard, Gore-Tex and similar products age, the compounds break down and enter the environment. Others think there are unreported releases of the chemicals into air and water.
It seems the pollutants
Forum: Living and Raw Foods Discussion (Vegan) 16 years ago
Jose
It seems the film might have been pulled from google video, at least it doesn't work for me any more...
Forum: Other Topics (not health related) 16 years ago
Jose
Not exactly connected to microwaves but more so with dehydrators, and becoming increasingly pervasive in nature and in our blood -
Chemicals used in Teflon and Scotchguard are showing up in the bloodstream of humans throughout the world, with higher levels in the United States and other highly developed nations, according to a new study.
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EPA officials
Forum: Living and Raw Foods Discussion (Vegan) |
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