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Weekend Thoughts. 2006-10-20 16:57:42 In honor of this weeks renter, Winsome Gunning Art Walk (you can click their link to your right), I thought it would be nice to spend the weekend thinking about art.
What is your favorite art work? It can be anything that was artistically created as an art work in the form of painting, lithography, photography; if it can be framed, it counts.
What is your all-time favorite piece and why? Please be sure to include the artist so we can celebrate the human that created it (links are also welcome).
Give it some thought, have fun with it. It doesn’t have to be anything special or big name, just that it is meaningful to you in some way.
This “Mystic South Africa” is my favorite print. It was created by Gayle Ullman. I have a copy handing on my wall and wake up to it every morning. I like the image and the line “South Africa House” in the copy. It makes me think about travel and all the amazing places in the world. It also inspires a sense of adventure an Read more:Weekend
New 7 Wonders. 2006-10-18 16:57:31 Today I have a real treat for everyone.
You’ve all heard about the seven wonders of the world I hope.
Philon of Byzantium in 200 BCE selected 7 man-made wonders and declared them the 7 wonders of the world (the known world at the time).
They were:
The Lighthouse of Alexandria
The Temple of Artemis
The Statue of Zeus
The Colossus of Rhodes
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus
The Pyramids of Egypt
Of these of course only the Pyramids are still standing.
In true Modern Humanist fashion, Swiss-born Bernard Weber founded the New 7 Wonders
project. It is designed to select a new group of 7 wonders for the modern world. This ambitious project will culminate on 07/07/07 when the new 7 wonders are announced to the world.
Not only is this project a fabulous Humanist tribute celebrating the glorious creations of humanity, but also an opportunity for each of us to take part in history.
Each global citizen is allowed to vote in the selection of these New 7 Wonder
Something to Think About. 2006-10-17 19:17:35 Rudicus over at The Rudicus Report, showed me a posting on a site called Chapterhouse.
The post talked about being an expert in something.
The gist of it was that a person should start reading about and studying a particular subject when they reach adulthood with the idea that by the time they reached retirement, they would be an expert in it.
I really thought this was a great idea and a powerful way to add some learning to our lives.
As we have discussed, part of our Modern Humanist credo is learning, so this would seem to fit right in. Especially since in the course of becoming an expert you would presumably be learning, experiencing and growing throughout. Then once you became an expert, you could then teach(either through writing or speaking). It’s a perfect circle.
Since many of us are in various stages of our life paths, I thought it would be interesting to explore this idea and see what it could mean. for those that needed a hobby, this could certainly fit the bill
MH Book Review: A Sense Of The World. 2006-10-16 08:00:56 Welcome to our first Modern Humanist Book Review. I thought it would be nice for us to highlight some books that have a Humanist theme or represent ideal in common with Modern Humanism. Today’s book is A Sense
Of The World
by Jason Roberts.
A Sense Of The World tells the story of James Holman, an Englishman who lived from 1786-1857. He circumnavigated the globe, hunted rogue elephants in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), traversed the Siberian tundra and helped found a British colony off the coast of Africa. He also happened to be completely blind.
Known in his time as simply the Blind Traveler, Holman astounded the world and became a global celebrity through his adventures and exploits. Despite blindness, crippling physical pain and a lifetime fighting poverty, government beurocracy and the preconceptions of what a disabled person could accomplish, Holman achieved more than anyone could have ever thought possible.
It is a wonder that no one seems to remember him or know anything of his e
The Humanist Utopia Part 5: Government. 2006-10-13 18:11:42 A special thanks to all those who have made great contributions to this discussion.
**WARNING: This post is a long diatribe, please prepare yourself.**
No imagined society can be complete without a discussion of government. Government
controls the flow of society by regulating and protecting it’s citizens as well as (in theory) managing the resources and product of the people and representing their interests at home and abroad.
