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Comment Re:I believe it (Score 1) 1010

Evolution is a religion or belief system. It takes faith to believe in that just as it takes faith to believe in God.

Faith is believing something without evidence, there is a ton of evidence for evolution and none for God.

Upon our deaths, the issue will be resolved for each of us.

If God doesn't exist, and I believe and have made my life better because of that belief, I still win.

If you deny God and He does exist as He says, you will have eternity to contemplate your pride and ignorance.

Pascal's wager is proof that religious dogma can cloud even great minds. It assumes that there is only one possible God, and it happens to be the one you believe in. But as there is no evidence of any God, much less a specific one, you could be in just as much trouble as an atheist. If you believe Jesus is Lord but it's Allah, you are going to burn. Mormon's burn if Joseph Smith was wrong. Muslim's burn if Mohammad was wrong. Etc... But what if God hates people who believe stuff without reason? Well then, I'm just fine, but you are going to suffer. Or maybe God's not an egomaniacal douche. Then everybody's fine.

Comment Re:I believe it (Score 1) 1010

God is the intelligent universe itself.

What is the evidence that the universe is intelligent?

Any sufficiently complex system is, by definition, intelligent.

Really? By who's definition? Sounds like an assertion without any evidence.

What is more complex than the universe?

Whoa... I feel like I just attended a lecture by the great American philosopher known as Ted 'Theodore' Logan.

Don't you believe the universe exists?

Yes, but I don't understand how your post was moderated "Interesting." It's two assertions that try to define something into existence followed by two leading, but completely irrelevant, questions.

Comment Re:It's more like a stunt to me (Score 4, Insightful) 229

Let's say one of your unionized coworkers came up with and lead the implementation of an idea that would save your company $5M or increase revenues by 10% over the next year. What would their expected reward be? If a different company saw that result (or potential) in that same coworker, what might they be willing to extend in terms of a job offer to that person?

You're kidding right? I used to work for a huge hardware/software company back in the day. My "real job" was to work on the OS, but I was also sent all over the world to "save" $50-150 million dollar sales on multiple occasions. I busted my ass and did some pretty damn good work - if I say so myself. Know what I got? $500, a plaque and a pat on the back for going above and beyond. I also got to keep my job and got a minor promotion. Which is exactly what would happen to the union guy - he'd get a few hundred bucks, and a bump to his pay grade (aka, a promotion.)

Comment Re:Statistical significance? (Score 1) 293

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from my skim through the article, it seems like he only used a single drive of each type. That makes it hard to demonstrate that the differences he saw were real, and not just random. I.e., it may be that all drives have a 75% chance of surviving the test, and that the Intel one just happened to be the lucky one. A more robust test would be to test N copies of each drive. N = 5 should give pretty good significance if this really is completely deterministic.

I had the same thought. And to make the sample really meaningful, the N drives from each vendor would ideally come from production different lots.

Comment Re:why haven't we heard about this before? (Score 3, Informative) 135

So there was a discrepancy between prediction and observation for the AGW model. Why haven't we heard about that before? Only now that the observations are consistent with theory do we find out about it. Yet more evidence that climate scientists are not real scientists.

What makes you think that scientists have hidden this discrepancy? They haven't, and every anti-AGW promoter has been shouting it from the rooftops (while they ignore or misrepresent all the evidence that supports AGW.)

Comment Re:Technolog (Score 4, Insightful) 135

Just another example of Man thinking he has everything figured out only to be made a fool of by nature.

Who claims to know everything? Certainly no scientist does. If they knew everything they wouldn't have anything to figure out and figuring out "how life, the universe and everything" work is the what science is about.

Comment Re:Atheism is a religion (Score 1) 674

Yes, and it is for you too. If someone makes a claim that unobservable unicorns exist, I have to take it on faith that they do not, in fact, exist. Few people would disagree that doing so is entirely reasonable, but I'd acknowledge it for what it is: a belief based on nothing but a faith that the lack of evidence is sufficient proof of their non-existence. As you said, when extraordinary claims occur, the burden is on the ones making them to prove their point, but the inability to prove their point does not necessarily mean that they were wrong; it merely means that the reasonable person should believe that they were.

