07.28.09
Damning Indictment of Capitalism
RG mail
http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/07/honduran-coup-damning-indictment-of-capitalism/
Dissident Voice July 10th, 2009
Honduran Coup: Damning Indictment of Capitalism
by Dennis Rahkonen
Return of the race myth?
sciftp
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327156.500-linking-genes-to-geography-could-revive-race-myth.html
Return of the race myth?
01 July 2009 by Osagie K. Obasogie
07.27.09
Intelligentsia transmogrified into terminal Darwinians?
Comment on With Darwinists, the only safe stance is paranoia
James said,
July 27, 2009 at 4:55 pm
“It seems that the fate of Darwinists (and I hope not secularists) is to fall into a crystallized belief system.”
I think the Darwinian worldview has too much momentum among the intelligentsia to lose at this point. The war with the ID movement has actually given it a steroids injection and established it as the rallying cry among college educated urbanites for the ideals of modernity (no surprise that Robert Wright and David Sloan Wilson are posting at Huffpost).
It is hard to say, hard to assess this situation.
I think that the whole game must fail in the end, and sooner rather than later. It is one thing to be a darwinist, another to claim for oneself the ‘ideal of modernity’. You can’t fight the bible belt forever, if you have to lie about it, or dissemble on Darwinism.
Those ideals (as reflected, btw, in the beautiful pattern of the eonic effect) are something far broader than Darwinism.
By restricting thought to Darwian assumptions the connection to the ‘ideals of modernity’ is destroyed. People will have to ask finally, where did we go wrong.
Still, you may be right.
Booknotes: ‘case for god’
The Case for God by Karen Armstrong
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart make Dawkins and Hitchens burn in Hell, O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.
Satirical take on Armstrong’s book.
Atheism links at Daily Dish
Daily Dish stand-in Patrick Appel sums up with links a week of debate over the atheism/religion question: http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/07/until-next-time.html
GW: faster than predicted
Study: World to Warm Faster Than Predicted
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/07/27-9
80 tribespeople were killed in drone strike while at a funeral procession for the dead from a previous drone strike
July 27, 2009
Tomgram: Juan Cole, Empire’s Paranoia About the Pashtuns
These days, it seems as though the United States is conducting its wars in places remarkably unfamiliar to most Americans. Its CIA-operated drone aircraft, for instance, have been regularly firing missiles into Waziristan, where, in one strike in June, an estimated 80 tribespeople were killed while at a funeral procession for the dead from a previous drone strike.
With Darwinists, the only safe stance is paranoia
Comment on Guess what, noone is qualified; Harris the hypocrite
James said,
July 27, 2009 at 2:29 pm
One of the troubling consequences here is that the Dawkins cult has successfully penetrated into pop culture to the extent that an “intelligent” person (as defined by the media) is now someone who has to engage in a knee-jerk dismissal of any idea that can be vaguely associated with religion (or it has to be neutralized by watering it down). To be sure, the f*ckup religionists deserve a large part of the blame here, but manipulating the public to conform to one worldview will probably be disastrous (especially the Darwinian). In the final analysis, it will hardly be a triumph of rationality if certain ideas have to be factored out of someone’s intellectual space because “secularists” are terrified of religion (and I’m not saying that Collins,etc. would be within the parameters of intelligent dialectical possibilities).
It seems that the fate of Darwinists (and I hope not secularists) is to fall into a crystallized belief system. That’s what happened to Christians, so it is not surprising it should happen to Darwinists.
As to Harris, I am surprised that he would make a federal case out of Collins’ ethical beliefs, however confused.
Let’s face it, with Darwinists, paranoia is the only safe tactic. You don’t know who is a closet nihilist, a eugenicist in private, an unspoken follower of Nietzsche, etc…
Technically, Darwinism affirms mass murder as a eugenic project (as one of our commenters here stubbornly pointed out).
In fact, anyone who believes that group selection/kin selection theories could explain ethics is a Very Smart Idiot, and a basket case with a PhD.
So Collins is at least aware of the total confusion concealed behind Darwin’s theory.
You would think Harris (who must be a closet Non-dual Vedanticist) would get the point, but apparently not.
Ages of Reason, and the irrational
http://darwiniana.com/2009/07/26/darwinism-as-irrational-thinking/comment-page-1/#comment-337559: Cooment from Stephen Smith on Darwinism as irrational thinking
Irrationality, in all its forms, is a significant part of humanities thinking. And the question is why? It signals that something is not right. And so seeing irrationality (in others) represents a type of error recognition. But this recognition is magical and beyond science, as best I can tell. Some scientist are among the most irrational! Having found an error then the chore remains to help the irrational to become more rational and this is a horrendous challenge. The irrational reveal themselves to be emotionally challenged when confronted with contrary insights…
You have a point here. I merely meant that Darwinists keep trumpeting reason, but their views on evolution are very irrational.
As to the ‘irrational’, I highly recommend a book by E.R. Dodds, The Greeks and the Irrational’, a study of the Greek Age of Reason, and the many irrationalistic aspects of Greek culture at that time.
