Sam Harris

Ken G.
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Sam Harris

 What's up with Sam Harris,check out his new blog on EDGE:The Reality Club  www.edge.org/3rd_culture/coyne09/coyne09_index.html#harriss

 


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It's satire. Sam Harris

It's satire.

Sam Harris wrote:
Derman reminds us, with extraordinary patience, that scientists have no authority outside the narrow focus of the scientific worldview. Can a biologist harbor any educated doubts about the Virgin birth of Jesus? No—because human parthenogenesis has nothing whatsoever to do with biology.

Our revels now are ended. These our actors, | As I foretold you, were all spirits, and | Are melted into air, into thin air; | And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, | The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, | The solemn temples, the great globe itself, - Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, | And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, | Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff | As dreams are made on, and our little life | Is rounded with a sleep. - Shakespeare


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Satire

  Do you really think that it's satire,or is Harris having second thoughts about Atheism.

 

Signature ? How ?


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Ken G. wrote:  Do you

Ken G. wrote:

  Do you really think that it's satire,or is Harris having second thoughts about Atheism. 

What? You can't be serious. Of course it's satire. Did you read it? 

 

Our revels now are ended. These our actors, | As I foretold you, were all spirits, and | Are melted into air, into thin air; | And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, | The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, | The solemn temples, the great globe itself, - Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, | And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, | Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff | As dreams are made on, and our little life | Is rounded with a sleep. - Shakespeare


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Harris

 Yeah and he dishes Dawkins for being to rational . Maybe he's having a crisis ?

 


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Quote:Do you really think

Quote:

Do you really think that it's satire,or is Harris having second thoughts about Atheism.

You're joking, right? Have you read the entire thing? Didn't the part where he stated "human parthenogenesis has nothing to do with biology" clue you in?

"Physical reality” isn’t some arbitrary demarcation. It is defined in terms of what we can systematically investigate, directly or not, by means of our senses. It is preposterous to assert that the process of systematic scientific reasoning arbitrarily excludes “non-physical explanations” because the very notion of “non-physical explanation” is contradictory.

-Me

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Reread

But why put it up on Edge:The Reality Club


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Ken G. wrote:But why put it

Ken G. wrote:

But why put it up on Edge:The Reality Club

Why not?

 

Our revels now are ended. These our actors, | As I foretold you, were all spirits, and | Are melted into air, into thin air; | And, like the baseless fabric of this vision, | The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces, | The solemn temples, the great globe itself, - Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, | And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, | Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff | As dreams are made on, and our little life | Is rounded with a sleep. - Shakespeare


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I like this bit, which

I like this bit, which strikes me as making it pretty clear it is a parody:

Quote:

As to why science has been the greatest agent for the mitigation of religious belief the world has ever seen, and has been viewed as a threat by religious people in almost every context, this is a final mystery that defies human analysis. I have often thought that if God had wanted us to understand the difference between having good reasons for what one believes, and having bad ones, He would have made this difference intelligible to everyone.

Favorite oxymorons: Gospel Truth, Rational Supernaturalist, Business Ethics, Christian Morality

"Theology is now little more than a branch of human ignorance. Indeed, it is ignorance with wings." - Sam Harris

The path to Truth lies via careful study of reality, not the dreams of our fallible minds - me

From the sublime to the ridiculous: Science -> Philosophy -> Theology


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BobSpence1 wrote:I like this

BobSpence1 wrote:

I like this bit, which strikes me as making it pretty clear it is a parody:

Quote:

As to why science has been the greatest agent for the mitigation of religious belief the world has ever seen, and has been viewed as a threat by religious people in almost every context, this is a final mystery that defies human analysis. I have often thought that if God had wanted us to understand the difference between having good reasons for what one believes, and having bad ones, He would have made this difference intelligible to everyone.

That is similure to Jefferson's quote, "Question with boldness even the existance of God, for if there be one, surely he would pay more homage to reason than to that of blindfolded fear".

You can certainly think you have good reasons for holding a position, but the only way to know that, is to put them to the test of scientific scrutiny. Fans of deities don't want the curtain pulled back to reveal man as the creator of gods, because that would mean they would have to face reality. Placebo thinking is intoxicating but deadly to intelect, and being as such, is the source of bloody lemmings littering human history with violence and death.

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Ken G. wrote:But why put it

Ken G. wrote:

But why put it up on Edge:The Reality Club

Maybe you're not used to reading satire, because that's about as blatant as it gets. It wouldn't matter if it was on "Truth: The Truthiest Club".

I thought the piece was hilarious.

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I might have satireaphasia,

I might have satireaphasia, because I couldn't see it at first or maybe I was blinded by the initial shock

People who think there is something they refer to as god don't ask enough questions.


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Hasn't this been posted

Hasn't this been posted before? I still don't get how this article is too subtle for some people. The parthenogenesis line made me laugh out loud.

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Ken G. wrote:But why put it

Ken G. wrote:

But why put it up on Edge:The Reality Club

What? Freethinkers, atheists and other rational people can't have a sense of humor? Harris has a dry wit which is sometimes difficult to grasp by some people.  Satire can be subtle or it can be easily picked up on by all but a complete idiot.  In your favor, Harris' writing was on the subtle side.  There were, however, some very obvious clues througout the writing.  I loved it.

Since Edge is made up of people who are capable of critical thought it's their choice how to present their writings.  I can't think of a single reason why satire could not be posted on that web-site.

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Ken G. wrote: What's up

Ken G. wrote:

 What's up with Sam Harris,check out his new blog on EDGE:The Reality Club  www.edge.org/3rd_culture/coyne09/coyne09_index.html#harriss

 

For the love of Jake! Not Sam!

 

I wonder what my life would be like if I actually didn't understand things...

 

After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him.

The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.
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