19th Century Thinkers

One reason that I reject nineteenth century thinkers like Marx, Nietzsche and Freud is that they went too far in the first flush of exuberance in questioning everything. And yet they still had a lot of irrationality built into their thinking if only because of the period they were in.
They went too far in almost creating religions themselves when they were questioning religion.
So-called "Marxism" and Pscyhoanalysis certainly had the characteristics of religions with all their dogma and intolerance.

London - The World in a City

London - the World in a City.

London was the capital of the biggest empire the world has ever known.

Some people say that Islam MEANS peace.

Some people say that Islam MEANS peace.

Inshallah!

Richard Dawkins and Biogenesis

I hope that Richard Dawkins points out at some point in a very prominent way that evolutionary theory cannot (as yet) explain biogenesis.

I accept that maybe one day we will know.

But it must be pointed out that at present we don't know.

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At the end of the day, he is adamant that "there is no architect."

And he may well be totally right about this.

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But he never stresses that a gene is itself literally an architects' plan.

A gene is information.

And, as far as I know, Dawkins has no more clue than anyone else on the planet has, as to how that information emerged, supposedly ex nihilo.


As a supposed evangelist for science and reason he should make this very clear if it is the case.

I wish him all the very best.

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I am listening to him now on BBC2 and he has just said that "Darwinism explains our existence."

(As the Americans say) Excuse me?

Have I missed something?

Update - 2017.

Nearly eight years after writing the above, I have decided to read more of Dawkins writings and hear more of his speeches to see how he maintains that Darwinism explains our existence.
I understand that he does concede that Darwin does not explain biogenesis, but he makes it clear that this is no reason to lurch from this to something other than a scientific explanation for it.
This is entirely right.
Biogenesis MUST have a rational, scientific explanation that we may indeed someday discover.

BEST BEFORE END JAN91

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I love Banksy

Banksy is great!
Graffiti is art!

I am thanking the Universe for Richard Ingrams

I am thanking the Universe for Richard Ingrams.

I want to thank him warmly for a simple thing he said.

A Jewish historian compared Bush and Blair to Churchill and Roosevelt.
Ingrams simply said that this is "nonsense."
Of course it's nonsense!

It is sickening and depressing that a Jewish historian of the Holocaust can make this comparison, given the Anti-Semitic and genocidal attack on Iraq (1991-2008) and I am very glad that Ingrams has said and written what he said.

I am eternally grateful to Ingrams for writing that.

I always love his succint columns anyway, but this comment alone has won him my devotion.

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http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/richard-ingrams/richard-ingramsrsquos-week-no-one-talks-nonsense-quite-like-a-historian-1710763.html


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This piece also includes the following fascinating point:

"Why did the Americans invade? We still don't know. Even Bush's director of policy at the state department Richard Haass has said that "he would go to his grave not knowing the answer". "

.......

Punishment of any kind is not necessarily justified

Further to a discussion of issues around justice and forgiveness, I must point out that in my view, punishment is not in itself a necessarily philosophically sound concept, as others have pointed out.

One obvious reason for this is that punishment is in a sense an evil and a repetition of the original harm.

Cynic in the Original Sense

I was looking at an article about Cynicism in the original sense of the term as used to describe the Greek philosophical movement.
A Cynic for example was the first to say "I am a citizen of the world." Or I am "cosmopolitan".

Which now sounds like the exact opposite of cynicism as we understand it.
They were the original "drop outs" at a time when civilisation was crumbling.
Very interesting.

It might perhaps be more enlightening to call "Cynicism", "Doggism".

At least you know where you are with me

At least you know where you are with me.
In every situation I was put into I told the truth.
Will continue to do so whilst I live.
And I am proud of that at least.
RAGGIONE E MODERAZIONE.