10.27.09
Posted in Evolution at 12:16 pm by nemo
In praise of… Baboons
by Editorial – The Guardian
from dawkins site
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/27/in-praise-of-baboons?commentpage=1
“Baboons,” wrote the distinguished American biologist George B Schaller, “live in a peaceful society in which not aggression but friendship achieves the desired result.” He found it humbling to contemplate the social intelligence of the primates. “Baboons are individuals; each has its own temperament and idiosyncrasies, each has its own desires and goals … scientific papers cannot express the fundamental charm, the fleeting social entanglements, the perishable moments of a baboon’s life.” Schaller believed that studying baboons would help humans to a better understanding of how to live in peace, harmony, cooperation and friendship: “A contemplation of baboons can help humankind correct a skewed vision of itself.” And then there are celebrity restaurant critics. AA Gill, in the course of reviewing a meal in the Sunday Times, described the pleasure of shooting a baboon, which he did last Wednesday. He apparently blew its lungs out with a soft-nosed .357 – essentially for the “naughty fun” of it.
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Posted in In the News at 12:14 pm by nemo
Paul Haggis
by Moving On Up a Little Higher
from dawkins site
http://markrathbun.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/paul-haggis/
The Paul Haggis news has gone viral. A few U.S. news links that have picked it up and commented on the matter are given below. I have posted the entire letter below the links for easy reference in once place. Paul Haggis is no joke.
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Posted in Evolution at 12:11 pm by nemo
A Solution To Darwin’s ‘Mystery Of The Mysteries’ Emerges From The Dark Matter Of The Genome
ScienceDaily (Oct. 26, 2009) — Biological species are often defined on the basis of reproductive isolation. Ever since Darwin pointed out his difficulty in explaining why crosses between two species often yield sterile or inviable progeny (for instance, mules emerging from a cross between a horse and a donkey), biologists have struggled with this question. New research into this field by basic scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, published online Oct. 22 in Science Express, suggests that the solution to this problem lies within the “dark matter of the genome”: heterochromatin, a tightly packed, gene-poor compartment of DNA found within the genomes of all nucleated cells.
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Posted in Evolution at 12:07 pm by nemo
PR, eurekalert: Charles Darwin really did have advanced ideas about the origin of life
When Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species 150 years ago, he deliberately avoided the subject of the origin of life. This, coupled with the mention of the ‘Creator’ in the last paragraph of the book, led us to believe he was not willing to commit on the matter. An international team, led by Juli Peretó of the Cavanilles Institute in Valencia, now refutes that idea and shows that the British naturalist did explain in other documents how our first ancestors could have come into being.
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Posted in Booknotes, Evolution at 12:05 pm by nemo
Review – Why Us?
How Science Rediscovered the Mystery of Ourselves
by James Le Fanu
These are the two central planks Le Fanu wishes to establish upfront, because he thinks that they are crucial and have been overlooked in the general euphoria surrounding both projects. Having done this to his satisfaction, he goes on to make further objections to scientific materialism in the form of Darwinism which are more familiar, as they are still the matter of some contention.
For instance, he cannot see how evolution is a gradual process as Darwin and many of his latter day followers maintain, when the slow development of our enlarged brain and upright stance would put humans at a serious disadvantage in the survival stakes.
The ‘puzzle of perfection’ — where something, for example, the eye has to have all it parts fit for purpose all at once or not at all — and the failure of the fossil record to record the continuity of life — again cast doubt on this part of Darwin’s theory.
His aim is to demonstrate that what passes for established fact in Darwinism is still at the stage of hypothesis.
He is especially critical of the New Synthesis of Darwinism and Mendelism, with genetic mutation as a vehicle for natural selection and gradual change. He characterizes The Descent of Man as The Fall of Man, saying with the New Synthesis he is “no more than the plaything of his genes” and goes on to say that “the source of all this mischief lies in the necessity to portray man not as he is but as he has to be in order to incorporate him into an evolutionary theory that requires him to be different ‘only in degree not in kind’ from his primate cousins. We need, in short, a fuller, more rounded view that acknowledges the core reality of the human experience which sets us apart — the sense of the autonomous, independent ‘self’ …”. (p175)
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Posted in Evolution, Science & Religion at 12:00 pm by nemo
Evolution and Evangelicals … What are the Barriers? (RJS)
Tuesday October 27, 2009
Categories: Science and Faith
This is a big question for many of us these days.