Up to this point, the Democratic society, while flawed, has provided the best form of government for the time being. The problem with that form of government and indeed most governmental functions in our current world is that because of their power they inherently lead to corruption. In addition television and other visual media combined with a less then fully educated and critical thinking populace have left the election process as little more than a combination popularity contest and beauty pageant. Added to this is the maddening and overwhelming bureau Read more:Humanist
, Utopia
The Humanist Utopia Part 4: The Question of Religion. 2006-10-12 17:37:39 We were going to be discussing the role and structure of Government in our HumanistUtopia
today, but our newest commenter, Michael Bindner has brought up some discussion questions that I think are worthwhile to explore.
I thought we might explore this topic by making it more of an open discussion, since his questions pose some challenges that I am not fully clear how to mitigate.
Ultimately the question is what role religion can and/or should play in our utopian Humanist society.
This puts us in a bit of a conundrum because while we want to allow everyone to explore, learn and grow, some aspects of religion actually run in opposition to the society we would hope to create.
As Modern Humanists, we do not have the desire for or need for traditional religious practice and belief. As a result we tend to reject (sometimes vehemently) the idea of supernatural forces or personages as well as many of the attendant beliefs and activities of those who do subscribe to them. At the same time, w Read more:Question
, Religion
The Humanist Utopia Part 3: The Village part 2. 2006-10-11 17:23:44 So we have an aesthetically pleasing, culturally rich and centrally located village with ample pedestrian and cycling capacity as well as viable public transportation system leading to a vastly reduced pollution quotient.
The Village
would also provide continued opportunity for growth. In our utopian village there would be free wi-fi capability as well as wiring throughout to ensure that everyone had access to global information. In addition, this would allow us to open the local learning centers to those outside of the village and participate in a true global community.
Each village would also be fitted with a healthcare center as well as several satellite stations for the health and well being of all. Within each Village, alternative health and health maintenance practices would be advocated and supported alongside traditional practice to allow people to maintain their health without always resorting to hospitals and medical doctors. In this way classes and facilities are ava Read more:Humanist
, Utopia
The Humanist Utopia Part 3: The Village part 1. 2006-10-10 17:36:03 The next step in our discussion of a Modern HumanistUtopia
is a discussion of The Village
. The Village is a term we’ll use to describe the place where we live and the community involved. The Village also describes an alternative to the current urban sprawl and suburban landscape that has been consuming our living spaces. This is the lifeless sprawl of subdivisions, malls, and cookie cutter strips that turn our communities and towns into uninspired heaps filled with McMansions, chain stores and streets that contain nothing but large over-priced homes separate from everyone.
The Village model is based on the one that developed in the old world. It centered around a blend of independently owned shops and residential districts where everything was built around a centrally located center or green with agricultural offerings on the periphery.
The Village is our base for the modern equivalent and the foundation for what we see as the Humanist model. As always we stress the education, g
The Humanist Utopia Part 2: Work. 2006-10-05 18:03:07 As education transitions to the world of work then so shall we. The discussion of work is really in two areas; the world of work - where and how we do our jobs and then what job we do and how we do it.
Work is a vital part of life, community and society. Work and vocation should flow with all the other aspects of life, but unfortunately for most people, work has become a matter of survival or at least requirement - and may in no way benefit humanity or society. As we tackle work in our Humanist
vision, we need to see that work is important, but it is also a part of our lives and should never be the primary focus of our existence.
As society progresses there is an ever increasing need for work to be done. This can range from sweeping the streets to creating art to discovering new medicine and technology. Each person can use their particular talents and skills to help build a better society through their work. Unfortunately this has become less and less the case and community a Read more:Utopia
The Humanist Utopia Part 1: Education. 2006-10-03 20:25:49 Since we’ve been talking about the Humanist
Perspective on many aspects of life and society, the question has come up as to how things might be different if there was a larger Humanist population and if they had the power to change things. I’m not sure if that will ever happen in our lifetime. Nor do I know if those Humanists would become corrupt, but what I do know is that there are plenty of alternative choices to make across the spectrum of society and culture that could have a profound impact. I wanted to spend some time in the next few posts talking about what life would be like if true Humanists ran things and how everyone’s life might be different.
Humanists are often said to be controlling the school system and turning everyone into Humanists. If only this were true. But since Humanists are so often accused, I wanted to start this exploration by looking at what the education system would actually be like if Humanists ran the schools and universities. Read more:Utopia
, Education
The Soul of Modern Humanism. 2006-10-23 08:00:46 Over the weekend, Deepak Chopra asked folks to write about souls. His question was “What do you think happens to your soul when you die?”