One has but to read Euripides’ The Bacchae to get the point.
Evolution and ethics, Darwinian confusion
Harris’ attempt to criticize Collins for his beliefs on evolution and ethics are the height of Darwinian naivete. I am not endorsing Collins’ views, but at leat he can see that the domain of scientism is unable to explicate the complexities of ethics.
If we examine the eonic effect it becomes clear immediately that the evolution needed to bring about man, man as he is, is going to be far more complicated than what current Darwinian fundamentalism can consider
Guess what, noone is qualified; Harris the hypocrite
Science Is in the Details
Harris’s attempt to evaluate Collins is a strangely arrogant, and extremely ignorant piece of thinking.
I can’t for the life of me think who is qualified for the job Collins is taking on.
Harris’ review of Collins’ religious foibles is alarming in the extreme.
I have criticized Collins’ views’ a number of times, but I find the current review of his religious beliefs as disqualifying him for the NIH disgusting.
Consider this bullshit from Harris’ article.
If the moral law is just a side effect of evolution, then there is no such thing as good or evil. It’s all an illusion. We’ve been hoodwinked. Are any of us, especially the strong atheists, really prepared to live our lives within that worldview?”
Why should Dr. Collins’s beliefs be of concern?
There is an epidemic of scientific ignorance in the United States. This isn’t surprising, as very few scientific truths are self-evident, and many are counterintuitive. It is by no means obvious that empty space has structure or that we share a common ancestor with both the housefly and the banana. It can be difficult to think like a scientist. But few things make thinking like a scientist more difficult than religion.
At least Collins grasps that Darwinism has a problem with the evolution of ethics.
To Mr. Harris I would say there is an epidemic of Darwinian stupidity at work in the United States. That Collins should be confused by the issue of ethics and evolution is not surprising, but at least he sees the problem that Harris can’t see.
Harris is a hypocrite: he is a closet New Ager who believes in Buddhist psychology, and this he will hide from the public.
He will corrupt that psychology, in public, to deceive that public, apparently. And he turns around and beggars Collins over his moral beliefs not squaring with Darwinism.
Harris and his ilk are moving into areas such as Buddhism to destroy them in the name of secularism. Be ware of such phoneys.
I think we are without qualified scientists for any kind of cultural task. They are all so confused they cannot function.
Over represented in fringe groups?
It’s all about Science Envy
Fellows of the Discovery Institute seem to be over represented in fringe groups, Paul Nelson is a Young Earth Creationist, the Godfather of Intelligent Design Phillip Johnson and DI fellow Jonathan C. Wells have signed on to AIDS denial and Guillermo Gonzalez has signed on to a climate change denialist list.
Topically, given the debate about science communication that has been happening in the wake of of “Unscientific America”, in a recent article William Dembski dives into the whole Global Warming Denialism thing [1].
Bacteria Into Biotech Factories
Researchers Rapidly Turn Bacteria Into Biotech Factories
ScienceDaily (July 26, 2009) — High-throughput sequencing has turned biologists into voracious genome readers, enabling them to scan millions of DNA letters, or bases, per hour. When revising a genome, however, they struggle, suffering from serious writer’s block, exacerbated by outdated cell programming technology. Labs get bogged down with particular DNA sentences, tinkering at times with subsections of a single gene ad nauseam before moving along to the next one.
A team has finally overcome this obstacle
Tropical evolution
Heat may speed up evolution
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
Mammal species living in the tropics are evolving faster than their counterparts living in cooler environments, according to research carried out by New Zealand researchers.
Mammalian genome
After dinosaurs, mammals rise but their genomes get smaller
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 27, 2009
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Evidence buried in the chromosomes of animals and plants strongly suggests only one group — mammals — have seen their genomes shrink after the dinosaurs’ extinction. What’s more, that trend continues today, say Indiana University Bloomington scientists in the first issue of a new journal, Genome Biology and Evolution.
Lonesome George
Let’s hope Lonesome George comes out of his shell at long last
Tom Shields
IN THE absence of a good disaster to report, the various media will happily turn their attention to a warm human story, preferably involving an animal. The feelgood tale last week was that Lonesome George, the last of his particular subspecies of Galapagos giant tortoise, may have mated.
It will be some 120 days before we will know if he has been successful in producing a new generation of Geochelone nigra abingdoni. Which is nice, since we can return to the story in November.
The added piquancy is that the tortoise has waited until his 90th year to get round to the business of procreation. For 35 years he merely ignored his two concubines, earning the sobriquet Lonesome.
Harris on Collins
Science Is in the Details
by Sam Harris, NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/opinion/27harris.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
from Dawkins site
PRESIDENT OBAMA has nominated Francis Collins to be the next director of the National Institutes of Health. It would seem a brilliant choice. Dr. Collins’s credentials are impeccable: he is a physical chemist, a medical geneticist and the former head of the Human Genome Project. He is also, by his own account, living proof that there is no conflict between science and religion. In 2006, he published “The Language of God,” in which he claimed to demonstrate “a consistent and profoundly satisfying harmony” between 21st-century science and evangelical Christianity.
