People have a strange capability of believing weird things. Some examples: The world is flat The moon landings were fake Vaccines are harmful and microchips The Earth is only six to ten thousand years old Donald Trump was worth voting for a second time Angels and jinns Karma and reincarnation Afterlife Divine Birth of Jesus … Continue reading Beliefs
Category: religion
Scientism is used as a pejorative. I could argue it is a reaction of philosophy to science, in a similar way that Luddites react to technology. Generally, scientism is seen as a use of science that is in some way inapplicable to a phenomenon or circumstance. ScienceBut first, what is science? Well, it is a … Continue reading Scientism
Which authors have shaped my worldview? All of them, even if I have not read them, but some more than others. Having said that, not all of them are equal, and certainly not directly In my preteen years, I recall avidly reading Enid Blyton's Secret Seven and occasionally Famous Five. Generally, I let these books … Continue reading Two Authors
Here is a summary of where I think I am. Subject to change. The Chat AI suggested the following "pithy" descriptions:1) Process Monism2) Naturalistic Realism3) Agnostic Pragmatic Realism4) Causal NaturalismI think I will go with Process Monism, as it "Emphasizes [my] belief that everything is part of an unfolding, interconnected causal process rather than discrete … Continue reading My Position
https://undark.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Robert-Wright-c-Barry-Munger-1-copy.jpg Just finished reading Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright. It's the third book by Wright that I have read the other two being The Moral Animal and The Evolution of God. Overall, enjoyed the book and I recommend it. Most of the book is based on how natural selection hasn't necessarily shaped us … Continue reading Buddhism (I)
Douglas Adams is one of my favourite authors. 'I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.'The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time 'The story so far:In the beginning the Universe was created.This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a … Continue reading Adams
Quite often it is speculated by some believers and non-believers alike, that atheists are missing something. Well I suppose, the veracity of this depends on the perspective of the individual atheist. This post is inspired in part by Alain de Botton's Religion for Atheists that catalogues some of the things that de Botton thinks that … Continue reading Religion Revisited
Let's clear this up straight away, well actually I am or I might be an atheist, by at least some definitions. For me it is not a big deal. I am certainly an atheist in the sense that I actively disbelieve in many, if not most, Gods. I lack disbelief in pantheism and gods that … Continue reading Why I Am Not An Atheist
A more modern Villa Park I am an Aston Villa fan … well not one those rabid ones. I can recall seeing them four times live and probably seen a professional football match six times live. The first time I saw a football match I was six years old. It was at Villa Park in … Continue reading Aston Villa
I have put this monism blog under religion, but it could have easily fit under free will or other stuff (philosophy). Having said that, interpretations of some religions can be monistic. There are various flavours of monism, eg in opposition to dualism (ie) mind versus matter, good and evil. Some see monism as a priority … Continue reading Monism