Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 156
June 6, 2016
Music composed by artificial intelligence
Google engineers are trying to see if Artificial Intelligence can generate works of art, thus morphing into Artificial Creativity. The company’s Project Magenta is working on algorithms that would allow computers to compose music. See Can machines make music? Google tests creative boundaries of AI. – CSMonitor.com. The first composition has been released. It consists of [Read More...]
June 3, 2016
Only 1.7% are gay, but 8% have had gay sex
A new study has found that the number of Americans who are exclusively homosexual is 1.7% of men and .9% of women, a number that has been stable over the years. But the number of Americans who report having sex with someone of their own gender has doubled over the last two decades, to 8.2% [Read More...]
When liberals were pro-life and conservatives were pro-abortion
We’ve blogged about the book by Daniel K. Williams, Defenders of the Unborn: The Pro-Life Movement before Roe v. Wade, which shows how opposing abortion used to be a liberal issue. The Religion & Politics site features a fascinating interview with Prof. Williams, who goes on to observe that conservatives were often the ones supporting legalized [Read More...]
Paul Ryan is now ready to endorse Donald Trump
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, after saying that he was “not ready” to endorse Donald Trump, is now ready. He announced that he will support him after all. Ryan, the GOP Vice-Presidential nominee in the last presidential election, by virtue of his office as House Speaker, is slated to preside at the Republican convention [Read More...]
June 2, 2016
Trump’s favorite Bible verse
As you may have heard, Donald Trump told an interviewer that his favorite Bible verse was “an eye for an eye.” He was referring to Leviticus 24:20. I guess he hasn’t got to Matthew 5:38-39. Read the details and the context after the jump. Is that Levitical principle of retaliation–which commenters say limits revenge to [Read More...]
Indifference
Jake Meador, a thoughtful young evangelical, reflects on monasticism and says that one thing we can learn from that practice is the virtue–yes, the virtue–of indifference. Jake Meador, Monasteries, Protestantism, and the Joy of Indifference, Mere Orthodoxy: The greater lesson we should learn from monks is not to pursue stability, important as that is. It is to [Read More...]
Clinton might not win the Democratic nomination
Bernie Sanders is polling high in California, which holds its Democratic primary on June 7; Hillary Clinton’s legal problems are growing; and new polls show Sanders doing better against Donald Trump than she would. Many Democratic party super-delegates are reportedly considering switching their votes to Sanders. Furthermore, Sanders supporters have been given prominent spots on the rules [Read More...]
June 1, 2016
Lutheran school investigated for LGBT discrimination
St. John’s Lutheran School in Baraboo, Wisconsin, is under federal investigation for discriminating against gay or transgender children. Not that it discriminated against any of its students but because the principal sent a letter to parents asking them to affirm that they and their child support the school’s handbook when it comes to sinful behavior and [Read More...]
Secret Laws
A new study has found that over the last three decades the number of “secret laws” has been surging. These include classified bills passed by Congress, directives of the Intelligence Court, and Executive Orders from the president. Secret laws are inherently unjust, since those subject to them are unaware that they exist, do not know that [Read More...]
Correlation is not causation in study of ELCA racial diversity
More evidence that scientists–especially social scientists–need to study philosophy, particularly the complicated question of what constitutes causality: A study of ELCA congregations has found that the more racially diverse a congregation is, the more it has declined in attendance. The implication being that white people leave when minority races show up. This effect is especially [Read More...]