Rather that starting with the perfunctory argument that souls must exist in the first place in order to discuss them, I thought I’d take a look at the concept of soul from the Modern
Humanist perspective.
So what is a soul? For purposes of this discussion, let’s say that it is the essential part of you that lives on after you shuffle off the mortal coil.
I believe that the concept of the soul was devised by folks to alleviate their fear of death. In my experience, people tend to become despondent when faced with the reality of their own demise, if there is nothing to look forward to afterward. As a result, the soul was created along with the concept of the afterlife to address this. If you think about it, this belief is truly great. In this way no matter what happens, you never truly die, you simply transform into a being
The Wonder of Humanism. 2006-10-26 18:25:22 I was reading an article in Paste yesterday about the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company. This is a marketing program designed to dress up the idea of a non-profit writing center for children 6-18. It’s a great idea to draw kids in and then use that as a basis to help them learn skills. Of course the idea is great, and as I read the article, the original concept grew out of the original Pirate Store. In this incarnation, the group created a pirate supply store as a front for a tutoring group. This got me thinking. Not about the clever ways we can use to deliver benefits to children, but more that all of this was FOR children.
Think of all the cool things you know; pirates, superheroes, dinosaurs, dragons, elves, fairies, unicorns, magic - it’s all for kids. Most of the best stories, fun books and many other materials are all designed for children. You don’t find books like this or other media for everyone. Why is that? One word: Wonder. It seems t
What Kind Of Philosopher Are You? 2006-10-25 16:50:06 I’m currently reading a book called Sophie’s World, which is a book by Norwegian author Jostein Gaarder. It is basically a novelized guide to philosophy, but in it, it says that each philosopher has a particular focus or issue that they are dealing with. Whether it’s the nature of humanity or the substance of the cosmos, each philosopher has some sort of driving question or force behind their philosophy - even within the same one. One Christian philosopher may explore relationships, while another may explore government. As The Matrix says, “it’s the question that drives us”. While we are not searching for The Matrix, each person who fancies themselves a philosopher is searching for something.
Before we get into this, I wanted to make sure we knew the difference between a philosopher and something else. A philosopher is a seeker. They burn with questions that have gone unanswered to their satisfaction and they are explorers of the realm of thou Read more:Philosopher
Pomegranates. 2006-11-01 16:32:27 As we were talking last week about wonder, I thought it would be nice to take a look at a fruit that has played a tremendous role in Humanity. The pomegranate. A weird fruit with a bunch of red seeds that originated in Iran and has been cultivated and been a part of human culture since the dawn of humankind.
It is not attractive on the outside, it’s very labor intensive to get at the fruit and is probably one of the most inconvenient fruits to eat. But the delicious juice from the tiny seeds has delighted gods and our ancestors alike.
It’s image has appeared in decorative work and has found it’s way into priestly Hebrew robes, the Temple of Solomon, Greek jewelry, Persian uniforms and a host of other adornments.
Pomegranates appear in the Torah, the Bible and the Qur’an and have played significant roles in Egyptian, Greek and Roman mythology.
More than just a fruit, pomegranate juice was used as a dye, it’s shape inspired the design and name of the h
Friday Humanist Musing. 2006-11-03 16:07:45 There are many activities that many people think they can perform, but most actually can’t because they are actually activities that require skill and talent.
There can be many examples of this, but the two that spring to mind are singing and writing. Most people think they can sing (to a degree) but most really can’t. Nothing against them, but in reality, singing is a developed skill requiring much practice to be decent, just like any instrument. No one would think they could sit down at a piano and just play without training, so why would singing be any different?
Writing is the other victim in this scheme. Almost everyone thinks they can write, and write well, but once again most can’t. These folks would never believe they could sit down and just draw a great masterpiece, but writing is something everyone can do easily. But in truth, writing is an art form that takes as much skill as any other.
