Smacking the round peg in into the square hole...

OK, last atheist post for a while, I swear.

I've listened to about 30 debates, many with Christopher Hitchens, in the last month. More than anything they have given me a thirst for understanding the Socratic method. Like all good thirsts I've taken a few massive gulps and cannot stomach any more until I've digested what I've taken on board. On an aside, please take a moment to look at this effort, which I totally support.

The best debates seem to have an opposing theist who starts off by saying that they won't be debating from scripture. That is to say, they'll be using argument based on reason to explain the existence of God. The most commonly used argument seems to be the intelligent design argument of "The universe is so finely balanced, one tiny change to the strong force or gravity would have caused us to not exist. It is designed for life. Ergo, god made the universe". Dinesh D'Souza uses this argument often.

If you found a round hole with a round peg which nicely fits into the hole it would to fair to say "it looks like that peg was designed to fit into that hole". It is also fair to say "It is the only peg that will fit into that hole". It is then you look around and notice millions of square, triangle and octagional pegs littered around, with scuff marks around the edges where someone has tried to jam them into the round hole. Guess what, they didn't fit.

The universe is a round hole, and we are a round peg. We are the only sodding shape that fits. It does not mean we were designed to fit - we just couldn't be any other way. There are trillions of possible pegs (think silicon lifeforms or life made of pure energy) that cannot fit into our universe because of it's physical properties.

I bet the god of silicon lifeforms is pretty pissed off about that one. Now he's going to have to wait around for infinity to create a new universe that allows silicon life (or maybe multiverses really do exist and they're crunching their way through some other universe with a irrational belief in a silicon god?).

Just because we fit, does not mean it was designed just for us.

An atheistic state of mind...

In the last post I mentioned that I'd been listening to some fascinating debates by atheists and monotheists (up to this point, mostly Christians). There are some pretty switched on people talking with a great deal of understating and knowledge. There also seems to be quite a lot of respect, within reason.

Often the format of the debate seems to actually hinder free discussion, in favor of monologues. These can be very interesting but often lead to very broken and fragmented answers from one side or the other. There were a couple of points I don't really feel get answered to "my satisfaction". A couple of times I heard arguments or points made and they seem to get glossed over. Here is an example :

In the intelligence squared debate, Peter Jensen said

 "I have an atheistic mind and an atheistic heart. First, I am sceptical of the existence of all gods ... but one. Many concepts of God are human beings on super-steroids, dismissed by atheists and Christians alike.Thank you atheists."

Um, what? So you don't believe in Zeus or Apollo. Borvo or Brighid.  Xochicalco or Cacaxtla. But you're fine with God. And Jesus. Oh and don't forget the holy ghost. This would because what? The other gods are just SO obviously fakes? It's just made up mumbo jumbo! Clearly the only REAL God is, well, God. I really do not get how a monotheist can trot this one out and expect everyone to say "oh well done, good point".

Often the science Vs religion debate comes down to the creation of the universe. The atheist will bring out the scientific argument of cosmology and the Christian brings out, wait for it, the fact that god is eternal. Now, this would be a pretty good argument where it not for the source. Which is of course, the Bible.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

So, you're going to fall back on to the very book which the atheist is currently saying is claptrap, and use it as "fact" to back up your point, eh? That's just not on. You can't make up a book and then just use it casually as fact! What if I bring out the "Atheist bible" which denies the existence of a God, and use that? Of course the monotheist would say "Hey, that's not fair!". Well guess what, I'm going to say the same.

At some point the debate will move on to ethics. The standard Christian position seems to be :

"The only objective moral value is one that comes from God. Science cannot provide a definition of, or measure, good or evil"

What is moral, or immoral, is largely (if not wholly) a product of context within the time and society we are talking about. I'm not going to drum up a load of examples but it's clear that the following is true :

• Non religious societies have objective moral codes. They are simply created by, and objective to, the group rather that to a deity. Anyone who does not follow this code is seen to be "wrong". Therefore it does not take a God for morals to exist.
• Moral structures change over time. Truly objective moral codes would not change.
• Many religions have moral imperatives that contradict each other, making in effectively impossible to be 100% moral.

For any one group to claim that they have moral superiority based on a supernatural force that they cannot, in fact, prove strikes me as shaky ground.

I cannot overstate my respect, appreciation and thanks for Christopher Hitchens, for his massivly intellegent input into the field of philosophy. 

Makes you wonder, eh?

Was forced to go to London on work recently. Having not been up in the town for a few years, it was with some trepidation that I smacked the off button on the alarm at 5:30, in time to get the 8:00am train from, the ever charming, Temple Meads station.