If you feel that such a belief is reasonable here as well, then that's fine. As I said to another commenter, go forth, be happy, but recognize it for what it is. I have friends who are atheists, friends who are agnostics, and friends who are theists. I'm fine with any of them, but I've always found it a bit ironic when an atheist slams a theist for claiming a faith-based belief, without being willing to acknowledge that their fundamental stance is based on one as well, since it would mean yielding a piece of their intellectual high ground.

I have a friend that believes that if he lets go of a lead ball and wishes really hard, he can make it hover. I do not believe that. These are not equivalent positions, he is believing something without evidence, I am not.

Comment Re:Atheism is a religion (Score 2) 674

The third definition is certainly interesting. If Dawkins and these other scientists feel strongly enough about their atheism to write books and make movies and go on lecture tours then I would posit that this interest/activity is very important to them.

So yeah, maybe hardcore atheism IS a religion.

By that definition, here are some other religions: American Football, Soccer (the rest of the world Football), Cricket, Baseball, Capitalism (aka The Free Market), Communism, Social Justice, NASCAR, Basketball, World of Warcraft, Cheese making, Software Development, Science, Sex, Drugs, Rock and Roll, Photography, Hiking, Fitness, Health, Nutrition, Hiking, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Star Trek, Cosplay, Comics, The Second Amendment (of the US Consitution), Politics, and every other interest, belief, or activity that is very important to a person or group...

In other words, calling atheism a religion by that definition is meaningless and still does not equate atheism to an actual religion.

Comment Re:I'm an atheist. (Score 1) 674

Actually, atheism of this sort is a religion. It's now even an evangelical religion - they're trying to spread it.

Oh, wait, "ha, ha, atheism is a religion like not collecting stamps is a hobby! ha ha ha". Yeah, when was the last time someone went around telling everybody that they don't collect stamps and neither should you?

That would be a great analogy if people used their stamp collections to justify homophobia and misogyny. Or if people used their stamp collections to justify wars. Or if people insisted that stamp collecting be taught in school in place of actual science while constantly spreading anti-science propaganda. Or if people were using the tale of the impending stampocalypse to justify ignoring environmental threats. Or if people were constantly insisting that non-stamp collectors are evil and will spend eternity being tortured while promising collectors of the correct stamps will get ever lasting bliss in a land of unicorns and rainbows. Or if stamp collectors ran huge non-profit corporations that meddled in the social policies and laws of states and governments. If stamp collectors did any of those things on a massive scale, that would be a really good analogy. And if stamp collectors did all those things, then it would be an excellent analogy because some of us non-stamp collectors would probably get vocal and tell people where to shove their stupid stamps...

Comment Re:anybody surprised? (Score 2) 1251

I love how you assume 'separation of church and state' when that is no where in constitution or anywhere. There isn't any. Yours statement says you want a state freedom from religion. ...

The spirit of the proposed law is made clear in Jefferson's letters discussing what will be made into the First Amendment:

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his god, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their "legislature" should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between church and State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.

So while the constitution does not use the words, it is clearly the intent of the amendment. Or do you think the Second Amendment only applies to supporting a well regulated militia? Fair is fair. No?

... OK, I'll give you one. Russia 1917 - 1989. enjoy.

This old canard? Stalin's policies were in support of political power and dogma, not religious ones. He killed everyone that he saw as a threat to the State or his power, including other communists and atheists. The entire canon of atheism is "I don't believe the assertion there is a God." That's it, anything beyond that is not relevant to atheism. But there are strong theological arguments supporting the Inquisition, slavery, and killing homosexuals in the Bible if you want to play that game.

Comment Re:Offensive (Score 1) 1251

... anti theist, the former group doesn't believe in god, the later is a "religion" whose members think that everyone that believe in some kind of God(s) are sinners

No, anti-theist think religion is a really bad idea and are verbally opposed to it. Anti-theist don't think it's a sin to believe in God, they don't believe in sin. They think that we make up the rules and that taking religious doctrine seriously has real world consequences. Like denying people rights - today the gays, in the past, women, minorities, holders of other religious beliefs. Like spreading lies about the efficacy of condoms and withholding information on safer-sex practices. I won't list all of it, you get the idea. And yes, I know there are plenty of loving, peaceful, accepting religious people. Unfortunately, the major religions' actual canon provide plenty of theologically justifiable ammo to do great harm and say "God demands it!"

But somehow having a strong opinion and trying to get the government out of the business of endorsing a specific religion is "just the same" as trying to force everyone to conform to religious law through supposedly secular institutions.

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