What are the barriers to the acceptance of evolution amongst evangelicals? Can we (or should we) dismantle the “Great Wall” and overcome these barriers?
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Posted in Evolution at 11:58 am by nemo
Teach both evolution and creationism say 54% of Britons
British Council poll finds UK adults overtake Americans in wanting science teaching in schools to include intelligent design
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Posted in Evolution at 11:54 am by nemo
Junk DNA Mechanism That Prevents Two Species From Reproducing Discovered
ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2009) — Cornell researchers have discovered a genetic mechanism in fruit flies that prevents two closely related species from reproducing, a finding that offers clues to how species evolve.
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Posted in General at 11:53 am by nemo
Fighting Sleep: Researchers Reverse Cognitive Impairment Caused By Sleep Deprivation
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Posted in Evolution at 11:51 am by nemo
Climate Events Let Ice Age Mammoths Pass Far Below 40 Degrees North Latitude
ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2009) — Europe’s southern-most skeletal remains of Mammuthus primigenius were unearthed in a moor on the 37°N latitude. This is considerably south of the inhospitable habitat than one usually imagines for mammoths
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Posted in Evolution at 11:49 am by nemo
Ancient ‘Monster’ Insect: ‘Unicorn’ Fly Never Before Observed
ScienceDaily (Oct. 26, 2009) — Just in time for Halloween, researchers have announced the discovery of a new, real-world “monster” — what they are calling a “unicorn” fly that lived about 100 million years ago
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Posted in global warming at 11:44 am by nemo
The Economic Case for
Slashing Carbon Emissions
Amid a growing call for reducing atmospheric concentrations of CO2 to 350 parts per million, a group of economists maintains that striving to meet that target is a smart investment — and the best insurance policy humanity could buy.
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Posted in you've got mail at 11:41 am by nemo
Published on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 by The Media Consortium
Dismantling the Wall Street Casino
by Zach Carter
Bailout pay czar Ken Feinberg raised a ruckus last week when he announced plans to slash cash payouts to executives at seven companies that have received massive levels of taxpayer support. While better oversight of the bailout barons is helpful, the best way to change Wall Street pay practices is to adopt a set of tough, comprehensive regulations that cover everything from the executive suite to the loan department. As is, many of the executives Feinberg cracked down on will still make millions this year from stocks and other perks, while the very banks that depend the most on bailout money are spending like mad to lobby against reform.
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Posted in you've got mail at 11:39 am by nemo
Published on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 by CommonDreams.org
Rhetoric and Reality
by Ralph Nader
I just received a letter from President Obama. Right there on the outside envelope are the words “I need you.” After not answering several letters which I have mailed and faxed to him, I was, for the briefest of moments, curious about this personal plea for help. Then, of course, I realized that it was a form letter from Mr. Obama via the auspices of the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
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Posted in Critique of Evolutionary Economy at 11:38 am by nemo
We’ve Been Here Before
Black Tuesday and How We Got Out of It
By MIKE WHITNEY
October 29, marks the 80th anniversary of the Stock Market Crash of 1929, the event which most historians point to as the beginning of the Great Depression. On Black Tuesday, traders dumped 16 million shares in one day, sending the markets into freefall. In the months that followed, stocks rallied — sometimes for long periods at a time — but the underlying economy continued to deteriorate as consumers curtailed spending and cut back sharply on credit. As a result, hundreds of banks were shuttered, thousands of businesses failed, and unemployment soared to 25 percent. Public confidence plunged and the economy slipped into a decade-long slump. Tariffs were thrown up, international trade slowed to a crawl, and shanty towns began to sprout up across the country.
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Posted in you've got mail at 11:33 am by nemo
VIDEO: Why You Should Care About The Evils of Net Neutrality — In 2 Minutes!
Posted by Lee Camp, AlterNet at 1:00 PM on October 26, 2009.
The fight for net neutrality is gearing up again.
