A quick interlude on our will. Will, as short words go has a host nuances. Take this short sentence: I have a (the) will to go for a walk … OK it is a bit stilted, but its meaning is clear. The word will could be replaced by any of these words: ambitionanimusaspirationclamoringcravingdesire dreamdrivefancyhankeringhopelonging mindneedobjectivepiningpurposethought … Continue reading Will
I have taken some data from Wikipedia which in turn is based on Credit Suisse's Global wealth databook 2019. I have not looked at how the wealth per individual is calculated; but, it is recognized that the data will be skewed by things like the age of the population, buying power and no doubt other … Continue reading Wealth
I wanted to call this blog voices in the machine. This blog is inspired by a conversation I overheard; my wife was on Zoom, discussing posting videos for her weaving guild. I was wondering whether she would have a transcript of her proposed Zoom meeting, as I find it a lot easier to read than … Continue reading Voices
Quite often it is speculated by some believers and non-believers alike, that atheists are missing something. Well I suppose, the veracity of this depends on the perspective of the individual atheist. This post is inspired in part by Alain de Botton's Religion for Atheists that catalogues some of the things that de Botton thinks that … Continue reading Religion Revisited
There is an old saying, you are what you eat, and of course there is a lot of truth in this, but it is not the whole truth. In Genesis's Selling England by the Pound (Dancing with the Moonlight Knight), there is a line:Old man says, "you are what you wear, wear well."Of course there … Continue reading Wear Well
It has been argued that the moment now is a mechanism where a possible future is guided to a certain determined past, a constant chain of cause and effect. Plus, because the future can be viewed as probabilistic at the very small and at the large scale. The argument goes on when choosing from a … Continue reading Free Will (I)
Einstein famously said: God does not play dice. That of course does not mean luck is not involved in the way the universe is unfolding. We can see this luck as positive or negative. And our viewpoint is down to a matter of luck too. In his book, The Self Illusion, Bruce Hood describes a … Continue reading Luck
The universe is fundamentally chaotic, get over it. When I say chaotic, I definitely don't mean random. This does not mean there are not random aspects to our existence. In chaotic systems we can find patterns that can repeat. Counting the iterations it takes to solve a complex equations with imaginary numbers can lead to … Continue reading Chaos
Let's clear this up straight away, well actually I am or I might be an atheist, by at least some definitions. For me it is not a big deal. I am certainly an atheist in the sense that I actively disbelieve in many, if not most, Gods. I lack disbelief in pantheism and gods that … Continue reading Why I Am Not An Atheist
If you are planning on visiting Seattle and intend visiting the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibition in the near future by all means avoid this blog. In fact don't click on the link. But if you plan on not ever going to the exhibit, by all means read on and click on the links. Other-worldly … Continue reading Chihuly
