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Just read: The Demon-Haunted World

n3rd — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:30:43 +0000

First off I have to admit that I am a deep admirer of Carl Sagan. I generally try to avoid terms like hero or idol when describing people that influenced me, but to me he is probably as close to a hero as anyone will ever get.
Among other things, he designed the Pioneer plaque, was one of the leading minds behind SETI, created the award-winning globally successful TV series Cosmos and wrote the novel Contact on which the 1997 movie of the same name was based. But he was a man of science, not a mere fiction writer. And science is (despite what the title may suggest) what The Demon-Haunted World is all about.
It’s a book about skeptical thinking, the scientific method and the adversities science is facing in our time. He talks about crop circles, UFOs, faith healers, other pseudosciences and related matters and challenges them with full vigor, but without ever lapsing into polemics. However, this is not just about debunking Atlantis crystals and alien abductions; it deals with matters much more profound. Most of the sociological issues he raises are (sadly enough) still as pressing today as they were when the book was published almost 15 years ago.
I strongly second Richard Dawkins’ assessment that Sagan was “incapable of composing a dull sentence”. If you were to read but one book about science this year, this should be it. Hell, if you were to read just one book in your entire life, this would be one of the best choices you could possibly make.

P.S.: I didn’t even realize until now that “Just read” can be understood as an imperative. While this wasn’t my original intent, in this case you are indeed encouraged to take it that way :)

Miracle, Schmiracle

n3rd — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 17:14:59 +0000

A couple of days ago a local newspaper featured a story about a case of spontaneous remission. Some guy who was terminally ill recovered inexplicably from his cancer. Though not said explicitly, there was a subtle religious undertone to the article: without the help of God no such miracle cure could have occurred. Many such incidents are known and well documented. They are rare, but not unheard of.
On the surface this does indeed appear to be a valid argument in favor of religion, particularly to the people involved. But when you think about it you will quickly realize thatthis sort of reasoning evokes more questions than it answers. Why couldn’t it have just been a lucky coincidence? Why doesn’t God ever let someone’s limb grow back? Why has no serious study ever shown a correlation between convalescence and being prayed for?
Yesterday then another thought dawned on me. Even if we assumed that spontaneous self-healing was indeed the result of divine intervention we would still end up in hell’s kitchen – no pun intended. Such cases have been recorded all over the world, in Christian, Muslim, Jewish and secular societies, it has happened to devout believers as well as to agnostics and die-hard atheists. Given some God A, this leaves us with the following three possibilities:

There are multiple Gods, each taking care of his own people (and a few heathens)
Followers of A receive miracles, for everyone else it’s just plain luck
A works wonders regardless of the beneficiary’s faith (or lack thereof)

The monotheistic nature of all major religions rule out #1 instantly. Number two is no good either because whatever caused the other healings might just as well account for all of them, so you haven’t explained anything. So we’re left with option three.
But since spontaneous remission are not branded they would naturally be attributed to whatever particular deity that person happens to believe in. But what reason could A possibly have to let another God take credit for what is rightfully his miracle? And more importantly, now you can’t even be sure that your recovery was caused by your own God and not, say, Zeus. Unless you weasel out with the good old “He works in mysterious ways”-card you’re in some serious logical shit.

No matter which way you slice it, you simply can’t turn this into a sound argument for the existence of a personal God.

Just read: Letter To A Christian Nation

n3rd — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:29:53 +0000

It’s been a while since I’ve devoured a book like I did with Sam Harris’ Letter To A Christian Nation. I read it back to back last night, though admittedly that’s not much of an accomplishment given that it is only a little over 100 pages long. Even so, it’s a great read for everyone even remotely interested in religion and atheism – no matter what your take on the subject is. Harris discusses the issues raised by religious beliefs in a very concise manner, and it is a little bit easier to read than Richard Dawkins or Christopher Hitchens (for non-native speakers anyway).
Those of you who like this book you will also enjoy The End Of Faith in which he really roasts religion in general (and Islam in particular). He makes a very strong case not only against fundamentalism and to tell you the truth, some of the things he points out are really alarming. If reading isn’t your thing you should at least check out his talks at Beyond Belief or the Aspen Ideas Festival. Highly recommended.