1. n + 1 on Dating:
Dating presents itself as an education in human relationships. In fact it's an anti-education. You could invent no worse preparation for love, for marriage, than the tireless pursuit of the perfect partner. Keep Looking, says dating. You're Not Done Yet. What About That One? And That One? Dating, like the tyrant, seeks perfection (within a certain price range). Whereas the heart, like the eye, can only cling to imperfections: her funny stride, and the way her voice breaks, child-like, on the phone. And so the dater, self-baffling, seeks what the heart cannot understand.
We must stop dating. But we can't. Because the only way to stop dating would be to date more, and more efficiently, to become more adept at spotting, on the first date, those things that on the fifth or fifteenth date are going to become a problem. Of course that only makes it worse--by that standard, even Abelard and Heloise wouldn't have made it. The other option is to change yourself. But you'd have done that by now, if you could.The only way to stop dating is to fall in love. But how, under conditions of dating, would this be possible?
(HT: The American Scene)
2. J.P. Moreland on the Argument from Consciousness:
If we limit our options to theism and naturalism, it is hard to see how finite consciousness could result from the rearrangement of brute matter; it is easier to see how a Conscious Being could produce finite consciousness since, according to theism, the First Being is Himself conscious. Thus, the theist has no need to explain how consciousness can come from materials bereft of it. Consciousness is there from the beginning.
To put the point differently, in the beginning there were either particles or Reason. If you start with particles and just rearrange them according to physical law, you won't get consciousness. If you start with Reason, you already have consciousness.
(HT: Fides Quaerens Intellectum)
3. The Wilson Quarterly on Joke Morality:
It's perfectly OK to tell lawyer jokes, musician jokes, or almost any joke about a rich guy. But jokes about race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or physical or cognitive ability are considered morally offensive. Why?
Philosophers have advanced two theories. "Cognitivists" say that jokes made at the expense of minority groups carry the suggestion that the jokester, deep down, believes them. "Consequentialists" argue that certain jests are morally suspect because they cause harm, or are likely to. But neither theory adequately explains what's offensive, argues Jeanette Bicknell, a philosopher at Carleton University, in Ottawa. It is quite possible, she suggests, to tell a joke without embracing it as a truth--nobody believes that an elephant actually walked into a bar--but we suspend disbelief for the sake of a laugh. And almost any joke might cause harm to someone, sometime.
4. The Federal Budget Crisis Explained
5. Jonathan Dodson offers six ways to redemptively engage culture:
1. Engage culture prayerfully. I'm not suggesting that we should actually bow our heads and recite a prayer before reading a newspaper or book, watching TV or a movie, or going shopping, though that certainly wouldn't hurt. Instead, we are to live life and engage culture in a spirit of dependence upon God; we are to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). We should approach culture just as we should approach all things, prayerfully.
6. Quote of the Week: "Every macroeconomic pronouncement should be accompanied by a disclaimer that says, 'This is just my opinion. We don't really know.'" -- economist Arnold Kling
7. How to Turn Your iPod Touch into an iPhone
8. Metacritic.com compiled a list of the 200 lowest-scoring films in their database database with a minimum of seven reviews. Although I watch a lot of movies, I had to go down to #83 Staying Alive (1983) before I got to a film that I had watched (a) in a theater and (b) all the way to the end. (HT: Kyle Smith)
9. Justice Scalia Delivers a "Supreme Court Smackdown" to Justice Stevens
Purer expression cannot be found of the principle of rule by judicial fiat. In the face of JUSTICE STEVENS' experience, the experience of all others is, it appears, of little consequence. The experience of the state legislatures and the Congress--who retain the death penalty as a form of punishment--is dismissed as "the product of habit and inattention rather than an acceptable deliberative process." Ante, at 8. The experience of social scientists whose studies indicate that the death penalty deters crime is relegated to a footnote. Ante, at 10, n. 13. The experience of fellow citizens who support the death penalty is described, with only the most thinly veiled condemnation, as stemming from a "thirst for vengeance." Ante, at 11. It is JUSTICE STEVENS' experience that reigns over all.
10. Carl Trueman on Zen Calvinism (via Gene Veith):
Like the Buddhist movement which shares the same name, Zen-Calvinism is a school of religious thought which allows its adherents to live at one with the world, untroubled in any ultimate sense by the slings and arrows which life throws their way. It is also counter-cultural and thus represents a deeply alternative lifestyle. Let me elaborate a little on this counter-cultural mentality.
