Category Archives: Science

Arguing with Idiots: Sceptical Outreach during a Global Pandemic

Posted on 27 July, 2020 by

I have an addiction: I go on YouTube quite a lot, doing what my late friend, John Brand used to call, “arguing with idiots.” He always advised against this. “You should never argue with idiots,” he’d say, “it just confuses … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Politics, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Natural Consciousness: (Part 2) Being

Posted on 30 June, 2020 by

I think; therefore it’s time I returned to my series on consciousness. Part 1, “Emptiness”, was mainly anecdotal, sharing what I think I’ve concluded from my experience of meditation. I suggested that the idea of “pure awareness” is an illusion, … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Religion/Atheism, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Jordan Peterson’s Twelve Rules: #3) Make friends with people who want the best for you

Posted on 26 August, 2019 by

I’m going through a talk by Jordan Peterson on his twelve rules for life, assessing them one by one in the context of Peterson’s approach to life and politics. We’ve survived as far as Rule #3.   Make friends with … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Politics, Religion/Atheism, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Jordan Peterson’s Twelve Rules: #2) Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping

Posted on 18 August, 2019 by

In this series, I’m going through a talk by Jordan Peterson on his twelve rules for life, assessing them one by one in the context of Peterson’s approach to life and politics. It’s time for part two… Treat yourself like … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Politics, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Jordan Peterson’s Twelve Rules: #1) Stand Up Straight with your Shoulders Back

Posted on 10 August, 2019 by

Introduction to the Series This is the first of a new twelve-part series on Dr Jordan Peterson’s Twelve Rules for Life. I will assess each rule, one per post, as he presents it in this talk, given at the How … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Politics, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Do We Have Free Will?

Posted on 6 October, 2018 by

I remember as a child reading something about “the will” and thinking how odd it was that philosophers talked about it like they might talk about an object. The will? Don’t we just do stuff? I haven’t thought a lot … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Religion/Atheism, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , | 34 Comments

A Naturalistic Explanation of Suffering

Posted on 17 March, 2018 by

Last time, I noted something of a gap in the results of internet searches on the origin of suffering. I didn’t see any naturalistic explanations, at least in the first page, just supernatural ones and the odd bit of anthropocentric … Continue reading →

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On the Origin of Morphic Resonance

Posted on 30 December, 2017 by

Or The Preservation of Favoured Hypotheses Have you ever wondered how Rupert Sheldrake came up with the idea of morphic resonance? No, I haven’t really either, but I happened across this interview with Joe Rogan, in which he explained it. … Continue reading →

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The Scientific Christian, Part 3: The Spin Doctor

Posted on 15 August, 2016 by

We have seen that Rev Dr Nick Hawkes, author of Who Ordered the Universe? is a master of the begged question, and we have seen that he is quite adept at quote-mining. Looking at chapter 2, The Evidence of God … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Religion/Atheism, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Scientific Christian, Part 2: Peanuts to Space

Posted on 7 June, 2016 by

Oh no not again [1] I’m reviewing Who Ordered the Universe? by Nick Hawkes. I must apologise to readers who prefer their book reviews short and pithy: the Reverend Doctor manages to cram an inordinate number of dubious statements into … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Philosophy, Religion/Atheism, Science | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments