Yesterday was the pro-life movement's annual rally in Ottawa.
What is the main focus of this rally? To promote that abortion is evil, instill the fear of some fairy tale (god) in you and that they are protecting this life in the belly of the women (never mind the woman's freedom). As well, they state having said to their god they've spiritually adopted the child. I wonder if this spiritual adoption will feed, raise, educate, play, nurture and give this child a home? Of course not, they make a small mental note, move on and the person who does not want this life ends being stuck with all the unwanted responsibilities.
How does being pro-life make a person pro-oppression? Simple, they have no issue imposing their belief on everyone else. Ask these people if they would make abortion illegal and they'll say yes (I've never had one say no). I have asked often and then replied with; "So you have no issue imposing your personal beliefs on others?" 99% of them get all squeamish trying to mumble their way out of this obvious FACT. Because if they support imposing beliefs on others, then there's nothing wrong with what Islamic fundamentalists are trying to do, or that white supremacists would impose slavery on colored people.
If they were against imposing their beliefs on you they would not parade against abortion, they would be pro-choice and would work hard to promote & offer alternatives to women but should a women choose abortion they would respect her decision and not vilify her.
The argument is simple, if you're pro-life, GREAT! Then don't do it yourself (abortion) but don't go imposing this on everyone else.
I would fight for someone's freedom to NOT have to get an abortion, but I would fight just as much for someone to have that right. Wars are fought because of other imposing their beliefs... Pro-choice people tend to forget that.
Pro-life is a personal decision, pro-choice is a public freedom.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Why Astrology can negatively affect your life.
NOTE: I used to believe astrology affected your personality type based on your month of birth. Having an open mind is what got me answers, I hope you read this with an open mind.
This is a topic I've wanted to cover for some time, and over the last weeks I've had 4 people I know mention astrology, it was clear they put some value and faith in this "system".
It motivated me to blog on this subject with the hope to clear things up, especially for the people I care about. Astrology can have negative effects and offers no benefits. If you want to read why first scroll down to: So what's the harm? It's all in fun, right?
The following is a short breakdown of the history, how it supposedly functions, why your horoscope describes you, conclusive evidence it does not and a look at it's possible negative effects.
The first form of astrology was invented by man as far as 5000 years ago and many have been created since that time. The western tradition is the dominant one in Canada.
Some forms are; Agricultural, Arab, Persian, Islamic, Babylonia, Burmes, Celtic, Egyptian, Hellenistic, Judician, Mayan, Medical, Medieval, Meteorological, Tibetan and the list goes on, you can view all of them here; astrological traditions.
Astrology operates under a very broad assumption: there is some sort of force from objects in space that influences us here on Earth. There are lots of different attributions for this force (some say gravity, some say electromagnetism, some say a force that cannot be measured), but it all comes down to the planets and stars having an effect on people.
Let's see if there can be any effect from the objects in space, as astrologers claim.
Planets are big balls of ice, rock, metal, and other stuff. Their ability to affect us is weak because they are pretty far away. As far as we can tell through science, there are only four fundamental forces: gravity, electromagnetism, and two forces called the strong and weak force. Those last two only work (more or less) on the nuclei of atoms and subatomic particles. We know the last two cannot affect us from a distance of less than a millimeter!
That leaves gravity and electromagnetism. It can't be gravity because we know closer or bigger objects have more effect on us then farther or smaller objects. This means that the moon has more effect on us than all the other planets in our solar system combined! Even though it is smaller the others are so far their effect is less than the moon. Since planets and stars are what affects us that eliminates gravity as the possible agent.
Could it be electromagnetism? Some planets have no magnetic field, in our solar system Venus has none. We know a magnetic field has little range, in our solar system the Sun's magnetic field is the only one that reaches us and does affect us, it caused the blackout in Québec in 1989. Since astrology states all objects affect us, we know electromagnetism is not the cause.
