Wonderist's blog
Still Unapologetic, Thanks for asking.
Submitted by Wonderist on September 17, 2011 - 5:46pm.
For context, you may want to read this thread: Am I being irrational?
As for this:Quote:Here is a quote from that forum made today relating to you guys:
no-one gives much of a shit about the RRS since they jumped the fucking shark a couple of years ago anywayI'll come back to this in a bit, after reading your thread (second link I gave).
...
although we know that we're pussycats with a hefty dose of indignation and snark, there is an (undeserved) impression out there in the blogosphere that the RRS are a bunch of bullies. Again, I'll get to that later (the rumour mill)
Okay, so it's later. Had to take a break last night. Time to address this.
After reading Goldenmane's post, I'm disappointed, but I have a feeling his/her reaction was more in regards to how kimsland was posting, than it was directly against the RRS. Could be mistaken on that, but that's how it seems to me.
Goldenmane--and anyone else--is completely entitled to their opinion, but I strongly suspect that opinion is based on third- or fourth-hand rumours than it is based on actual experience with us.
Here's the deal... (continue reading)
The Word is: Physicalism
Submitted by Wonderist on September 22, 2010 - 2:45pm.In a recent article from Seed, David Weisman debunks the idea of a unified mind, and in so doing also debunks the idea of a unified soul.
I was struck by the following quote in which he expresses regret at the lack of a word for capturing the idea that the mind is entirely physical:
I wish there were a term in the English language that honestly captures the idea that all we experience is due to brain function. ”Materialism” comes close, but is laden with excess metaphysical baggage. The philosopher John Searle coined “biological naturalism” as a mind-body theory within philosophy, and that comes very close. “Asoulism” is more modest: a simple disbelief in the existence of souls based on evidence.
Well David, I have good news for you! There is such a word! And it inspired my second "The Word is:" post:
The word is: Physicalism
We are the asteroid
Submitted by Wonderist on March 22, 2010 - 7:46pm.Sometimes metaphors are apt. Sometimes they are damn near perfect.
From a fascinating blog post on Scientific American, by Scott D. Sampson, Dismiss dinosaurs as failures...and pave a path to a bleak future:
Over the past half-billion years, there have been five major mass extinctions, with the dinosaurs wiped out in the most recent of these. We now face the sixth mass extinction, which threatens to tear apart the fabric of the biosphere, with drastic consequences for most life on this planet, including us. In better times, species losses tick along at a barely discernable rate—perhaps one every five years. At present, somewhere between 50 and 150 species disappear every day, never to be seen again. (Once again, uncertainty in the actual value comes mostly from a lack of basic knowledge about how many species exist.)
This time around, a single species—Homo sapiens—has become the external force driving the decimation of millions of other species. Yes, we are the asteroid now colliding with the planet.
