Peter Jackson – Satan’s Little Helper”

Who would have thought it! Turns out New Zealand film director Peter Jackson is working for Satan!

So Christians for a Moral America have got in early and announced a boycott of his Hobbit movies (see  BOYCOTT ANNOUNCEMENT: The Hobbit Movie). The Hobbit’s planned release is at the the end of November next year – in New Zealand.

“Peter Jackson has once again stepped up as Satan’s Little Helper to direct the two-part film and is once again using witchcraft and wizardry to peddle the film, even though the books had strong Christian undertones (good vs evil; Christians vs Atheists) but Jackson being the self-proclaimed Atheist he is obviously doesn’t want to present this movie in the way it was meant by Tolkien.”

Apparently boycotts are one of the main forms of activity (eg. BOYCOTT: Golden Globes 2012). Mind you they do seem to draw conclusion very easily – as this reaction to Chrsitopher Hitchen’s recent death – Atheists die quicker than Christians?

They are also active in promoting another rapture in two days time (see #RaptureNYE

“Other ways of knowing” and their result.

Here’s a little clip from one of Richard Dawkins presentations.

I think it’s a fitting illustration of what science would be like if epistemologically it behaved the way religion does.

It also ridicules the concept that religion has “other ways of knowing” which are more reliable than science.

Richard Dawkins: If Science Worked Like Religion

Slaughtering some sacred seasonal cows

It’s about time for a bit of seasonal humour. And who better than Tim Minchin, who staunchly defends science and reason, to administer it. Here is a video which ITV cut from the Jonathan Ross show – apparently by direct orders from ITV’s director of television, Peter Fincham.

It’s called WoodyAllenJesus – and watch it while you can (or download a copy. Tim thinks he may be asked to take the video off line

Thanks to Tim Minchin: I’m NOT on the Jonathan Ross Show

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Reacting to a death with respect and hatred

I wasn’t going to write a eulogy to Christopher Hitchens, and I still won’t. After all there are some excellent eulogies on the internet by far better writers than me. But I am intrigued at the world-wide reaction to his death. So, in instead of a respectful eulogy here’s my thoughts on those reactions.

Hitchens’ death was expected. However, when it came I certainly experienced a shock. A strong feeling of disappointment and loss. And I think that must have been a common reaction judging from the widespread and immediate reactions on social networking sites.

There seem to be four common reactions to that sad news:

Sabotaging science

I am aware that there are cases of scientific fraud and other scientific scandals. After all, scientists are human and just as capable as anyone else of immoral conduct on the job.

But this one is new to me. Scientific sabotage – when one scientist intentionally sabotages the work of a colleague. I wonder what the back story is to this case recently reported in The Scientist:

In May, the Office of Research Integrity announced its finding that postdoc Vipul Bhrigu is guilty of misconduct. Grad student Heather Ames thought she was going crazy when her experimental results kept messing up. But after conducting experiments in her boyfriends’ lab and getting solid results, she suspected foul play. Sure enough, her colleague Brighu was caught on tape sabotaging her samples. In July 2010 he pled guilty to malicious destruction of property and received 6 months of probation and a $10,000 fine.

I have always claimed that the real working of a science institute could provide plenty of material for a TV soap opera.

via Top Science Scandals of 2011 | The Scientist.

Christmas present ideas: This Hell would be useful!

Books are ideal Christmas presents. And as I am spending some time dealing with family business I thought reposting some of my past book reviews over the next few days could be useful.

This book is a real delight. As I conclude “there can be few vendors of unreason who miss out on their just rewards” in this hell.

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Book Review: The Infernova by S. A. Alenthony

Price: US$11.21
Paperback: 220 pages
Publisher: Blackburnian Press (August 11, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0981967892
ISBN-13: 978-0981967899

This book is a real gem. Anyone with a science or sceptical bent will love it. Bloggers and commenters on blogs and other internet fora will especially appreciate it.The book is based on Dante’s Inferno. But it is a secular reinvention. In this new hell we get a chance to choose the villains – and their punishment.

Higgs and homeopathy

With all the news lately about the Large Hadron Collider and evidence for the Higg’s field I had to laugh at this little twitter exchange I saw this morning. It was apparently sparked by an advocate providing a quantum proof of homeopathy.

Homeopathic Potentization Based on Nanoscale Domains: liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.108… Skeptics still lost in the 20th century

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Dana Ullman (@HomeopathicDana) December 15, 2011

@lecanardnoir YES! 3 modern technologies find nanoparticles even in the 200C potency: tinyurl.com/3ek993g You know this!

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Dana Ullman (@HomeopathicDana) December 15, 2011

@lecanardnoir Your denial is in full color, Mr. Duck. Try harder to pretend you're not in denial and not in the 20th century.

