Sagan, De Grasse Tyson, Hennes, Harris, Hitchens: We are the Universe, made aware of its own existence.
Over two hours of speeches on space, science, and religion. Open your mind, learn the amazing information available about our world and the Universe. Use them to sleep or for motivation to keep learning and debating.
Please use the comments to demonstrate your own ignorance, unfamiliarity with empirical data and lack of respect for scientific knowledge. Be sure to create straw men and argue against things I have neither said nor implied. If you could repeat previously discredited memes or steer the conversation into irrelevant, off topic discussions, it would be appreciated. Lastly, kindly forgo all civility in your discourse . . . you are, after all, anonymous.
My take on Carl Sagan, a conceited, pompous blind man: “And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:.. “But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.” -Jesus, Matthew 13.
There is no shame in looking for reality, especially when one can see.
I’ll take Science over Superstition any day . . .
History provides a clear lesson… civilizations rise with an embrace of rational skepticism, pragmatism, open inquiry… and a recognition of the need for independent thought.
The greatest threat to that success is dogma arising out of the natural desire for ‘certainty’ in fields that won’t ever provide it… (politics and religion easily come to mind)…
So while I have great appreciation for many fine ideas contained as elements of many religions, this has left me little inclination to embrace any particular one.
For me its largely the same situation with our political parties which, sad to say… also have little interest in rational skepticism, pragmatism or open inquiry… and have actually professionalized the discouragement of independent thought.
Living the expectations of the Ten Commandments will do nothing but assist the most strident non-believer live a better life.
Religion is optional. Living a principled life is divine.
Regarding history, a case could be made that civilizations implode when moral and just belief systems give way to chaos masquerading as intellectual exercises.
I’ll take Science over Superstition any day . . . Barry Ritholtz
Then checkout this guy: http://www.reasons.org Dr. Hugh Ross has a Phd in Astrophysics and is a devout Christian. And no, he doesn’t think the Universe is only 6000 years old.
I am not suggesting you cannot be spiritual or have other beliefs, but I am saying they are not science.
It is a great time to develop an interest in cosmology. Not only are there numerous programs on TV explaining the current knowledge of cosmology, if you follow the scientific press new discoveries are reported each month. It is a very exciting time!
I particularly enjoyed the Richard Feynman audio in the provided link.
My take on picking out phrases from an ancient book, written before science and asserting it as a truth revealed to only you and your group is well , conceited and pompous and that’s a kind description. Reality; what a concept!
Fantastic non finance links this weekend. Thanks!
IF you have not had this book in your hands and thoroughly read it, then you have missed the boat.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Urantia-Book-Editors-Foundation/dp/0911560513/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header
READ the reviews, then read the book, then maybe the answers will be clearer to those who are smart enough to get past the first few pages.
I know ALL of the Answers are in there.
But the great majority of people just want the 2 minute sound bite.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink ! We all heard that one.
But did you know ?
YOU CAN NOT FORCE THE TRUTH, IF CAN ONLY BE ACCEPTED.
any number of my heroes in this video. Thanks, Barry!
I don’t like the intro track that much. While disparaging humans as johnny-come-lately descendents-of-apes and muck he exalts in a picture of the universe drawn by our great inquirers, members of the first species ever capable of perceiving it. A species that has on its neck the most incredible programmable device ever, period.
The pity is that the vast majority of these incredible machines never receive decent programming and are never used to the extent of their capabilities. Unfortunately this is a side effect of our SOCIETY. We are social creatures and we each are molded to fill a role in the structure we are born into. It’s a system that works but is nevertheless a huge waste of individual potential. The potential is deliberately sacrificed for the greater benefit of SOCIETY.
We still need people to do many menial tasks. And yet the fundamental difference between each of these people and Alexander The Great is that they were not taught by Socrates.
Aristotle taught Alexander the Great not Socrates. Socrates taught Plato who taught Aristotle.
Amazing amount of blow back from the Tea Party types here. And you wanna know why the GOP is anti science? It’s because that’s what their followers want.
Enjoy making money with that degree in religion.
I’d love to see the chart patterns denin et al follow to do their stock trades. Only buy businesses Jesus would approve of? Short the companies he wouldn’t? Tell us your investing wisdom denin. What does your Book say about beating the markets?