I use these as examples, because there is one other place w Read more:Friday
, Humanist
Humanist Book Review: The Intellectual Devotional. 2006-11-07 00:31:20 You may have seen this book in your local store or heard about it on the radio or perhaps not. If you have heard of it and don’t have it or you haven’t heard of it - I encourage you to go check it out and pick it up (you can follow a link and grab it below).
This book is a perfect symbol of Modern Humanism. It emphasizes learning and knowledge as well as secular philosophy and also is a complete celebration of humanity. The book contains 365 entries for each day of the year (not dated so you can start whenever you like) and gives one-page daily lessons on topics drawn from the seven fields of knowledge; History, Literature, Visual Arts, Science, Music, Philosophy and Religion.
Each lesson covers a topic like Hemingway, The Torah, The Concept of Time, Socrates, Noah, The Placebo Effect or Ancient Greece. This primer is not only filled with great information, but also thought provoking ideas and concepts that can help fuel discussions afterward.
For the well read, it off Read more:Humanist
, Intellectual
Can You Change Someone's Mind? 2006-11-08 13:09:30 We see it time and time again. Brilliant(and not so brilliant) efforts to convince people to change positions on anything from politics to religion. As I turn the last page on Sam Harris’ Letter to a Christian Nation and take a look at the other recent publications like Richard Dawkins’ God Delusion, it gets me to thinking if there is a purpose behind such things.
Hariss’ book was excellent and had many great points and some interesting ideas that I hadn’t thought of before, but then I’m on his side. Richard Dawkins, a brilliant thinker, has also produced an excellent piece of work. So have many others. Many of the reviews of these books echo my sentiments; great book, but will only be read by supporters.
Howard Gardner, eminent psychologist and Harvard Professor, is a long time favorite of mine, especially for his work on the multiple intelligences theory. He has a new book as well; Changing Minds. In it he attempts to discuss a methodology for chan Read more:Change
A Billion Trees To Save The World. 2006-11-09 14:51:59 As Modern Humanists, one of our mandates is not only to celebrate and improve humanity and human society, but also to improve to world for humanity as well. That can take many forms, but one key element is living in harmony with the environment.
Anything we can do to offset our own impact on the environment is worthwhile, especially if we can improve it.
A new program spearheaded by Nobel Prize winner Wingari Maatai has now become a global campaign to plant 1 billion trees throughout 2007.
Now federated under the United Nations Environment Programme, the Billion Tree Program calls on everyone to take part from individuals to corporations.
Trees
not only increase the enjoyment of everyone, but also provide needed environmental benefits. As global warming continues to progress, trees can not only help by absorbing harmful greenhouse gasses, but also help stabilize soil and water resources.
As the United States is the biggest producer of greenhouse gasses, it is incumbent upon all of Read more:World
The New Atheism/Anti-Religion Movement. 2006-11-13 16:21:39 Atheists are getting agitated. They are starting to speak out. They are starting to rail against the tyranny of the religious and their persecution by the people and government that ranks them in acceptance below the homosexuals that they openly hate.
This month, there has even been a lot of press. With Sam Harris’ Letter To A Christian Nation and Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion leading the charge, new articles are penning the voice of angry atheists.
This week’s TIME features a debate between Dawkins and Christian geneticist Francis Collins and WIRED features an article about the New Atheism
in which Dawkins calls for open combat between Atheists and Religion
. Even Elton John has called for an end to Religion that he believes openly persecutes Gays and has sown the seeds of strife and conflict throughout the world.
Non-belief is getting more press; this is good. The way they are getting it; not so good.
As I talked about in this post, Atheism is simply a positi
A New Psychology? 2006-11-15 16:22:14 About 10 years ago, there was a movement called Philosophical Counseling. It was led by Lou Marinoff, who published a book called; Plato Not Prozac. Philosophical Counseling basically uses philosophy and reason to help people work through their issues instead of traditional psychology or psychiatry.
Is this the philosopher’s purview? Should philosophers be mixing it up where psychologists have ruled or should they mind their own business and go back to contemplating dreamy thoughts of ideas that live in esoterica?
It’s interesting to consider. Since the “ologies” came from the big “osophy,” is Philosophy just the big brother coming back in and trying to take over?