That leaves some "unknown force or energy or whatever", basically something we have not discovered. Then how can people use it if they don't even know what it is ???
Even if they could in some unknown way "feel" this force ask yourself this question, astrology was created with the planets & stars known at that time, since then we've discovered 100s of planets and TRILLIONS of stars. Don't forget the billions of asteroids in our own solar system! How come they don't affect us?
A thorough paper of 100s studies over the course of the 20th century was put together and the conclusion was overwhelming:
- Astrologers do no better than people guessing when giving them a persons astrological chart and placing it with the proper person based solely on their birth (astrology is only supposed to need your birth date).
- Astrologers could not even do better than people who guessed if a person was an introvert or extrovert, even when they knew their date of birth.
- Long term studies of divorced couples has shown no correlation that people who have "compatible" symbols have a lower instance of divorce.
- Long term studies of people born less than 5 minutes apart have shown no hints of similarities between the two.
- The type of work or lifestyle has no bearing on astrological signs. ex: pisces are supposedly big dreamers and artists, yet they are no more numerous than any other symbol in the field of arts (writing, acting, music, etc...) or less numerous in technological fields.
First, it's estimated that hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on astrology every year in the United States alone. That's real money, wasted on something that doesn't work. That money could be going towards more important things in one's life; a kids education, books, saving up for a nice vacation, retirement fund, a beautiful play, etc...
This is a topic I've wanted to cover for some time, and over the last weeks I've had 4 people I know mention astrology, it was clear they put some value and faith in this "system".
It motivated me to blog on this subject with the hope to clear things up, especially for the people I care about. Astrology can have negative effects and offers no benefits. If you want to read why first scroll down to: So what's the harm? It's all in fun, right?
The following is a short breakdown of the history, how it supposedly functions, why your horoscope describes you, conclusive evidence it does not and a look at it's possible negative effects.
History:
The first form of astrology was invented by man as far as 5000 years ago and many have been created since that time. The western tradition is the dominant one in Canada.
Some forms are; Agricultural, Arab, Persian, Islamic, Babylonia, Burmes, Celtic, Egyptian, Hellenistic, Judician, Mayan, Medical, Medieval, Meteorological, Tibetan and the list goes on, you can view all of them here; astrological traditions.
How does it influence us?
Astrology operates under a very broad assumption: there is some sort of force from objects in space that influences us here on Earth. There are lots of different attributions for this force (some say gravity, some say electromagnetism, some say a force that cannot be measured), but it all comes down to the planets and stars having an effect on people.
Let's see if there can be any effect from the objects in space, as astrologers claim.
Planets are big balls of ice, rock, metal, and other stuff. Their ability to affect us is weak because they are pretty far away. As far as we can tell through science, there are only four fundamental forces: gravity, electromagnetism, and two forces called the strong and weak force. Those last two only work (more or less) on the nuclei of atoms and subatomic particles. We know the last two cannot affect us from a distance of less than a millimeter!
That leaves gravity and electromagnetism. It can't be gravity because we know closer or bigger objects have more effect on us then farther or smaller objects. This means that the moon has more effect on us than all the other planets in our solar system combined! Even though it is smaller the others are so far their effect is less than the moon. Since planets and stars are what affects us that eliminates gravity as the possible agent.
Could it be electromagnetism? Some planets have no magnetic field, in our solar system Venus has none. We know a magnetic field has little range, in our solar system the Sun's magnetic field is the only one that reaches us and does affect us, it caused the blackout in Québec in 1989. Since astrology states all objects affect us, we know electromagnetism is not the cause.
That leaves some "unknown force or energy or whatever", basically something we have not discovered. Then how can people use it if they don't even know what it is ???
Even if they could in some unknown way "feel" this force ask yourself this question, astrology was created with the planets & stars known at that time, since then we've discovered 100s of planets and TRILLIONS of stars. Don't forget the billions of asteroids in our own solar system! How come they don't affect us?
