2005 May 19: Darwin had the bold title, Origin of Species. The creationists could use this one for their next book: Intelligent Design and Intelligent Origin Theory of Species.
2004 October 1: How Can Someone Who Lives in Insane Luxury Be a Star in Today's World? Monday Night at Morton's by Ben Stein. This is an inspiring story about truly brave soldiers working with little recognition. It was right on the mark until toward the end when he started writing about an unproven supernatural force that he thinks is at base of being good. The only known and demonstrated force in action when an American soldier throws himself on a bomb to protect a child in Iraq is the evolutionarily derived behavior of altruism of humans for one another. Also, he forgot the scientists who work long and odd hours to create the only new ways of doing things that save lives. Artists create immortal art that may or may not survive the eons. Philosophers create many good, foolish or dangerous philosophies in such a tangle of abundance that most people cannot find their way out of the maze. But there is a way out. Science drives the word forward, not the blindly faithful, nor brilliant artists, nor brave soldiers.
2004 Nov 27: Religion is an elaborate mechanism for fooling oneself about purpose in the universe. All scientific data clearly indicate that there isn't a purpose, but if enough people can agree on a mass psychosis that there is some purpose, then they can feel safe even when they are not. If you ask for the details of this purpose, the religious person will only give a vague response or avoid the question. That is because it is only `revealed' to them in fits and starts by random chance and so to explain this profound lack of clarity on the part of the supposedly omniscient god, it is cloaked in the deepest of impenetrable mystery. Remove the cloth of lies and the bones of truth are that we make up our own purposes, if we want to. What's wrong with that? Nothing! This truth empowers us. It places responsibility on people, you and me, instead of a vague fake supernatural lie. Chose your own purposes. Be a grown-up.
Tom Schneider's Home Page