Gregg R Thomas

Unseen wrote:
Let’s imagine that 10% (or any %) of atheists turn to terrorism. Would that form a valid basis for attempts to stifle or stamp out atheism?

It would give people a reason to dislike atheism, as is the case with Islam.

Reg the Fronkey Farmer wrote:
remind me again why Evolution is ‘only a theory’.

That’s pretty neat.  It is a theory, but it’s consistent with every biological phenomenon.

Let’s imagine that 10% (or any %) of atheists turn to terrorism. Would that form a valid basis for attempts to stifle or stamp out atheism?

I had a debate recently with a theist (No, I don’t have a life) who spent time trying to convince me that Evolution was ‘only a theory’. I won’t repeat it here as you are all familiar with the usual tropes about Irreducible Complexity, Fine Tuning Arguments, The Watchmaker analogy etc. I pointed out the assumptions and fallacies in his argumen…[Read more]

Yes, reading a good book will increase your happiness.

Reg the Fronkey Farmer wrote:
Take the risk of thinking for yourself. Much more happiness, truth, beauty and wisdom will come to you that way.

Thanks Jake. There is a similar quote from Richard Feynman;

“I’d much rather have questions I can’t answer than answers I can’t question”.

@Jakelafort….as she was indoctrinated by Jehovah Witnesses for all of her life, I have edited it to read “always told to do”.

Possibly irrelevant comment: the philosopher Willard V.O. Quine held that everything exists once properly categorized. For example, faeries exist when you categorize them as mythological beings.

Aristotle had an elaborate system of categories and that influenced our way of thinking about the world until Occam came along and sorted that out. What…[Read more]

New Atheist in Ireland: Reg, thank you for your patience. You have been very good at listening and your arguments have finally persuaded me that my belief in the Christian god is no longer possible to maintain. What really triggered it for me was when you said to me to embrace and challenge my doubts and not to fear them as I was always told to…[Read more]

“Nothing” doesn’t exist. Instead, there is “quantum foam”.

Possibly irrelevant comment: the philosopher Willard V.O. Quine held that everything exists once properly categorized. For example, faeries exist wheh you categorize them as mythological beings.

Thanks, Reg!

The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.

–Bertrand Russell (The Triumph of Stupidity)

@Unseen – Yes it is. Just as well it is located near the Branch Of Awkward Wording Branch.

Reg the Fronkey Farmer wrote:
@jakelafort Can we metaphor even more? Don’t start with the similes though. I mean what would that be even like?

Yes, similes of/for similes is a matter for The Department of Redundancy Department.