Dr. Collins is regularly praised by secular scientists for what he is not: he is not a “young earth creationist,” nor is he a proponent of “intelligent design.” Given the state of the evidence for evolution, these are both very good things for a scientist not to be.
But as director of the institutes, Dr. Collins will have more responsibility for biomedical and health-related research than any person on earth, controlling an annual budget of more than $30 billion. He will also be one of the foremost representatives of science in the United States. For this reason, it is important that we understand Dr. Collins and his faith as they relate to scientific inquiry.
Continue reading:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/opinion/27harris.html?_r=1&ref=opinion
Jewel beetle and light
Jewel Beetle Shimmer Could Offer Blueprint For Materials That Reflect Light
ScienceDaily (July 27, 2009) — “Jewel beetles” are widely known for their glossy external skeletons that appear to change colors as the angle of view changes. Now they may be known for something else–providing a blueprint for materials that reflect light rather than absorbing it to produce colors.
Coevolutionary struggle
Parasitic Worms Make Sex Worthwhile
ScienceDaily (July 27, 2009) — The coevolutionary struggle between a New Zealand snail and its worm parasite makes sex advantageous for the snail, whose females favor asexual reproduction in the absence of parasites
Who’s Controlling Our Food Supply
Guess Who’s Controlling Our Food Supply
by Rob Smart
I have a difficult time accepting genetically modified (GM) foods at face value. My primary concerns have to do with what we know, and, more importantly don’t know about how this “promising” technology may or may not be impacting human health and our environment.
For those who prefer to avoid serving as human lab rats, myself included, our non-GM food options, according to advocates of GM food, boil down to eating USDA Certified Organic, which do not allow any genetically modified seed or crops to be used on such labeled food products. Their idea of severely limiting consumer choice, since they are adamantly opposed to “GMO Inside” labeling, goes against their own argument of freedom to choose, which also goes against the very fabric of what makes America’s version of capitalism work so well.
I couldn’t imagine the situation getting much worse, but it just did.
GW and Pacific islanders
Published on Monday, July 27, 2009 by The Telegraph/UK
Climate Change to Force 75 Million Pacific Islanders From Their Homes
More than 75 million people living on Pacific islands will have to relocate by 2050 because of the effects of climate change, Oxfam has warned.
Uranium contamination
Published on Monday, July 27, 2009 by The New York Times
Uranium Contamination Haunts Navajo Country
by Dan Frosch
TEEC NOS POS, Ariz. – It was one year ago that the environmental scientist showed up at Fred Slowman’s door, deep in the heart of Navajo country, and warned that it was unsafe for him to stay there.
Shrinks and Torture
Shrinks and Torture
Will the American Psychological Association Renounce the Nuremberg Defense?
By STEPHEN SOLDZ
The long-standing struggle within the American Psychological Association over involvement of psychologists in potentially abusive national security interrogations is heating up again, this time with a dispute over its ethics code. In 2002, the APA added the infamous standard 1.02 to its code. This standard allows psychologists to ignore the other provisions of the code when it conflicts with “law, regulations, or other governing legal authority.”
With its echoes of the universally reviled Nuremberg Defense – “I was just following orders” – of the Nazi doctors and others tried for war crimes after World War II, this standard has been deeply disturbing to many APA members and others. This code is binding upon all APA members and upon most licensed psychologists in the country as most, perhaps all, states require those receiving licenses to adhere to the APA code. Standard 1.02 built a loophole into the ethics code that allowed any unethical behavior by those following military or other governmental orders.
Genome engineering machine
gnxp
A genome engineering machine that tweaks dozens of genes to create billions of bacterial strains in a few days could help produce biofuel or medicinal compounds in bulk
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17514-evolution-machine-speeds-up-search-for-better-bugs.html
Crows vs humans
gnxp
Here’s a surprise: Wild crows can recognize individual people. They can pick a person out of crowd, follow them, and remember them for years. But people — even people who love crows — can’t recognize individual crows. Here, two experiments that tell the story
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106826971
The philosophical baby
gnxp
This study on the consciousness of infants suggests that they may not be the irrational egotists they have traditionally been imagined to be
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/b26dfcf8-77e2-11de-9713-00144feabdc0.html
07.26.09
JFK and the Unspeakable
JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters (Hardcover)
by James W. Douglass
I am not into conspiracy theories, but over the years I have always come back to the question of the JFK assissination, at least to the degree of reading all the new books on the issue. After many bum steers and false leads, it is remarkable that some clarity is beginning to emerge, along with dark suspcions. I feel vindicated, finally. Whatever the case, Doublass’ book is the next piece in the genre.
A companion to the Douglas book is Family of Secrets, about the Bush clan, and here finally is an Oliver Stone article at Huffpost:
And Oliver Stone:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/oliver-stone/jfk-and-the-unspeakable_b_243924.html
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