At the heart of Zen-Calvinism is the belief that all human beings are morally flawed, unlike the worldviews projected by the celebrity-saturated commercial culture of the modern West. . . .Zen-Calvinists also accept that they are themselves no better than anyone else; and, understanding their own tendencies to treat everyone else in a less-than-perfect fashion, they will not be surprised when they are repaid in kind. Zen-Calvinists are at one with the depravity of the fallen universe; they expect to be treated as they know they have treated others.The second major element of Zen-Calvinism is the mantras which we use to worship. Unlike those used to hide from reality, whether the latest Britney Spears ditty or some nostalgic song extolling the mythical virtues of yesteryear, the Zen-Calvinist mantra book is rooted in the 150 songs we find in the Bible's book of Psalms. Here, both Zen master and novice find words to express their deepest longings, their profoundest fears, and their most passionate desires in words which, as inspired by God, have the divine imprimatur....
The final element of Zen-Calvinism is perhaps the most important: the realization that all evil has been subverted for the greater good purposes of the God who loves his church. If the supreme crime of human history - the judicial murder of the very Son of God - can be used for the greatest good, then any other crime, sin or moral failing can also be frustrated and turned to good account. And that applies not just to the loutish and corrupt behaviour of others; it applies supremely to that of the Zen-Calvinist who reflects upon these things.
11. The Stupidest Business Decisions in History
12. Richard Adams on The Union, the Nation, and the Civil War:
...[Michael Medved's] understanding of America seems to be a bit confused and contradictory. On one hand, he always calls the U.S. "The greatest nation on God's green earth," but he also refers to the Civil War as "the war between the states." The former claim cannot be reconciled with the later term. To call the Civil War "the war between the states" is to accept the Confederate view of the U.S. Constitution, according to which the Constitution was merely an update of the Articles of Confederation. It implies that in 1776 13 distinct states were formed, and that those 13 states formed a confederation which remained a confederation after 1789.
To call the U.S. a "nation" is to agree with President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address that "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." If the U.S. is "the greatest nation on God's green earth," therefore, the proper term for the unpleasantness of the 1860s is the Civil War.
13. How does a fly land upside down on the ceiling? (HT: Maggie's Farm)
14. FriendlyAtheist: 20 Things That Christians Do in Church That Annoy Me
3. Walk in after the music-- or worse yet, the sermon-- has started.
(If it's not that important for you to be on time, just stop showing up.)4. Look at me with anxiety because I'm brown.
5. Look at me with excitement because I'm not white.
(HT: Parchment and Pen)
15. Google New adds quotation search
As part of Google's mission to organize the world's information, we've been hard at work making quotations in news articles easy to search and browse. You can now more easily keep track of what your favorite politician, actor or sports star is saying. You can even search within their quotes for specific topics.
16. Where did all the Smiths go?
In 1984, according to the Social Security Administration, nearly 3.4 million Smiths lived in the United States. In 1990, the census counted 2.5 million. By 2000, the Smith population had declined to fewer than 2.4 million. The durability of some of the most common names in American history may also have been perpetuated because slaves either adopted or retained the surnames of their owners. About one in five Smiths are black, as are about one in three Johnsons, Browns, and Joneses and nearly half the people named Williams.
17. Timewaster of the Week: Doeo (HT: Neatorama)
18. David W. Anthony's The Horse The Wheel and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppe Shaped the Modern World:
The tribes Europeans encountered in their colonial ventures in Africa, South Asia, the Pacific, and the Americas were at first assumed to have existed for a long time. They often claimed antiquity for themselves. But many tribes are now believed to have been transient political communities of the historical moment. Like the Ojibwa, some might have crystallized only after contact with European agents who wanted to deal with bounded groups to facilitate the negotiation of territorial treaties. And the same critical attitude toward bounded tribal territories is applied to European history. Ancient European tribal identities - Celt, Scythians, Cimbri, Teoton, and Pict - are now frequently seen as convenient names for chameleon-like political alliances that had no true ethnic identity, or as brief ethnic phenomena that were unable to persist for any length of time, or even as entirely imaginary later inventions.
