Philosophy Now Forum

And my hero, Terry! Quite so, Skip. Yet another truth-teller claimed by the grim reaper. R.I.P. my friend. As for the not giving a flying fig about first causes, gaps and big rocks Have mercy on your brother Leo for he repents of all his sins. Please tell me we're not doing the bloody rocks again.

Philosophy (as it pertains to science) is story telling. If done well, it's coherent and logically valid story telling, but it's still story telling. If, for instance, you drop weights off the side of the leaning tower of Pisa, you can measure the time it takes for them to fall, over and over, unti...

His mental disposition is inferred from his ideas. Nicely put. Newton was a mathematical whizz-kid but he was unquestionably barking mad. It wasn't physics that drove him mad but his relentless determination to model the mind of god, which is how he described what he was doing. It's little wonder t...

well, according to the Bible God is a man. For He made the first man in His own image and similarity. If you can deny this you're welcome. How could I possibly deny it? This story is common knowledge to anybody who hasn't lived their entire lives down at the bottom of a mineshaft. Furthermore my en...

David Handeye wrote:I gave my opinion.

And a very thoughtful opinion it is too. I predict a very promising future for you.

God made Adam, which means Man, in his/her/its own image and similarity. So I think God, the God of the Genesis, is a man. Afterwards He made the first woman by Adam. And you're happy with this story? You may be interested in an Eiffel tower I have for sale. It's hardly been used and I can offer it...

My most strongly held belief or opinion is that strongly held beliefs or opinions are stupid. All opinions should be subject to change without notice or explanation in the light of new information. However I don't hold this opinion very strongly and may yet change my mind about it.

The Hindu god Indra was reputed to have 1000 vaginas, which was in fact 1000 surplus to requirements since Indra was a bloke.

I'll swap you forty virgins for one Montana.

They are two of my biggest influences, particularly Vonnegut. I carry his spirit wherever I go. R.I.P. to both of these irreplaceable literary figures. I can't come at the idea of an afterlife but if there was such a thing then these two guys should be brought into the breeding programme at the int...

Is she going to school there, or working? She's taking up a post-doc fellowship in mathematics at the university of Waterloo, which by all accounts is quite a prestigious institution by world standards. I correspond with a couple of people at the Perimeter Institute, so I've heard a bit about the p...

So as for cherries, I think they'll come up naturally. And whether it's Aquinas, Augustine, or someone else, I'll really only be bothered if those cherries aren't presented correctly. You seem to be assuming that non-believers in general actually care about this crap but nothing could be further fr...

Since Waterloo is just down the road from you, Dalek, perhaps you could advise me on the most climatically benign time to visit. I assume that from May through August would be suitable, even for a fainthearted Aussie.

How the hell can you guys even live in such an inhospitable place? Haven't you ever heard of the Great Rift Valley? A tropical ape has no business in a wasteland where even the snot freezes in your nose. My niece is moving to Waterloo in a few months time and I hope to find time to visit her next ye...

Dalek Prime wrote:Canadians are usualy too polite to dish it out, so we're shocked when we have to take it.

Yeah, right. And Aussies know bullshit when they see it, especially coming from a snow-munching Canuck.