Uncommon Descent Serving The Intelligent Design Community

Remembering Rameses

I have greatly enjoyed reading three recent posts on memory by Professor Michael Egnor, an accomplished neurosurgeon with more than 20 years’ experience. In his first post, Recalling Nana’s Face: Does Your Brain Store Memories?, Professor Egnor criticized what he regards as two pernicious myths regarding memory: first, the popular notion that the brain stores actual memories themselves; and second, the more sophisticated (but equally mistaken) notion that what the brain stores is coded information which enables us to retrieve memories at will. Neurologist and skeptic Dr. Steven Novella, who is an assistant professor at Yale University School of Medicine, published a reply, accusing Dr. Egnor of faulty reasoning – a claim echoed by Dr. P.Z. Myers on his blog. Read More ›

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Our four year-old grandson Zeek was sitting on his Nonni’s lap at Christmas Eve service. A little boy in the next row had a book, and the following conversation ensued: Zeek: What does that boy have Nonnie. Nonnie: That’s a Bible Zeek. Zeek: Why? Nonnie: Because the Bible has everything God wants us to know in it. Zeek picked up the Bible in the seatback in front of him and started turning the pages pretending to read. He turned a page and said “God loves us.” He turned another page and said “God loves us.” He turned another page and said “God loves us.” Yep, that’s pretty much what it says Zeek.

Truth Rests With the Minority

Truth always rests with the minority, and the minority is always stronger than the majority, because the minority is generally formed by those who really have an opinion, while the strength of a majority is illusory, formed by the gangs who have no opinion — and who, therefore, in the next instant (when it is evident that the minority is the stronger) assume its opinion… while truth again reverts to a new minority. Soren Kierkegaard, The Diary of Soren Kierkegaard, pt. 5, sct. 3, no 128 (1850)