(HT: Marginal Revolution)
19. Jared Bridges on "Judy":
Think about all the women you know.
Are you thinking?Let me then, make a bold prediction: you know no one under the age of 40 whose first name is Judy.
Oh yes, I can prove it...
20. Hitler and Darwinism (Part I) -- David Klinghoffer on the connection between Hitler And Darwin:
Hitler understood something about Judaism that even many Jews today don't grasp.
I mention this because you're soon going to be hearing a lot about a new movie, Expelled, which understands something about Hitler that, in turn, many Jews and non-Jews don't or don't want to understand...A gentle soul, Darwin himself never advocated genocide. But in The Descent of Man, he predicted that the logic of natural selection made inevitable something like what Hitler attempted against the Jews:
"At some future period, not very distant as measured by centuries, the civilized races of man will almost certainly exterminate and replace throughout the world the savage races."
What you would not readily foresee from reading Darwin's writings is that the race requiring extermination would turn out to be us Jews. But Hitler perceived an inner logic in Darwinism that even Charles Darwin didn't.
(HT: Mere Comments)
21. Hitler and Darwinism (Part II) - Tom Gilson on Why the Darwin-Hitler Link Is So Sensitive
22. Evil Monkey's Guide to Kosher Imaginary Animals (HT: Neatorama)
23. C. Michael Patton on the four primary options for explaining what we mean when we say that "God is sovereign."
24. Albert Mohler: Values and Moral Truth are Not the Same:
No discussion of our national ills is complete without some mention of slippery "values" in the public square. Indeed, though talk of moral absolutes is portrayed as outdated and simplistic, the debate concerning national values has never been more heated.
The late Allan Bloom, whose 1987 book The Closing of the American Mind became a runaway bestseller, wrote perceptively that the contemporary talk of "values" is what is left when society accepts the notion that there is no genuine right or wrong. Moral issues are reduced to matters of personal preference and conviction. My "values" may not match your "values," but we all must respect each other's convictions equally in matters of common concern.The situation prompted one observer to comment that when he hears talk of "values," he reaches for his nearest discount catalogue. It is about as useful as anything else if all moral absolutes are discarded.
25. LOLCat LOLStork of the Week
see more crazy cat pics
26. Google Maps Predicts Traffic Conditions
Google Maps can now predict traffic information for any day of the week and time of the day, based on past conditions. By default, if you click on the Traffic button in a supported area from the US, Google Maps shows real-time traffic information. "Comprehensive traffic data is available in over 30 major US metropolitan areas (including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and others), with partial coverage available in many more," according to Google Maps help center.
27. How to Convert PowerPoint Presentations to Video Files (with Sound)
28. Fold your arms to boost your performance -- Faced with a challenging task, try folding your arms - new research shows people persevere for longer when their arms are crossed.
29. Possible Link Between Baby Swimming And Breathing Problems In Children -- Children with mothers who have allergies or asthma have an increased risk of wheezing in the chest if they take part in baby swimming before 6 months of age.
30. Many African-Americans have a gene that prolongs life after heart failure -- About 40 percent of African-Americans have a genetic variant that can protect them after heart failure and prolong their lives, according to research conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and collaborating institutions. The genetic variant has an effect that resembles that of beta blockers, drugs widely prescribed for heart failure. The new study offers a reason why beta blockers don't appear to benefit some African-Americans.
31. Geometry shapes sound of music -- Through the ages, the sound of music in myriad incarnations has captivated human beings and made them sing along, and as scholars have suspected for centuries, the mysterious force that shapes the melodies that catch the ear and lead the voice is none other than math. It's geometry, to be more precise, and now, a trio of 21st-century music professors from Florida State University, Yale University and Princeton University have analyzed and categorized in brand-new ways the mathematics intrinsic to musical harmony. Their cutting-edge collaboration has produced a powerful tool they call "geometrical music theory," which translates the language of music theory into that of contemporary geometry.
32. Older Americans Are More Socially Engaged Than Many People May Think -- A new University of Chicago study shows that older people remain vital and active members of society as they age, despite a popular notion that they are more likely to be socially isolated. A research team found that although older individuals have fewer intimate relationships, they may respond to social loss by becoming more likely to volunteer, attend religious services and spend time with their neighbors than those in their 50s.