We know a great deal about the physiology of the brain now. Some would say we barely know anything, but even still we know about neural pathways, glial cells, opiate receptors and many of the other processes that help explain the brain. We have a much better idea of how we learn
The Steeldrum. 2006-11-20 18:45:16 Inspired by Blage’s new drawings at Top Drawer Designs, I thought it would be nice to explore the Steeldrum.
Like the Sitar in India or the Chinese Zither, nothing evokes the spirit and feeling of the Carribbean like the steeldrum. It’s metallic melodic sound has inspired dancing and brought back fond memories for millions.
As far as instruments go, it is one of the newest. At the same time it is also one of the most interesting.
The Steeldrum has it’s beginnings in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s in Trinidad and Tobago. The frist steeldrums may have been fashined out of a number of different materials, but the ancestor of the modern drum was created using the tops of 50 gallon oil drums left around the islands by the US Navy.
Each can lid was hammered down and then heated over fire until it became malleable. The notes were then hammered and tuned until the full pan was ready.
Once that was completed, the steel drum was ready for playing.
The drum
Giving Thanks. 2006-11-23 16:10:48 While I am reminded of my favorite question, “What do the French do for Thanks
giving?”, today is Thanksgiving Day for Americans.
Thanksgiving is a lot of things to a lot of people. For some it’s a day off, others a chance to stuff their face, a day for football, a day with family and friends or a day of remembrance.
Very few know the harsh realities that accompanied the first so-called Thanksgiving, and there is no reason to dig that up here. It is safe to say that Thanksgiving is not a holiday worth remembering for anything positive and for most not a day of anything in particular.
But, since we all have the day off, it might be nice to explore the intended reason for the day and how we might look at the concept of thanks and gratitude in our lives, not for one day, but everyday.
Being thankful is not about politeness and saying “thank you.” It’s not about manners, but about a genuine feeling of gratitude. Gratitude is the appreciation for people, p Read more:Giving
Does Political Correctness Make Us Liars? 2006-11-27 20:47:48 Political Correctness is not correct. It is not mannerly, nor is it polite. Political Correctness is something we do (fake) so that we won’t get in trouble for saying something that someone has decided is offensive or inappropriate. Like any other measure of society, it was born out of a legitimate concern that people were being degraded, oppressed, marginalized or in other ways offended by certain kinds of speech and behavior.
Where it took a far turn is when it became the way to communicate in a sanitized and censored way. Political Correctness also encompasses what we call damage control for when someone says or does something inappropriate. This includes meeting with the right people, apologizing to the right people and publicly displaying the correct amount of remorse so that people will forget that you said or did whatever got you in trouble in the first place.
By now we have all heard or seen Michael Richards’ racist tirade. It’s not too long ago th Read more:Liars
An Ancient Greek Machine And The Future Of Humanity. 2006-11-29 20:36:21 More proof that the Dark Ages truly plunged us into darkness. Scientists have completed work on a an ancient Greek
machine that has taken over 100 years to re-construct and decipher. The net result is a testament to the ingenuity of humanity and the brilliance of ancient humans.
Like the incredible scientific and mathematical achievements of the Mayans, this machine, called the Antikythera Mechanism is proving to be one of the most incredible finds in modern archaeological history. The Mechanism was unearthed in 1900 by divers exploring an ancient ship wreck.
The item appears to have been crafted in 150 - 100 BC and is a a clock-like machine consisting of more than 30 precise, hand-cut bronze gears. The device is an astronomical calculator that scientists are claiming is so precise that it even accounts for the irregular motion of the moon caused by it’s elliptical orbit.
Previous reconstructions suggested the Antikythera Mechanism was about the size of a shoebox, with Read more:Ancient
, Machine
, Future
Modern Humanist On The Road. 2006-12-02 21:14:44 Join ModernHumanist
next week as we report from Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL.
See the Modern Humanist perspective on one of the pinnacles of human entertainment achievement and commercialism, as well as some thoughts on the entire theme park enterprise.
Reports begin early next week, so please stay tuned.
