ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 804
November 8, 2014
Atheist Experience #482: Prediction
The Atheist Experience #482 for January 7, 2007, with Matt Dillahunty and Russell Glasser. Prediction. Russell explains how “prophets” and “psychics” fool people.
We welcome your comments on the open blog thread for this show.
► http://freethoughtblogs.com/axp/
YouTube comments are at present disabled in our channel, to the displeasure of some. However, each video has a prominent link to the associated open thread that appears on our blog. In the past we’ve tried opening up the channel to comments, but we found that a very high number of episodes wound up being flooded with a combination of spam, long winded apologists, and various obscene or misogynistic comments directed at various hosts by people with an axe to grind. This seems to be the nature of YouTube comment sections, in our experience.
We do moderate the blog, the same way that we moderate chat during the show, as well as comments on our Facebook group. For comment sections that are “officially” associated with our show (and, to a much lesser extent, channels that may give the unintended appearance of being official), we prefer not to play host to straight up ad hominem attacks and bigotry. As a general policy we do not block commenters simply on the basis of disagreement with our point of view. However, we do prefer discussion environments that don’t actively chase off more reasonable contributors.
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The most up to date Atheist Experience videos can be found by visiting http://atheist-experience.com/archive/
You can read more about this show on the Atheist Experience blog:
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WHAT IS THE ATHEIST EXPERIENCE?
The Atheist Experience is a weekly cable access television show in Austin, Texas geared at a non-atheist audience. The Atheist Experience is produced by the Atheist Community of Austin.
The Atheist Community of Austin is organized as a nonprofit educational corporation to develop and support the atheist community, to provide opportunities for socializing and friendship, to promote secular viewpoints, to encourage positive atheist culture, to defend the first amendment principle of state-church separation, to oppose discrimination against atheists and to work with other organizations in pursuit of common goals.
We define atheism as the lack of belief in gods. This definition also encompasses what most people call agnosticism.
VISIT THE ACA’S OFFICIAL WEB SITES
► http://www.atheist-community.org (The Atheist Community of Austin)
► http://www.atheist-experience.com (The Atheist Experience TV Show)
More shows and video clips can be found in the archive:
► http://www.atheist-experience.com/archive
DVDs of the Atheist Experience can be purchased via:
► http://www.atheist-community.org/products
MUSIC CREDITS
Theme song: “Listen to Reason,” written and performed by Bryan Steeksma.
► http://www.youtube.com/bryansteeksma
► http://www.myspace.com/bryansteeksma
NOTES
TheAtheistExperience is the official channel of The Atheist Experience. “The Atheist Experience” is a trademark of the ACA.
Copyright © 2014 Atheist Community of Austin. All rights reserved.
Jailed Saudi Blogger Raif Badawi Honored by PEN Canada
"The Kingdom's political system is rooted in Islam's traditions, which call for peace, justice, equality, consultation, and respect for the rights of the individual."
So, proudly, claims the official website of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C. If you were to ask imprisoned liberal Saudi writer Raif Badawi, you may hear otherwise. Or not. He may not be able to tell you what he really thinks.
One of these coming Fridays, my friend Raif will be brought out in front of Al-Jafali mosque in Jeddah after Friday prayers, tied up, and flogged 50 times as the public watches.
It won't end there. He will be brought out and lashed again the following Friday. And then the Friday after that -- until his entire sentence of 1000 lashes is complete.
After attempting to appeal his initial sentence of seven years in prison and 600 lashes, Raif's sentence was increased this year to 10 years, 1000 lashes, and 1 million Saudi riyals (about $267,000). To add to that, his lawyer, Waleed Abulkhair, was also thrown in jail, allegedly for trying to set up a human rights organization.
Raif is being punished for expressing his ideas -- exactly what all of us are able to do here every day. He is officially charged with "adopting liberal thought" and "insulting Islam."
Having grown up in Saudi Arabia myself (read my account here), and in Pakistan, where writing or saying the wrong thing can easily land you in jail or dead, I resolved long ago never to take my freedom of expression for granted once I had it. When I think of what Raif, his wife Ensaf, and his three beautiful children are going through, it makes that resolve even stronger. What is a fundamental right for the rest of us has proved to be a costly luxury for them. That is wrong.
Again, I ask moderate Muslims and their influential liberal allies like Ben Affleck and Reza Aslan, who frequently conflate criticism of ideas and books with racism and bigotry, to consider how damaging their rhetoric can be to activists like Raif Badawi, their liberal counterparts in the Middle East.
Public floggings, limb amputations, and beheadings remind most Westerners of ISIS or the Taliban. But in Saudi Arabia -- the one country in the world that enjoys more unconditional U.S. support than any other -- they are the law, sanctioned not only by the government, but by the state religion. In the same month that the world was reeling with shock at the brutal beheading of James Foley at the hands of ISIS, Saudi Arabia publicly beheaded 19 people, for crimes ranging from smuggling cannabis to sorcery.
