Month: April 2006

People keep telling me that I should respect the beliefs of others. That sounds entirely reasonable, at least until you think about it. The problem is in knowing where to draw the line. I can understand why, for example, Presbyterians should respect the beliefs of Methodists. They’re practically the same…

I’m reading a fascinating new book called Misquoting Jesus, by Bart Ehrman. The author is an expert at looking at ancient documents, especially biblical stuff, and figuring out what’s original work and what got altered by subsequent scribes. Apparently there are a lot of experts in that field. I never…

Over the past 15 years I have received amongst my bit-piles of appreciative fan e-mail approximately one per week saying in effect, “You used to be funny. But something has gone horribly wrong.” This e-mail, written by a different person each time, is long, and passionate, and often detailed in…

Holy crap-buckets. When I predicted there would be incoherent dissonance as a response to the question of why those who believe in evolution (science) also believe in free will (superstition), I completely underestimated the extent of it. And you know what that means: More instigation. According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary,…

According to the comments to my most prior post, many of you believe in the superstition of free will. Science has plenty of evidence showing that free will is an illusion. For example, we know that people make decisions before the area of the brain responsible for rational thought even…

I don’t believe in free will. That’s partly because it’s indefinable in any sensible way, i.e. you have to assume that the rules of cause and effect are optional for your brain chemistry. Second, it doesn’t do a good job of predicting behavior. No one would choose to be a…

Last night my fiancée and I took a beginner’s dance class as sort of a first step toward not frightening children at our wedding. The instructor began by asking if anyone in the class had NEVER taken a dance class before. I was the only one to raise my hand….

Blog reader Kevin asks why smokers open their car windows when they light up, even when they are alone. That stumped me too. I can see several possibilities: Seriously, are there any smokers who can explain that?

Recently I gave some talks to high school kids. It got me thinking about what it takes to be successful in business. Assuming hard work and good health and no crushing personal or personality problems, here’s the weightings I would give to the various other success factors. 30% Brains (including…

I apologize for not updating this blog for a few days. I was relocating my office. Have you ever noticed that you can’t remember how painful it is to move until you are actually doing it? I mean, conceptually you know it will be “hard” but you never fully appreciate…