Monthly Archives: February, 2011
Another Darwin
“Would it be too bold to imagine that in the great length of time since the earth began to exist, perhaps millions of ages before the commencement of the history of mankind, – would it be too bold to imagine that all warm-blooded animals have arisen from one living filament, which the great First Cause …
The Amerindian Sun Dance
There was a time, more than a hundred years ago, when the Plains Indians used to have a joyous festival to welcome the onset of the summer solstice. It was often held for a whole week, often culminating on July 1. Its intent was to celebrate the renewal of life, to affirm the cycle of …
Let’s Remember Copernicus
A major factor in the transition from ancient science to modern science was the recognition that, with due respects to and admiration for the human species, our earth is simply not the center of the Universe. The person who formally and systematically presented this as a hypothesis was Nicolaus Copernicus (born: 19 February 1473). Copernicus …
REFLECTIONS OF A MOSQUITO
I know not from where I come, I know not where I go. But I like the muddy waters And the filth where I grow. A tiny egg it breaks up, And a wriggler I become, When I fly and flap my wings, To you it’s just a hum. When I suck your salty blood, …
Thoughts on Music
On Music Most normal people who have time to spare enjoy music of one kind or another. As Shakespeare’s Lorenzo said in the Merchant of Venice, The man that hath no music in himself, Nor is not mov’d with concord of sweet sounds, Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils. The motions of his spirit …
Remembering Galileo
Galileo Galilei was born on February 15, 1564. He was not just one of the giants in the first phase of modern science: he is reckoned as its founder. But he also got into trouble with ecclesiastical authorities, as much for espousing views about the world then declared to be heretical, as by his intransigence …
Unity and Diversity
We all belong to the same biological species, or as we say in more humanistic terms, we are all members of the same large human family; biologically speaking, we are all descendents of the same great apes. Yet, an important aspect of the human condition is that, over the eons, due to various historical and …
On the Anti-intellectualism and Theocracy of Nations
I was asked to comment on a statement made in a debate that the U.S. is a theocratic and anti-intellectual nation because a vast majority there don’t accept Darwinian evolution, and many still subscribe to creationism. In my view, it may not be quite right to say on the basis of the attitudes of the …
On Sam Harris’ The moral landscape: how science can determine human values , 2010.
We can explain the natural world through physics. We can account for human emergence through evolution. We can explain human behavior through genetics and psychology. But what about our sense of good and bad, of right and wrong? What is the ultimate source of our moral values? This book addresses this last question with considerable …
The King’s Speech
My interest for modern films is not very great, since foul language, explicit sex, and gory violence never entertain me; and the most movies, whether magnificent or mediocre, incorporate these elements as apparently necessary spices to attract the crowd. Now and again an extraordinarily fine movie comes on the screen. The King’s Speech is one …