My horoscope describes me!
This is often the primary response form individuals. Yet many studies have shown that this is simply a psychological effect, people WANT to believe in it. This creates a confirmation bias, they'll open a book on their sign and will easily attach to what fits them, all the other stuff in the book will be forgotten. I know I was doing it myself until I read the same books again with a critical mind, I discovered that 25% of the books did have some of my personality, I had totally forgotten the 75% that did not!
Astrologers rely on our inability to remember when they are wrong, and our almost unfailing ability to see patterns in random noise (in other words, to pull out something that may just possibly kind of vaguely resemble something that describes us).
Also, it's exciting the idea that something mystical is in the "air", that's another reason we apply confirmation bias. I've discovered our known universe is far more exciting !!
Evidence & studies:
Let's assume that despite all the scientific evidence against astrology, there really is an effect on us by the planets. If it exists, it must be measurable, and for astrologers to be able to use it to cast horoscopes, their claims must be consistent. After all, if a force cannot be measured, it cannot have an effect on us, and if astrologers say such a force exists, then all their claims must be based on that force, and should be consistent with each other.
- Astrologers do no better than people guessing when giving them a persons astrological chart and placing it with the proper person based solely on their birth (astrology is only supposed to need your birth date).
- Astrologers could not even do better than people who guessed if a person was an introvert or extrovert, even when they knew their date of birth.
- Long term studies of divorced couples has shown no correlation that people who have "compatible" symbols have a lower instance of divorce.
- Long term studies of people born less than 5 minutes apart have shown no hints of similarities between the two.
- The type of work or lifestyle has no bearing on astrological signs. ex: pisces are supposedly big dreamers and artists, yet they are no more numerous than any other symbol in the field of arts (writing, acting, music, etc...) or less numerous in technological fields.
So what's the harm? It's all in fun, right?
Wrong,
First, it's estimated that hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on astrology every year in the United States alone. That's real money, wasted on something that doesn't work. That money could be going towards more important things in one's life; a kids education, books, saving up for a nice vacation, retirement fund, a beautiful play, etc...
Second, astrology promotes the worst thing in the world: to ignore critical thinking. The more we teach people to simply accept anecdotal stories, hearsay, cherry-picked data (picking out what supports your claims but ignoring what doesn't), the harder it gets for people to think clearly. If you cannot think clearly, you cannot function as a human being.
Third, astrology takes away from the real grandeur of the Universe. We live in an amazing place, this Universe of ours, and it's quite fantastic enough without needing people to make up things about it.
Finally, if people make decisions based on a concept shown to have no bearing on who they are, it could influence them in choosing their type of eduction, refuse employment that could have been their dream job and the one thing I see most often, people are judged and categorized by their sign! This influences how they think and feel about this person. Once we label a person it stays in the back of our mind, it's very hard to eliminate this preconception even if we've known the person for years. As well if you believe in astrology you will always look for behavior that fits this person's sign, you might miss out on discovering the real person he or she is...
Resources:
- Phil Plait on Astrology.
- The Skeptic Dictionary's entry on astrology. Highly recommended.
- Scientist/skeptic/media guy Dr Karl Kruszelnicki briefe take on astrology.
- Articles by James "The Amazing" Randi about astrology.
- The article Is Astrology Relevant to Consciousness and Psi?" by Dean and Kelly.
- The article "The Concepts of Modern Astrology: A Critique" by Ivan Kelly.
- A fun test showing how astrologers cannot agree.
Monday, April 5, 2010
The least religious countries have the highest standards of living.
This is my favorite argument to stump anyone who argues that religion is needed for morality or proper social justice. The countries that offer the best education, health, equality between richest & poorest and overall social equality are the least religious in the world while countries that are highly religious are at the bottom.
Every time I’ve brought up this argument not a single person has been able to come up with a constructive retort, that’s obvious since surveys and studies clearly show there is NO possible counter point that would have concrete validity.