In 2013, Saudi Arabia was elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council. Last summer, Raif's case was brought up at one of its meetings in Geneva by Josephine Macintosh from the Center for Inquiry. Saudi Arabia attempted three times to shut down Macintosh's statement, but was successfully overruled.
It is now time to start holding Saudi Arabia accountable.
***
Last month, Raif Badawi received the PEN Canada One Humanity Award in Toronto. The award is given every year to a writer whose work "transcends the boundaries of national divides and inspires connections across cultures."
My partner Alishba Zarmeen and I had the honor of attending the ceremony, where Raif and his family requested that Alishba, a Pakistani secular activist, accept the award on his behalf.
Below is her speech, with a complete transcript, as well as remarks from PEN Canada president Philip Slayton and patron Florence Minz, who funds the One Humanity Award.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBySV...]
Transcript of Alishba's speech:
Since the beginning of human societies, we have seen injustice and violence justified in the name of nationalism and religious duty. Countless innocent men, women, and children have been victims of torture and genocide because of our poor understanding of human rights and civil liberties. Before the advent of modern science, human beings had resorted to the tactics of dehumanizing the "other" simply because of a different skin color or spoken language.
Today, we live in a modern scientific era where our species has seen the universe beyond our solar system and where racism, sexism, and censorship are not accepted norms but taboos which have no place in a civilized society.
Alas, not every citizen of this planet knows what it feels like to have equal opportunities and the freedom of thought and expression. Raif Badawi is one such victim of gross injustice and a prisoner of conscience, suffering from blatant violation of human rights. He is imprisoned for nothing more than daring to think for himself and having an opinion about the world he lives in.
Raif Badawi is a father of three young children and the loving husband of Ensaf Haider. His wife's name literally translates into "justice." She is spending her days in Quebec, fighting the injustices her husband is a victim of.
Raif is a friend and brother in humanity who wants nothing more than to make this planet a better place for its inhabitants. And he is not alone in this fight. We stand with him and support him.
Raif's sister, Samar Badawi, is also a dedicated human rights activist, fighting for women's equality in Saudi Arabia and trying to free her lawyer husband, Waleed Abulkhair, from the same injustice her brother is being subjected to.
I want to take this opportunity to call upon the Saudi authorities to take a moment and seriously reflect on how it wants to be seen as a country in the international community.
Does Saudi Arabia want to be a country which is admired for its cultural gifts and seen as symbol of tolerance which it claims the Islamic religion preaches? Or does it wish to continue to serve as a reminder of outdated legislations and an example of a dystopia which refuses accept humanity, compassion, freedom, and reason as the fundamentals of a society?
It is time for Saudi authorities to decide if they really want to treat Raif, his family, and others like him the same inhumane way the Quraish tribe of Mecca treated Muhammad, the prophet of Islam.
I will close my statement with a message from Raif Badawi:
"We want life for those who wish death to us; and we want rationality for those who want ignorance for us."
For more on Raif Badawi's case and how you can get involved, click here.
My Pennsylvania Atheists/Humanists Talk On Empowerment Ethics
November 7, 2014
3 Great Discoveries of 2014
SciShow News explains the amazing discoveries behind this year’s Nobel Prizes, from the invention that made LED bulbs possible to discovering how our “inner GPS” works!
Hosted by: Hank Green
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Sources:
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2014/popular-physicsprize2014.pdf
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2014/press.html
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/medicine/laureates/2014/press.html
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2014/popular-chemistryprize2014.pdf*
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2014/popular-physicsprize2014.pdf*
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2014/press.html
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2014/press.html
Chimps Hit Sack With Breakfast Plans
When you go to bed at night, are you already thinking about what you’ll have for breakfast in the morning? If you are, that’s one more thing you have in common with chimps. Because a new study shows that chimps choose a camp site based on the next morning’s menu. The work is in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. [Karline R.L. Janmaat et al, Wild chimpanzees plan their breakfast time, type, and location]
The jungle may seem like a place where you can always find a ripe piece of fruit. But the most calorically dense snacks are highly sought after—and quick to disappear. A fig tree, for example, can be stripped bare in a single visit by birds, squirrels or any number of fruit-loving species. So how does a chimp secure a seat at the highly desirable fig cafe?
To find out, researchers tracked five wild chimps at a national park in the Ivory Coast. And they found that the apes set up their sleeping nests along the path to breakfast, and set out before dawn. But they only took these steps when figs were likely on offer.
The findings suggest that chimps can really plan ahead when it comes to their morning meal. And that the early bird may settle for the the worm. Because a clever chimp already took all the figs.