Moaning about public transport aside (but really, how much do I have to pay for a ticket on the "not run by tards" service?), it all went, well, it went OK. OK if you discount the taxi driver who when asked "Can you take me to Paddington" said "Yeah Mate, I'll just do a U turn" and then promptly drove off. Tosser. Hopefully he won't read this blog.

Long and inactive travel by public transport aroused my attention to a new and disturbing problem. What the hell to do for one and a half hours when you can't, legally at least, play with yourself? A bit of poking about led me here. A neatly packaged collection of atheist Vs monotheist debates. Some really good meaty debates that can largely be downloaded onto your device for free.
Get cracking on listening to that lot, as my next post will be based on some of what's in there!

The ongoing "Humanitarian Crisis" in East Africa.

The TV is quite clear. There is a full blown famine decimating Sudan and neighbouring Ethiopia. The local population are dying of hunger, thirst and disease. As fast as aid can be flown in, it is being distributed to aid camps. At the gates of these camps emaciated carcass' queue, hugging new borns to their bosoms, waiting patiently with the swarming flies around their eye to be admitted. Could the picture of human suffering be any clearer? Could human suffering be any more crystallized into a single event?

Yes. There could be twice as many people in the queue and half as much food to go round.

Picture that. A queue as far as the eye can see snaking into the scorching desert. But that couldn't happen, could it? The aid agency's would see to that, no?

Sadly the opposite. It is the aid agencies that are currently engaged in killing millions of, as yet unborn, babies. They bring 'em in, patch 'em up, send 'em out and give their blessing to the next generation of starving locals. Don't believe me? The current disaster is apparently the worst for twenty (or thirty depending on who you listen to) years.  Amazingly, given the scale of this clearly desperate situation (two major humanitarian disasters, not counting the constant background wars and tribal tit-for-tats) the population of Sudan has grown from 11 million in 1960 to 45 million today. But that's at the cost of Ethiopia in the form of refugees, right?


Nope. The population of Ethiopia has grown from 22 million to 86 million in the same period. In the last thirty years the population has doubled. That's despite natures best efforts to keep the population of both nations in line with the amount of natural resources available.

As quick as nature takes food away, we fly it back in (I know, from an engorged west). As quickly as we clear paths to the smaller villages and settlements, they replace the land mines that mame and kill not just those that live there, but also those who come to help. As fast as we educate that HIV can be stopped by condoms, the witchdoctors advocate sex with virgins (Again, I know, the Vatican doesn't help, and the witchdoctors are dying out).

All in, their fucked. The more we try to help them the worse it will get. We're just propping up an already untenable situation. Fast forward twenty years to when the US and China are fighting over oil and Europe is tearing itself apart over immigration and the aid dries up totally.

Now that would be a true Humanatarian Crisis. Hell, the population might even level out.

Great Chalfield Manor

The view from the front

Went on a visit to Great Chalfield Manor today (As our guide said "If you are into the internet, look at http://www.greatchalfield.co.uk/). Well she was about 80. Ignore the slight out of focus photo on the website - this place if quite majorley cool. Built in the 1500c by Thomas Tropnell after he knocked down the original building on the site and created the manor, roughly as it is today. It's had the crap kicked out of it by a bunch of tenant farmers, who among other atrocities decided to tear down the minstrels gallery and burn it for firewood, and was then rebuilt by the present day owners the Fuller family. Better known for beer and rubber (really, they own Avon Rubber). These guys really restored it with sympathy and a great deal of care. Using drawings taken over a hundred years before, they recreated many of the original features (included the aforementioned minstrels gallery).

However impressive the inside of the building, the real jaw dropper are the gardens. The current lady of the house (pretty cool title, hu?) and one full time gardener have done an amazing job of creating a hugely colourful display from every side of the manor. After gifting the house to the National Trust in the 1940s it shows real love of the place to still be putting so much effort into the whole estate. It's clearly a very much loved place by the family (family photos of the last wedding sit in pride of place next to 400 year old tapestries) and all the rooms are still very much is active use.

If you're ever at the Bath junction of the M4 with a spare half day, set the Sat Nav to SN12 8NH and enjoy - you will not be disappointed.

Mind the gap...

Why the gap? Three months between the last blog and this one. Not really sure why. Had a few major events in the way. Well not really major, more like little blips in the road. Maybe nothing happens in my life or maybe I just don't want to write about it. I'm blessed (at least for an Atheist) to be where I am. I have massive money crap going on but other than that I live in a kind of happy trance. While there is a lot to be said to this happy trance, there are downsides as well. I'm supposed to be sorting out my best mates wedding - I'm the best man. It's not that I don't want to do a good job - I just can seem to organise the little bit and bobs. My days just disappear but not in the "I've got loads to do" way - they just slide away. Will all my life be like this? Days pile into other days with reckless abandon? Maybe... We'll see.