33. I Love the World
Mooreland
If we limit our options to theism and naturalism, it is hard to see how finite consciousness could result from the rearrangement of brute matter; it is easier to see how a Conscious Being could produce finite consciousness since, according to theism, the First Being is Himself conscious. Thus, the theist has no need to explain how consciousness can come from materials bereft of it. Consciousness is there from the beginning.
To put the point differently, in the beginning there were either particles or Reason. If you start with particles and just rearrange them according to physical law, you won't get consciousness. If you start with Reason, you already have consciousness.
The problem remains from either perspective. If the First Beign was conscious then bully for him but it still remains difficult to see how particles were and are cobbled together to make consciousness in everyone else. (I assume here that no one things the First Beign himself is just made out of particles).
You are free to call such an event a miracle but a miracle by definition is a deviation from natural laws. Parting the Red Sea one time for the Jews to escape Egypt is a miracle, the Red Sea parting every day at 10:13AM is a schedule. If the 'miracle' is that particles can form conscousness then that miracle happens every single day, not only when we are born but as our body ditches 'dead particles' and carries our consiousness template is written on a new set of particles made out of the food we eat every day.
Klinghoffer
"At some future period, not very distant as measured by centuries, the civilized races of man will almost certainly exterminate and replace throughout the world the savage races."
What you would not readily foresee from reading Darwin's writings is that the race requiring extermination would turn out to be us Jews. But Hitler perceived an inner logic in Darwinism that even Charles Darwin didn't.
Mixing up cause and effect are we? Did Darwin cause Hitler to kill Jews or did Darwin simply make an observation about human nature?
There's also a bit of the Nostradamus fallacy about this quote. You'll note that Nostradamus's are often so vague that they could be applied to almost any plausible history that happened after he made them by latching onto the elements that appear true and ignoring the ones that aren't.
When Darwin was writing, there was already an extensive history of civilized races exterminating 'savage' ones. In America the Native Americans were in retreat. European powers were busy colonizing what we today call the developing world but even that wasn't needed to make such a prediction. Look at the history of Rome, any educated man of Darwin's day would have been well versed in classical history. Civilized societies tramping on less civilized ones is very old news. The question was how much of the difference between civilized groups and uncivilized groups was cultural and how much was racial. Darwin, like many of his generation, leaned heavily on racial (genetic) while today the evidence appears to point almost entirely to cultural.
Now look at what is being ignored in the quote to force the square peg of Darwin into the round hold of Hitler. The war Hitler made on the Jews was not a war on a 'savage race' but a civilized one. In fact, Nazi-mythology was anti-civilization. It viewed civilization as corrupting, intellectualism as decadent and sapping racial strength. Jews were targetted because they were viewed as too civilized, too cosmopolitian, too sophisciated and cultured. The Nazies actually turned Darwinism on its head and worshipped the savage, mythologizing uncivilized "pure Aryans" living off the land in a time before written history as the ideal of human perfection. Yes, of course, the Nazis were not Amish. They accepted and supported the technology of civilization but they sought to frame it terms of an uncivilized mythology.
You should have a poll.
Is the USA a (a) Nation or (b) a Union of States.
Before Lincoln was the USA a (a) Nation or (b) a Union of States.
I say a) Nation
The Federal Budget Crisis Explained
How about, Evidence for a Federal Budget Crisis?
Kind of putting the cart before the horse there.
Before Lincoln it was a Union of States, now it has unfortunately devolved into a nation
If we limit our options to theism and naturalism, it is hard to see how finite consciousness could result from the rearrangement of brute matter; it is easier to see how a Conscious Being could produce finite consciousness since, according to theism, the First Being is Himself conscious. Thus, the theist has no need to explain how consciousness can come from materials bereft of it. Consciousness is there from the beginning.
The theist takes the lazy route and is happy with simple notions about how things work. The naturalist isn't satisfied with simple notions, and thus works hard at discovering how things really work.
To put the point differently, in the beginning there were either particles or Reason.
Says who? Was anyone there "in the beginning" to verify this? There could have been both, or neither. And how do you know there was a beginning?
If you start with particles and just rearrange them according to physical law, you won't get consciousness.
And how do you know that?
If you start with Reason, you already have consciousness.
Yeah, but then how do you get particles? How does consciousness produce matter? Has anyone ever witnessed matter being created out of thought?