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Dana Ullman (@HomeopathicDana) December 15, 2011

@lecanardnoir @HomeopathicDana I've heard about those homeopathic nanodomains... Each one can hold two bollockules.

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William Heal (@wpheal) December 15, 2011

.@wpheal As CERN announced, the fundamental carrier of the homeopathic force is the quackon - combines with Chakron to create bollockules.

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Andy Lewis (@lecanardnoir) December 15, 2011

Decays rapidly into Qi mesons through the weak explanatory force.

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Andy Lewis (@lecanardnoir) December 15, 2011

@lecanardnoir @wpheal Do Quackons, Chakrons and Bollockules all travel at the speed of woo?

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Chris McCray (@cjjmccray) December 15, 2011

Homeopathy can be understood within a version of string theory - string-along theory. A brane-less version of M-theory.

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Andy Lewis (@lecanardnoir) December 15, 2011

Advocates of homeopathy tend to favour zero-deminsional P-brane models, naturally.

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Andy Lewis (@lecanardnoir) December 15, 2011

Homeopathic Uncertainty Principle: Product Homeopathic assertion and Homeopathic evidence cannot be greater than Hx - the infinitessimal

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Andy Lewis (@lecanardnoir) December 15, 2011

@lecanardnoir is Qi the opposite of iQ?

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William Lee (@wildscrutineer) December 15, 2011

Homeopathic Uncertainty Principle: Product Homeopathic assertion and Homeopathic evidence cannot be greater than Hx - the infinitessimal

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Andy Lewis (@lecanardnoir) December 15, 2011

Christmas gift ideas: Aussie wisdom

Here’s another one suitable for Aussies, but one many New Zealanders will also find interesting

Books are ideal Christmas presents. And as I am spending some time dealing with family business I thought reposting some of my past book reviews over the next few days could be useful am repeating some of my past book reviews.

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Book Review: The Australian Book of Atheism Edited by Warren Bonett.

Price: AU$35.00
Format: Paperback (448pp )
Size: 234mm x 153mm
ISBN (13): 9781921640766
Publisher: Scribe Publications (November 2010).

This is a book by Aussies, for Aussies. But given our similar histories and cultures there is a lot here for Kiwis as well.

It’s a collection of short articles by 33 Australians. They cover personal recollections and reflections. National history, education, social and cultural areas. Politics, philosophy and science. There is even a section on “Religion and the Brain.”

As is the nature of such collections most readers will find something of interest. And different readers will inevitably have different favourites. My review reflects my own interests.

Christmas gift ideas: The human mind – a history

Books are ideal Christmas presents. And as I am spending some time dealing with family business I thought reposting some of my past book reviews over the next few days could be useful am repeating some of my past book reviews.

This book is sweeping in its coverage, but easily read.

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Book Review: The Evolution of the Human Mind: From Supernaturalism to Naturalism – An Anthropological Perspective by Robert L Carneiro

Price: US$95.00, (paperback US$39.95); NZ$172.00

Hardcover: 506 pages
Publisher: Eliot Werner Publications (July 23, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0979773113
ISBN-13: 978-0979773112

With a subtitle “From Supernaturalism to Naturalism” this book obviously covers a breathtaking view of the human mind’s evolution. It’s well over 400 pages long and has 35 pages of references. It could be intimidating but it is not. Far from it.

This is not a dry academic tome. The writing style is economical but clear. Also, each of the 26 chapters is broken into brief sections rarely more than a few page long. The reader has no time to get bored or distracted from the content.

Carneiro’s description of the early stages of human thought must be, to some extent, speculative. However, as an anthropologist he can draw on the studies of existing and recent primitive cultures.

Christmas gift ideas: Evolution of gods, morals and violence

Books are ideal Christmas presents. And as I am spending some time dealing with family business I thought reposting some of my past book reviews over the next few days could be useful am repeating some of my past book reviews.

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in a scientific understanding of morality and religion and their evolution.

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Book review: In the Name of God: The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Ethics and Violence by John Teehan.

Price: US$16.47; NZ$39.97

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell (May 3, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1405183810
ISBN-13: 978-1405183819

“In the Name of God is an excellent popular presentation of the scientific understanding of the origins of religion and morality. It also examines the origins of religious violence and opens a discussion on the way humanity may reduce these problems.

Some people will find it controversial. But not because some trends in evolutionary psychology have discredited themselves with extravagant claims. In this case the controversy will be because, as Teehan puts it, “this view of human nature – the very idea that there might be a human nature – smacks up against some strongly held political, moral, religious, and ideological positions.”

However, the time is right. “It is only within the last few decades that we have developed the tools that can give us a fair chance of setting out a scientific account of religious origins. In fact, I believe we are living in the midst of perhaps the greatest period of intellectual discovery in the history of religious studies.” One could say the same about the scientific study of human morality.