Tulamben

Tulamben

Second album from a friend of mine. First one was really good - gonna download this one tonight. good lookin' to see people keeping the Bristol music scene full of quality tuneage.

Squash tips from the Khans

Squash tips from the Khans

Trying to get better at Squash? Seems like some pretty good tips here!

It's one thing reading and understanding - quite another to actually implement!

Innocent until proven guilty?

BBC News - Jo Yeates murder case: MP backs DNA testing

I once had pub argument. It wasn't a very good argument because I was pissed. As a newt. It's all a bit misty now but I think I was reacting to a totally reasonable comment with some vitriolic anti-logic that made no sense whatsoever. I remember being so outranged by one particular point that I shot one leg out from under the table in order to made a counter point and banged my knee. It hurt quite a lot. It is from this episode, and many others like it, that I have learned not to make knee jerk reactions. Or at least, I try not to. Most often they don't help, by their nature they are made in haste soon after the event or situation to which they pertain.

I am just a normal(ish) everyday citizen. I'd expect a well educated MP to have an even keener sense of managing ones mouth. Step forward Bristol East Labour MP Kerry McCarthy. She presented the entirely reasonable and well thought out idea that, in the hunt for the killer of Jo Yeates, ALL MEN IN BRISTOL SHOULD BE DNA TESTED. You read that correctly. All. Men. In. Bristol. Jesus wept like a little baby.

Just for giggles, shall we run this idea under the soothing cold water tap of logic?

At the count of the last census, there were 208,500 men resident in Bristol. A DNS test takes upto 24 hours, just for the labwork. Never mind the collection of the sample, administration and analysis. Let us be charitable and say that there are 6 person hours of administration and 6 person hours of scientific analysis. 12 hours per sample.

That would be, um, tap tap tapity tap on the calculator... 2.5 million person hours. Or 104250 person days. Or 285 person years.

And then there are the civil rights issues brought to light with such a wide ranging tactic. That's a nasty can of worms right there. I wonder if the police would "accidentally" keep the DNA records?

All for the possibility to solve a single murder.

Next time Kerry is up for election, does someone, anyone, want to remind her of her comment? The British public should expect, and deserve, better from their elected representatives.

The teenage years...

So school was really good. Left at 16 and went to 6th form college. Did I already mention that I'm not academic? Left with pretty poor results. How bad? Well, you can spell END with them.
I did leave full of self confidence. And with no virginity. Yay. Decided against going to university. Messed around setting up my own business. Learned a lot of useful skills doing that and would recommend it to anyone.

When I was 19 I went clubbing with my mate Sam in Bristol and pulled in a night club. Six months later I moved to Bristol. Been here ever since. Worked in IT all my life. I've worked with councils, banks, my Brother. Now happily providing IT support working with an IT network support company. I'm lucky, I've never been unemployed.

I play tennis. I cook. I read books and try to write books. I write songs. I ponce around with friends getting drunk. I wake up feeling like a bear sneaked up on me and did poopoo in my mouth and then hit me on the head with a frying pan.

I massively, hugely, intensely, forgivingly and very very optimistically enjoy life. My glass ain't just half full, it's overflowing.Tomorrow the first proper blog post. Excited?

If this is going to work, you'll need to know a little about me...

Welcome 2011. The year of creativity. The year of writing. The year of the Rabbit.

No, really, it's the year of the Rabbit.

What follows will be me. My thoughts and expectations. Some of my creative output. All sorts. Maybe like an old skool type of blog. The ones where you told people that you were going to visit granny. Bookmark it now folks, it's gonna be a hot ride.

I'm 33 (34 this year on March the 18th if you want to send me a card). I was born about 2 months premature weighing under 2 pounds. In 1977 I'm pretty sure they nearly threw me in the bin for scraps. Nowadays I'd have come out with ASBO in hand ready for a knife fight. I survived due to : 

• Massive luck
• The huge emotional input from my parents
• The talent and dedication of the medical profession surrounding me

I don't mean to belittle the situation but, really, I'm just another DNA strand trying for the top spot. For what it's worth I'm happy to be here.

Only a moron would make further family details available. If I listed my parents names and my siblings' ages my bank account would be empty tomorrow and I'd have an entire Nigerian village trying to convince me I'd been selected to have 4 Million Dollars put into my account.

Needless to say, I'm the youngest of three. Grew up pretty much a single child due to the age gap between me, my brother and sister. Oh, and my sister being abducted by a religious cult. Go figure.

Went to an awesome secondary school. They got me. I got them. Massive love-in. Left with 5 GCSEs. All C. Sometimes amazing teachers and a loveable peer group are not enough. I'm just not an academic. I AM bright. I AM intelligent. I DO have an enquiring mind. I just don't pass exams. There is a difference. 

Enough for tonight. The teenage years start tomorrow. Figuratively speaking.