USA, the states that offer the most social equalities are the least religious…
So remember to always bring up this subject, you’ll be amused
.
Links:
Phil Zuckerman studies
Gallup Poll 2009
USA Today article 2009
Religion in Europe 2007-2008
Every time I’ve brought up this argument not a single person has been able to come up with a constructive retort, that’s obvious since surveys and studies clearly show there is NO possible counter point that would have concrete validity.
USA, the states that offer the most social equalities are the least religious…
So remember to always bring up this subject, you’ll be amused
.Links:
Phil Zuckerman studies
Gallup Poll 2009
USA Today article 2009
Religion in Europe 2007-2008
Friday, April 2, 2010
The most fascinating human being in recorded history
I would love to have a chat with this fellow to have him explain me how he came up with such answers as listed bellow such a long time ago.
46 There is an infinite number of worlds of different sizes: some are larger than ours, some have no sun or moon, others have suns or moons that are bigger than ours. Some have many suns and moons. Worlds are spaced at differing distances from each other; in some parts of the universe there are more worlds, in other parts fewer. In some areas they are growing, in other parts, decreasing. They are destroyed by collision with one another. There are some worlds with no living creatures, plants, or moisture.
47 The material cause of all things that exist is the coming together of atoms and void. Atoms are too small to be perceived by the senses. They are eternal and have many different shapes, and they can cluster together to create things that are perceivable. Differences in shape, arrangement, and position of atoms produce different things. By aggregation they provide bulky objects that we can perceive with our sight and other senses.
Many people where he lived had inquisitive minds just as he and their scientific knowledge was amazing as well as their teachings on life & morality. Had they been able to continue their teachings one can only imagine how advanced our sciences & evolved our societies would be. Unfortunately close minded religions took over and proceeded to destroy all of this knowledge and kill anyone who dared speak such foul worlds......
You can read more of his writings:
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Is there a meaning to life? ... Of course not ;-)
One of the most profound questions ever asked and heavily discussed to this day, yet I've come to find it very easy to answer and explain.
Is there a meaning of life? My answer is "no" and my explanation is as simple.
There is no more of a reason for life then there is for the sun, asteroids, planets, gravity or anything else in this universe. Life is just a simple progression in one way no more significant than any other cosmic occurrence. Sounds pretty depressing right? Not really.
So what if there is no meaning of life? It has not kept humanity from"giving" itself a meaning. What is that meaning? History shows we are gradually evolving to create a society where everyone is treated equally and given the same opportunities. It's pretty obvious our meaning is to get to that. Utopia is a word often used to describe this ultimate goal.
Obviously we're very far from achieving this goal but we are progressing in the right direction, the following are 3 examples:
Is there a meaning of life? My answer is "no" and my explanation is as simple.
There is no more of a reason for life then there is for the sun, asteroids, planets, gravity or anything else in this universe. Life is just a simple progression in one way no more significant than any other cosmic occurrence. Sounds pretty depressing right? Not really.
So what if there is no meaning of life? It has not kept humanity from"giving" itself a meaning. What is that meaning? History shows we are gradually evolving to create a society where everyone is treated equally and given the same opportunities. It's pretty obvious our meaning is to get to that. Utopia is a word often used to describe this ultimate goal.
Obviously we're very far from achieving this goal but we are progressing in the right direction, the following are 3 examples:
- At no other time in human history have so many people been given access to education, health services & freedom of speech.
- Violence is at an all time low, impossible you say? The reason people are under the opinion violence is at an all time high is due to massive access to information from around the globe and what we read, hear and see is violence on a weekly basis. Historical studies show the last 50 years have been the less violent.
- Approximately 10% of the population owns 80% of the worlds wealth. At no other time in history has this number been higher (and growing), in the mid 1900s 5% owned 80+% while 100+ years ago it was as ridiculous as 1% owning over 90% of the worlds wealth.
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