—Karen Hopkin
(The above text is a transcript of this podcast)
Secularists call for an inclusive national ceremony of remembrance
By The National Secular Society
The commemoration of Remembrance Day should be rethought and re-designed to make it a truly inclusive national event, and not one that is dominated by a single Christian denomination, say secularists.
The National Secular Society (NSS) has written to the Government asking it to review the dominant role of the Church of England at the national ceremony of remembrance, which it argues should be equally inclusive of all citizens, regardless of religion and belief.
In a letter to Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Sajid Javid, the NSS says it is important that we commemorate important dates such as Remembrance “as a nation” and points out that many people feel alienated by religious services.
The letter urges the Government to bring forward proposals for a more secular and inclusive Ceremony of Remembrance, pointing out that ceremonies in other countries, such as France, are led by civic and national dignitaries without any religious element.
Read the full article by clicking the name of the source located below.
‘Big Bang’ of Species May Be Explained by Continental Shift
Credit: Ian Dalziel
By Kelly Dickerson
A sudden explosion of new life-forms hundreds of millions of years ago may have been triggered by a major tectonic shift, new research shows.
About 530 million years ago, the Cambrian explosion brought a surge in new species to Earth, including most modern animal groups. Recent studies suggest that, during the Cambrian explosion, life evolved about five times faster than it’s evolving today. The sudden increase in species is sometimes referred to as “Darwin’s dilemma” because, at face value, it seems to contradict Charles Darwin’s theory of gradual evolution.
Scientists are still unsure what caused the number of species to skyrocket in such a short period of time, but Ian Dalziel, a research professor at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, thinks part of the answer may lie in how the continents shifted.
Dalziel thinks the ancient continent Laurentia (present-day North America) remained attached to the fused supercontinent Gondwana longer than current reconstruction models suggest. Some current models suggest Laurentia had already broken off before the Cambrian period. Instead, Dalziel thinks a deep ocean developed between Laurentia and Gondwana during the early Cambrian period and that the tectonic shift and resulting ocean likely caused sea levels to rise.
Read the full article by clicking the name of the source located below.
Half Of Brits Say Religion Does More Harm Than Good, And Atheists Can Be Just As Moral
By Jessica Elgot
More than half of Britons believe that religion does more harm than good, with less than a quarter believing faith is a force for good, the Huffington Post UK can reveal today.
Even 20% of British people who described themselves as being ‘very religious’ said religion was harmful to society, and a quarter of said atheists were more likely to be moral individuals than religious people.
The exclusive poll for the HuffPost UK reveals that just 8% of Britons describe themselves as very religious, with more than 60% saying they were not religious at all.
The eye-opening survey, that will reopen debate over the role and worth of religion to British society, found of the ‘non-religious’ people polled, more than 60% said they thought religion caused more problems than it solved.
The poll shows that more people believe being an atheist is more likely to make you a good person than being religious. In fact, one in eight Britons said atheists tend to be more moral, compared to just 6% who say atheists are less moral, challenging widely held beliefs that religion is one of the last remaining bastions of British morality.
Read the full article by clicking the name of the source located below.
Activity in dendrites critical in memory formation
Credit: © Mopic / Fotolia
By Science Daily
Why do we remember some things and not others? In a unique imaging study, two Northwestern University researchers have discovered how neurons in the brain might allow some experiences to be remembered while others are forgotten. It turns out, if you want to remember something about your environment, you better involve your dendrites/
Using a high-resolution, one-of-a-kind microscope, Daniel A. Dombeck and Mark E. J. Sheffield peered into the brain of a living animal and saw exactly what was happening in individual neurons called place cells as the animal navigated a virtual reality maze.
The scientists found that, contrary to current thought, the activity of a neuron’s cell body and its dendrites can be different. They observed that when cell bodies were activated but the dendrites were not activated during an animal’s experience, a lasting memory of that experience was not formed by the neurons. This suggests that the cell body seems to represent ongoing experience, while dendrites, the treelike branches of a neuron, help to store that experience as a memory.
“There are a lot of theories on memory but very little data as to how individual neurons actually store information in a behaving animal,” said Dombeck, assistant professor of neurobiology in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and the study’s senior author. “Now we have uncovered signals in dendrites that we think are very important for learning and memory. Our findings could explain why some experiences are remembered and others are forgotten.”
Read the full article by clicking the name of the source located below.
Fossil Friday!
This week I bring you yet another tooth. My goodness, you’d think I was obsessed with teeth! Or maybe even the dentist. But no, it just so happens the museum has a fantastic tooth collection–maybe it was started by a former dentist? Well, this fellow had some “good teeth”, as my dentist would say. Can you tell what family they came from? It’s a family you should already be familiar with, as it has been featured on Fossil Friday before. These teeth were found in Nevada, but I doubt they were lost in a prehistoric poker match. Who did they belong to?
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