Gregg R Thomas

@Simon – But when they do moral and ethical behavior well, they do it as well as or better than anyone else.

The Hitchens Challenge;

“Name one moral action performed by a believer that could not have been done by a nonbeliever.”

_Robert_ wrote:
Simon, isn’t the main point of Christianity to evade responsibility for immoral behavior? No matter what you do, just believe and you will be OK. That’s why Jesus lives mostly in prisons. It’s why evangelical preachers do the shittiest things…and then often issue a statement and then just get on with the grifting.

It’s not news th…[Read more]

Reg the Fronkey Farmer wrote:
Your point about Christians and the stereotype of atheists lacking a moral compass is a bugbear of mine.

Our motivation to be moral is the same as that of Christians: i.e., 1) conscience – the motive to follow moral and ethical principles; 2) consequences of our actions for ourselves and others.

Reg the Fronkey Farmer wrote:
• When someone doesn’t conform to the group’s moral norms (in this case, religious belief), our brains flag them as risky.

• That “risk” is translated into perceived harm.

• Result? Atheists are not just “wrong,” they’re “dangerous.”

That makes sense.  I’d never thought of it that way.  On that basis, there’s a ver…[Read more]

@Simon – In many cultures, morality is subconsciously equated with the prevention of harm. When someone is perceived as “immoral,” they’re often assumed to be capable of causing harm, either emotionally, physically, or spiritually. In moral psychology harm/care is one of the foundational pillars of moral judgment. Moral Foundations Theory covers…[Read more]

Speaking of Poe, he is a total one-off, no other poet coming close to being even vaguely like him. For me, much as I love The Raven and Annabel Lee, my favorite poem by Poe is “Alone” (his quotes, and the only time he framed a poem’s title in them). It’s unlike his other poems in terms of being so deeply reflective.

“Alone”

From childhood’s h…[Read more]

Reg the Fronkey Farmer wrote:
Yes, theists think I am hard-hearted at times.

From the second paper:

Christians’ negative impressions drew primarily from the Authority foundation, and both groups drew heavily from the Care foundation in both their positive and negative depictions.

In human moral psychology, immorality is perceived as physically h…[Read more]

Simon, I would be opinionated and confrontational. My opinions are “strong” but they are loosely held. I am open to changing them if and when I am persuaded to do so. For me there is no such thing as negative feedback. I am not looking for a pat on the back for holding them. I have no allegiance to them and will discard them whenever I am…[Read more]

@Enco

I don’t know what it’s like to be you and vice versa. Sometimes, I don’t even know what it’s like to be me.

At the same time, I do wonder what it feels like to be this or that animal. I know my cat about as well as I know any person and sometimes I think we understand each other, sometimes we obviously don’t.

What’s it like being an octopus, having a brain like you and me but also another brain in each of its eight arms?

And what about squirrels, who are incredibly resourceful and capable of acrobatics that make cats and monkeys stare in abject wonder.

And what about prairie dogs, the only animals science…[Read more]

Thanks, Reg 🙂

TheEncogitationer wrote:
So you can’t be a man if you don’t smoke the same incense as them?

Why not join the Marines or Navy Seals? Oh, maybe it has to do with meeting chicks. Shoulda known.

Apropos of nothing in particular. Just some Sunday morning fun:

One of the hardest words to rhyme with is “poetry.”
Poets flop when the give it a goetry.
Long have they struggled,
But mostly they’ve bungled.
The wordsmiths mostly give up in woe-etry.

How to fix the American healthcare system.

Sunday School is dismal, is it not?

Sometimes I think I should change the focus away from Evangelicals and Bad Science but we can only tackle what we know about. I think there is a global denialism of the reality of Climate Change. It is not some future event but it is happening everywhere already. It could be that the general swing towards right…[Read more]

Have  a great week everyone!

Speaking of therapists, did anyone ever notice that one space turns “therapist” into “the rapist”?

Also on QI…..If aspiring writers need a new pen they could buy one from Pen Island at http://www.penisland.com or if you need a therapist then you can find one listed on http://www.therapist.com

Ha! @Unseen

On QI once, Stephen Fry brought up the subject of ‘tmesis’ – a peculiar word that describes the insertion of a word into an existing word for descriptive emphasis.

Stephen Fry:- like abso-bloody-lutely, or un-fucking-believable.

Jo Brand:- or Scunthorpe