The Philosophy Of Fun. 2006-12-04 07:00:18 As we follow the four Modern Humanist principles; Learn, Experience, Grow & Teach, there is an important component that is often overlooked - FUN. Fun is a key element in everything we do and describes the enjoyment we receive from various activities. As we begin this week’s special report from Walt Disney World, I thought it would be good to discuss the Philosophy
of Fun.
There are many things we have to do in life, some of which are not enjoyable. Most often these are activities that we do not choose for ourselves. When we DO choose, in addition to deriving some life benefit from the activity, our primary goal should be fun. Having fun is not just about joy, it is actually a key component to our experiences.
Looking at the four principles, each is enhanced by fun. Studies have shown that educationally we learn and retain more when learning is fun and based on our interests. By having fun in a particularly activity, we are also more likely to retain the experience by
Live From Disney World Part 1. 2006-12-06 13:20:44 The trip down to Disney
was smooth and easy - no problems at all. The unfortunate thing about driving in the Interstate highway era is that there is really nothing to see along the way. Not quite as desolate as driving to Montreal through the Adirondacks and not quite as monotonous and boring as driving north through Virginia, but fairly uninspiring just the same.
As we arrived and checked into the hotel, everything continued to go smoothly. Tuesday morning we woke up early because we had arranged to be part of a Segway Personal Transport tour around the Epcot Center World
Showcase (more on that in a minute).
The day started off well as the hotel was serving made to order Greek omelets, which surprised the hell out of me because Disney World
, while fun, is not exactly known for healthy food - especially given their partnership with McDonalds.
Nonetheless, I savored every bit of the fresh vegetables and olives in my omelet and set off for a day of Segway fun.
Since we had to get i
Live From Disney World Part 2. 2006-12-08 06:20:52 I think the true benefits of this trip will come next week since I have come up with at least 4 new topics to explore on this trip alone.
Meanwhile back in the park…
Walt Disney
wanted to present educational material in a fun way. This was one of his primary goals. In some ways he was successful, in other ways really not. But that’s not his fault since he’s been dead since 1966.
So now some quick highlights and some observations.
Disney/MGM Studios Park is terrible. UNLESS you like roller coasters and being dropped 60 stories to test the theory of whether your vomit falls as fast as your body in a vaccuum.
You would think that a park based on the movies would be fun and exciting, and you’d be wrong. The food isn’t even good here. The worst is the new secrets of Narnia attraction. It is supposed to be a behind the scenes look at the making of the Narnia movie. Sounds great! It starts great as you are led onto a soundstage mock up of the sn Read more:World
, Disney World
Legacy. 2006-12-11 16:39:41 Earlier we talked about the concept of the soul from the Modern Humanist perspective. If we think of the soul as that which lives on after us in the hearts and minds of others, then what is our legacy and how does it manifest?
Walt Disney had a dream. He dreamt of entertaining and educating people. Each person is filled with a driving purpose that they have created for themselves and the fulfillment of that purpose is their legacy. For Walt it was to create educating and entertaining fun. It began as a series of cartoons and blossomed into movies, theme parks and even esoteric concepts like the Disney ideal. Walt did not live to see his last inspiration, but thanks to his dream and his legacy, his ideas were not only completed, but they grew and inspired others to even greater achievement to the point where his dreams and ideals now span the globe and entertain and educate millions.
While most of us will not ultimately achieve this level of success, it does inspire us to go Read more:Legacy
Miracles: Where Are They Now? 2006-12-14 01:44:05 Where have all the miracles gone? One upon a time you couldn’t swing a dead cat without hitting someone who was personally involved with a miracle. Whether it be sticks to snakes, parting seas, healing lepers, curing blindness, raising the dead, walking on water, loaves to fishes, water to wine, virgin births or even driving the snakes out of Ireland. Miracles used to happen almost every day, so where are they now?
Apparently miracles were so commonplace at one time that Saints in the Catholic Church had to perform at least TWO before they could be canonized.
So what’s the deal? There are plenty of miracles still going on today, but unfortunately they are only reserved for sporting events and gambling. There have been other miracles reported outside of sports and gambling, but none of them hold up to scrutiny.
So why do we believe in miracles if no one has actually seen one in over 2000 years? Surely if a policeman can’t even beat the crap out of a suspect
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