First, the Parable of the Cave: Second, the Ship of State: >>[Soc.] I perceive, I said, that you are vastly amused at having plunged me into such a hopeless discussion; but now hear the parable, and then you will be still more amused at the meagreness of my imagination: for the manner in which the Read More…
Lessons of History
Ancient city Ur was much bigger than thought
A declassified spyplane pic accidentally discovers this fact? So why be dogmatic about the far past? Wait till we have mapped the whole planet before splintering more lecterns.
Battle of Britain Day, Sunday, Sept 15, 1940 + 79 years
Today marks the 79th anniversary by date and day, of “the thirteen hours that saved Britain” (and the world): Again, food for thought to awaken us to sobering lessons of history. END
Remembering a 9-1-1 hero: Rick Rescorla
Sometimes, we need heroes to awaken our souls. Here, is a genuine hero — the man who literally predicted what happened on a fateful day in September 2001 and set out to save lives. He saved 2700 that day and was last seen heading back up, looking for stragglers. Wikipedia’s summary is a start: Cyril Read More…
Today is 9-11-01 + 18 years, let us remember
We owe a debt of honour to remember. So, in absence of the full 9 -hour CNN feed that seems to no longer be there, first NBC live: Here is a timeline: Let us remember, and let us remember that September 11, 2001 was the 318th anniversary of the lifting of the last, 1683 Ottoman Read More…
Does The Bible “condone” slavery, even as Darwin opposed it?
It seems, this issue is on the table here at UD again, and it needs to be publicly corrected for record. As a first step, I link a discussion in response to the oppression thesis used to try to discredit and marginalise the historical contribution of the Christian faith (and to create the false impression Read More…
Breaking out of our present peril (and, whose report should we believe?)
How can we break out of our present peril, as a civilisation? Let’s pause and hear Francis Schaeffer on the subject: A key aspect of the challenge, is that Democracies, from the days of Plato, are known to be prone to decay into misrule and marches of folly driven by manipulated mobs. Hence, the concept, Read More…
The Code 1202 glitch during the LM descent to the Moon
Why did the LM’s “mini” computer throw a restart glitch during the descent? Eyles — who wrote the code — tells the story: We are here discussing the LM’s mini computer, which used IC’s to effect an unprecedented small size (and “only” 70 lbs, in a box Eyles describes as 1 ft x 2 ft Read More…
Easter Sunday viewing: a dramatised “Case for Christ” by Lee Strobel
Here: Food for thought. (More here.) END
What are the implications of Julian Assange’s arrest in London?
Yesterday, a prematurely aged-looking Assange (he is 47) — a founder of Wikileaks and Australian — was arrested by UK Police after the Ecuadorean Embassy he has sought asylum in since 2012 withdrew its protection. The arrest raises questions on dissidents, privacy, protection of legitimate secrets, the public’s right to know more than officials, power Read More…
Have Scientists in China “brain hacked” monkeys?
. . . By inserting human genes? The UK Daily Mail summarises news reports making the rounds: The report details: A new study into the unique evolution of human intelligence has raised ethical concerns after Chinese scientists implanted human brain genes into monkeys to boost their development. Researchers inserted human versions of MCPH1, a gene that Read More…
2019 January 18th — March for life — # 46
Yesterday, here’s a vid report — I add a timelapse that blows up the typical minimisation (HT BA77): UD’s man on the spot has pictures, so let undeniable truth speak to us. He comments: Often, the only way to get to the top of a hill is a twisty trail that goes here and there, Read More…
John Gray offers harsh words for Steven Pinker’s new book, Enlightenment Now: therapy for liberals
From John Gray at New Statesman, reviewing Steven Pinker’s Enlightenment Now: The Case for Science, Reason, Humanism, and Progress: To think of this book as any kind of scholarly exercise is a category mistake. The purpose of Pinker’s laborious work is to reassure liberals that they are on “the right side of history”. He is Read More…
BA77 links on the consequences of mind = brain ideologies
While we’re on a roll on AI and its import at the hands of evolutionary materialistic scientism dressed in a lab coat, BA77 has linked a comic strip — see here (main site here; cf. twist on The Cave currently top of the heap) — that is at first funny then soberingly serious: As in, Read More…
The problem of using “methodological” naturalism to define science
One of the problems that keeps on cropping up here at UD and elsewhere is as captioned. Accordingly, I just noted to JDK et al in the “complaining” thread as follows: ___________ KF, 66: >>I should note on the subtly toxic principle that has been injected in such a way as to seem reasonable (especially Read More…