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Posted in In the News at 11:20 am by nemo
sciftp
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/can-biotech-food-cure-world-hunger/
October 26, 2009, 5:18 pm
Can Biotech Food Cure World Hunger?
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Posted in you've got mail at 11:14 am by nemo
RG mail
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/26/AR2009102603394.html
Washington Post October 27, 2009
*U.S. official resigns over Afghan war*
Foreign Service officer and former Marine captain says he no
longer knows why his nation is fighting
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Posted in you've got mail at 11:12 am by nemo
RG mail
*Michael T. Klare
Welcome to 2025:
American Pre-Eminence Is Disappearing 15 Years Early *
TomDispatch.com:
“Memo to the CIA: You may not be prepared for time-travel, but welcome to
2025 anyway! Your rooms may be a little small, your ability to demand better
accommodations may have gone out the window, and the amenities may not be to
your taste, but get used to it. It’s going to be your reality from now on.”
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10.26.09
Posted in Evolution at 5:11 pm by nemo
Volcanoes Played Pivotal Role In Ancient Ice Age, Mass Extinction
ScienceDaily (Oct. 26, 2009) — Researchers here have discovered the pivotal role that volcanoes played in a deadly ice age 450 million years ago.
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Posted in Evolution at 5:09 pm by nemo
Comment on Imperfect Designs
James said,
October 26, 2009 at 4:20 pm ·
I’m not really commenting on the issue of “design” as such. The main issue is the attempt by ID proponents to apply engineering terms to biological organisms in order to establish the rationality of some sort of designer and then claiming that the designer is really an artist to circumvent the problem of imperfect design. This isn’t really a problem if the “designer” is something like Schopenhauer’s “Will.”
Very good point. The abuse of the design argument by the ID group deserves a reminder of the perspective of Schopenhauer, a writer many fans of Darwinism might find helpful
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Posted in atheism, Science & Religion at 12:13 pm by nemo
So you think you’re an atheist?
By Tyler Chernesky | IDS
Two weeks ago, Richard Dawkins visited the IU Auditorium and things haven’t been the same since.
Immediately, conversations started across campus as students began to question their faith. While atheists commended the words of their most notable leader, concerned believers persistently questioned his claims.
Shocked by Dawkins’ confident rejections of faith, many were quick to label him a militant atheist extremist. I did.
But now, I’m not buying it.
While Dawkins might be an intelligent, Oxford-educated biologist with a keen ability to piss people off, he’s hardly hardcore. In fact, compared to the founding fathers of atheism, he’s a wimp, according to recent campus lecturer John Haught.
In his 2006 bestseller, “The God Delusion,” Dawkins claims, “We can give up belief in God while not losing touch with a treasured heritage.”
This isn’t exactly the view of the classical atheists. When famed existentialist/pioneering atheist Jean-Paul Sartre spoke about his beliefs, he said, “Atheism is a cruel and long-range affair.” Friedrich Nietzsche, though confident in God’s death, maintained that most would be too weak to accept the terrifying reality of a world without religion.
In overthrowing something as fundamental as God, classical atheists understood that intense cultural change would necessarily occur. Dawkins’ post-religious world, however, seems much like ours – just without churches, mosques, religious prejudice, absolute values and, most importantly, freedom from the greatest of all evils: creationists.
But that’s not how it works.
You can’t say no to something without saying yes to something else. Atheism isn’t a simple shunning of “irrational,” faith-based belief. It’s an embrace of naturalism. It’s an acceptance that this is all there is. It demands a willingness to wonder if there’s a purpose to life. It requires that individuals assume total responsibility for their actions, which is an incredible burden.
True atheists must grapple with lawless nihilism. They should see no tragedy in suffering and should find no praise for altruism. Certain ways might be preferable, but they cannot be inherently better. Because things just are. Period.
This doesn’t mean that atheists want us to suffer or that they desire a world without happiness. It doesn’t imply that many atheists have come to their belief without processing these bleak thoughts.
This doesn’t mean that atheists are bad people. I love them. Many are my friends.
I’m simply asserting that atheism is not a world view that should be as easily and rationally accepted as Dawkins suggests. It’s not a joyous enlightenment that one experiences.
It should be tough.
And though he can be quite the attack dog, I’d never call Richard Dawkins tough.
