Jim

Wait but why offers an excelent overview of common possible answers to the Fermi paradox, and it is also entertaining and insightful as all of his posts are on the site (I belive FronkeyFarmer is a fan of WaitbutWhy)

The Fermi Paradox

If you want to get deep into the Paradox, this book is phenomenal (though I…[Read more]

garnet wrote:
We may be the “alone” in the milkyway – maybe – but there is no way we are totally alone in other places – Stephen Hawkings said it is possible that we are not in the only universe and that he believes there are multiple universes-maybe hundreds of universes-maybe millions of universes…..If this is true then it stands to reason that…

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The very fact they gave an estimate of the likelihood of life somewhere else, takes away all their credibility. You cannot possible make such an estimate considering our enormous ignorance, gaps of knowledge, known unknowns, unknown unknowns etc. Worse, they base their estimate on some statistical acrobatics using the various estimates people have…[Read more]

I think the fear of death can only be properly approached by those not deluded in a joyous afterlife reuniting with loved ones. It is false comfort. It keeps you from facing the loss of your loved ones with a fake crutch that you’ll see them again. It shifts the need to remember, celebrate and pass on your lost one’s values and memories in this…[Read more]

Two horrid problems you are the victim of. Many Christians and even barely-religious people think that it is they who are being opessed. They simply don’t believe that non-christian bullying exists. That if it does it is very isolated and exceptional. But it does and clearly you are suffering greatly for it. You need to be vocal about this. The…[Read more]

@Daniel

There is nothing about the United States that makes the current direction of US politics a permanent one. The overwhelming majority of the facets of American life is identical to other western countries. It’s the irrational and sometimes cold/cruel peculiarities that always stick out. Perhaps the future will see a kinder approach to s…[Read more]

@Daniel

The point of that comment had little to do with trashing the USA but instead to lampoon “cultural relativism”. Relativists claim that other worldly practices are beyond the sphere of our moral judgement as they live in their own subjective context and we have no right to apply our own moral compass onto them.

In cases like this, hard…[Read more]

@Pope

I suppose an American can make that assessment. But the rest of us…we cannot judge American culture. It has emerged from a different and beautiful culture where the people and how they express themselves is to be heard and seen…not judged. It is arrogant to think that people from social-assistance countries should have the right to look…[Read more]

English speaking countries politics have fundamentally changed from a battle of ideas to a battle of watery-ideologies/personalities. In England newspapers used to dedicate long sections of newspapers to analyse new legislation and to cover at length important cabinet decisions.

Canadian newspapers used to print entire speeches made by the Prime…[Read more]

_Robert_ wrote:
Damm-It, I was so brain-washed.  I loved the films, especially the Severus Snape character.

The Harry Potter films are utterly epic. Every two years or so we watch all 8 films over one weekend. There are so many humanist themes running through the work (despite the supernatural afterlife of wizards and a world where the laws of…[Read more]