Difference between revisions of "Ominous dots"
From Gender and Tech Resources
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== Science == | == Science == | ||
| − | === | + | === Uncertainty principle === |
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| − | [[File:Uncertainty-principle1.jpg| | + | [[File:Uncertainty-principle1.jpg|300px|thumb|right]] |
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| + | ... accepting that uncertainty exists not due to a lack of knowledge but thanks to a fundamental law doesn’t sit well with some physicists. One famous dissenter was Einstein, who was contemptuous of the idea that unpredictability could be integral to the physical laws governing the universe. Oscar Dahlsten, a theoretical physicist from the University of Oxford, says that a lot of people still intuitively feel that the uncertainty principle should not hold up ... “Now we know that without an uncertainty principle we could break the second law.” Since this would be far weirder than the existence of such a principle in the first place, it essentially justifies the uncertainty principle. “This work is about understanding why exactly quantum theory is as it is,” says Berta <ref>Sorry Einstein, the universe needs quantum uncertainty http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21428702.100-sorry-einstein-the-universe-needs-quantum-uncertainty.html</ref>. | ||
=== The four horsemen === | === The four horsemen === | ||
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| + | [[File:Horsemen.jpg|300px|thumb|right]] | ||
On the 30th of September 2007, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens sat down for a first-of-its-kind, unmoderated 2-hour discussion, convened by RDFRS and filmed by Josh Timonen <ref>Playlist The Four Horsemen: Discussions with Richard Dawkins https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=SPCFE979715AE46A0E&v=9DKhc1pcDFM</ref>. All four authors have recently received a large amount of media attention for their writings against religion – some positive, and some negative. In this conversation the group trades stories of the public’s reaction to their recent books, their unexpected successes, criticisms and common misrepresentations. They discuss the tough questions about religion that face the world today, and propose new strategies for going forward. | On the 30th of September 2007, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens sat down for a first-of-its-kind, unmoderated 2-hour discussion, convened by RDFRS and filmed by Josh Timonen <ref>Playlist The Four Horsemen: Discussions with Richard Dawkins https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=SPCFE979715AE46A0E&v=9DKhc1pcDFM</ref>. All four authors have recently received a large amount of media attention for their writings against religion – some positive, and some negative. In this conversation the group trades stories of the public’s reaction to their recent books, their unexpected successes, criticisms and common misrepresentations. They discuss the tough questions about religion that face the world today, and propose new strategies for going forward. | ||
The Four Horsemen is also an award winning independent feature documentary which "lifts the lid on how the world really works" <ref>Four horsemen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fbvquHSPJU</ref>. | The Four Horsemen is also an award winning independent feature documentary which "lifts the lid on how the world really works" <ref>Four horsemen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fbvquHSPJU</ref>. | ||
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== Polytheism == | == Polytheism == | ||
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Oh and my gods are bigger than yours <ref>Spitting Image - My God Is Bigger Than Your God https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRwXrcz-F9M</ref>, of course. | Oh and my gods are bigger than yours <ref>Spitting Image - My God Is Bigger Than Your God https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRwXrcz-F9M</ref>, of course. | ||
| − | == | + | == On witch burnings == |
I think I found why patriarchy feared witches in this snippet: | I think I found why patriarchy feared witches in this snippet: | ||
Revision as of 13:47, 27 May 2015
Things are bad. Really bad. You want to do the right thing and make the bad thing better. We wish life would be as simple as making the Monsters Under the Bed go away just by sticking heads in rooms. Sadly, that doesn’t work. We have to name the Monster, get the facts on it, make possible meanings of the data in the context, and assign significance to meanings made, so we can cast the proper spells to make it go away.
Contents
Monotheism
Fate
Science
Uncertainty principle
... accepting that uncertainty exists not due to a lack of knowledge but thanks to a fundamental law doesn’t sit well with some physicists. One famous dissenter was Einstein, who was contemptuous of the idea that unpredictability could be integral to the physical laws governing the universe. Oscar Dahlsten, a theoretical physicist from the University of Oxford, says that a lot of people still intuitively feel that the uncertainty principle should not hold up ... “Now we know that without an uncertainty principle we could break the second law.” Since this would be far weirder than the existence of such a principle in the first place, it essentially justifies the uncertainty principle. “This work is about understanding why exactly quantum theory is as it is,” says Berta [1].
The four horsemen
On the 30th of September 2007, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens sat down for a first-of-its-kind, unmoderated 2-hour discussion, convened by RDFRS and filmed by Josh Timonen [2]. All four authors have recently received a large amount of media attention for their writings against religion – some positive, and some negative. In this conversation the group trades stories of the public’s reaction to their recent books, their unexpected successes, criticisms and common misrepresentations. They discuss the tough questions about religion that face the world today, and propose new strategies for going forward.
The Four Horsemen is also an award winning independent feature documentary which "lifts the lid on how the world really works" [3].
Polytheism
Whose is bigger?
Oh and my gods are bigger than yours [4], of course.
On witch burnings
I think I found why patriarchy feared witches in this snippet:
An old woman (who happens to be a witch) and a priest are sitting by the road having a conversation.
(The conversation starts on the classic subject of "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?")
"Sixteen!"
"You've counted sixteen?" said Oats eventually.
"No, but it is as good an answer as any you'll get. And that's what you holy men discuss is it?"
"Not usually. There is a very interesting debate raging at the moment on the nature of sin, for example."
"And what do they think? Against it, are they?"
"It is not as simple as that. It's not a black and white issue. There are so many shades of gray."
"Nope."
"Pardon?"
"There's no grays, only white that's got grubby. I'm surprised you don't know that. And sin, young man, is when you treat people as things. Including yourself. That's what sin is."
"It's a lot more complicated than that--"
"No it ain't. When people say things are a lot more complicated than that, they means they're getting worried that they won't like the truth. People as things, that's where it starts."
"Oh, I'm sure there are worse crimes-"
"But they Starts with thinking about people as things…"
Unknowable
For the sake of a "universal filesystem" and life being too short to fight over names, I have made space for an "unknowable" directory, with a sub directory "prince of darkness" to file electric wiring schemes of english motorcycles in. You never know when *that* comes in handy.
References
- ↑ Sorry Einstein, the universe needs quantum uncertainty http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21428702.100-sorry-einstein-the-universe-needs-quantum-uncertainty.html
- ↑ Playlist The Four Horsemen: Discussions with Richard Dawkins https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=SPCFE979715AE46A0E&v=9DKhc1pcDFM
- ↑ Four horsemen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fbvquHSPJU
- ↑ Spitting Image - My God Is Bigger Than Your God https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRwXrcz-F9M