While I might be intimidated by his bold denunciations of all faiths, I see him for what he is: a half-hearted atheist, who only partially embraces the implications of his belief.
He is, at best, a naive proponent, fully knowledgeable of the biology behind his world view but reluctant to acknowledge the depressing reality of the existence he advocates. He’s one who would attack God, but not finish Him off. A pansy. A juvenile noob.
Or, as Dawkins might say in his refined British way, a bloody sissy.
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Posted in atheism, Science & Religion at 11:57 am by nemo
by Dvir Abramovich, Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/contributors/celebrity-atheists-expose-their-hypocrisy-20091026-hevx.html
from dawkins site Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Science & Religion at 11:55 am by nemo
by A. N. Wilson – NY Times
from dawkins site
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/25/opinion/25wilson.html
This was also discussed in a posting yesterday by Paula Kirby http://richarddawkins.net/article,4500,Business-as-usual-for-Vatican-Enterprises-Inc,Paula-Kirby-Newsweek-On-Faith and in the Forum http://forum.richarddawkins.net/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=96829
THE images and clichés came spluttering out of the laptops of church people and religious affairs correspondents on Tuesday: The pope has parked his tanks on the Church of England’s lawn; Rome has made a hostile takeover bid for Canterbury. It is understandable if people are at a loss for words, since the move has been made so decisively and so without warning. Even the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, knew nothing of the plan until a few days ago.
What has happened? Basically, it seems that Pope Benedict XVI has offered disgruntled Anglicans the opportunity to come over to Roman Catholicism en masse. Such an arrangement already exists in America. Anglicans who dislike the way they see things going in their own church (female bishops, gay bishops, gay female bishops — take your pick) are allowed to regroup within the Church of Rome. Although their priests will need to be retrained and re-ordained, they will be able to continue to use their traditional rites and Prayer Books, and to stay together as congregations.
There is talk in England of as many as 1,000 clergy members taking this offer. Even allowing for the numerical exaggeration, which always occurs when enemies of liberalism congregate, this is a huge potential figure. Let us say 500 Anglican priests and perhaps 10 bishops joined the new arrangement. Let us suppose they took with them plausible congregations. This would deliver a body blow not just to the Church of England, but to that whole intricately constructed and only semi-definable phenomenon, the British Establishment.
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Posted in Evolution at 11:51 am by nemo
Letter to editor
October 26, 2009
Space limitations preclude correcting every error espoused by local evolution disciples (“Evolution vs. creationism, Oct. 20). However, Phil Dunham’s argument can be refuted fairly briefly.
The darkening of pepper moths in England, as well as Darwin’s much-touted finch beak variations study, violate an axiom known as Occam’s razor. This, roughly paraphrased, posits that the simplest explanation for observed phenomena is to be preferred until disproved.
It’s far more logical to assume that any species’ physical traits that come to dominate a locality were always genetically present, and simply unobserved previously, rather than hoping that somehow, some way, these creatures’ DNA learned from failure and improved.
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Posted in Evolution, politics at 11:47 am by nemo
Charles Darwin and modern politics
4 CommentsWritten by Lee WishingOctober 26, 9:57 AMWith his head under my kitchen sink last week, talking politics and using tools I had never seen, Keith the plumber said, “My daughter stood up in class and told her eighth grade school teacher, ‘I’ll read your assignments on Darwinism, ace your tests, but I won’t believe it!’” It’s interesting that Keith mentioned this exchange because there’s an important link between Charles Darwin and today’s national politics.
In his latest book, Living Constitution, Dying Faith: Progressivism and the New Science of Jurisprudence, Bradley Watson describes how “social Darwinism” birthed modern-day politics, jurisprudence, and the Progressive Movement. Social Darwinism is a belief system that applies Darwinian evolution theory to political theory and action. For social Darwinists, according to Watson, “Darwin comes to be understood less as a biologist and more as a political philosopher or political scientist rejecting old modes and orders.”
For social Darwinists, the state is like an organism that is always evolving. The state must be forever in the process of change to survive and thrive. And moral-political truth is not a permanent thing. It too is always changing and “relative to one’s moment in History,” writes Watson. “Change in itself becomes the end, and it is always preferable to its opposite.”
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