In an interesting event inspired by Richard Dawkins at Beyond Belief 2006, Jonathon Keats has built a temple of science which he has named The Atheon. Hmmmm... For the full story, click here.

If the intelligence of the human mind is the product of the a physical mind, and thusly its actions dictated by physical laws, then it is reasonable to conclude that an artificial mind of equal physical capacity would be necessarily intelligent.  This is the principle of multiple realizability (1).  For any process that produces an affect, there is no reason to assume that said process is the only means of producing the very same affect.  That a form produces or infers a specific action does not logically imply that no other form could produce the same action.  While form must play a role in considering artificial intelligence, specific form does not need to be considered.
If the activities of the mind are not purely physical, and the emergent characteristics of the mind are not solely accounted for by said activities, then it would be unreasonable to conclude that an artificial mind would be necessarily intelligent.  If the latter case is true, it may be that, while some aspects of the mind are partly or purely immaterial, others, such as intelligence, may not be.  If the a specific causal relationship can be found between every aspect of intelligence and a physical process, then the hypothesis of the immaterial mind would be falsified.  The hypothesis is worthy of some consideration because it explains everything we have observed so far.  However, even prior to falsification the scientific community should not seriously consider the hypothesis.

When Descartes investigated the implications of skepticism, i.e., that because we can cast doubt on any supposition, we can never be certain that our supposition is correct, he proposed that doubting ones own existence necessarily affirms it and, thus, of at least one thing a person can be certain beyond any doubt; that they exist. In order for an entity doubt anything at all, even that it exist, it must first exist to do so. Descartes proposal is immune to the skeptics doubt because the very practice of doubt confirms it to be true. Although I would not describe myself as a rationalist, as I agree with Kant’s interpretation of a priori knowledge, I do think it solves that problem of skepticism. In considering Descartes’ proposal, I find myself wondering if it is possible to contemplate ones own existence having never experienced the reality that existence must either define or be a constituent of.

David Grinspoon: The Science and the Hype

This October 23rd from 3 to 5 pm, Metro State Atheists will be hosting a lecture by David Grinspoon, author of "Lonely Planets" and curator of astrobiology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, entitled

. Lucia Guatney, author of the popular blog "Splendid Elles", will be presenting Grinspoon.

Location

Auraria Campus, North Classroom

9000 Auraria Parkway

Denver, CO, 80217

A study was conducted by "Reader's Digest European Trusted Brands" in 15 European countries asking which profession the people trust most.

http://www.stern.de/politik/panorama/:Fotostrecke-Wem-Europ%E4er/639941.html?cp=1

1. Firefighters (95%)

2. Pilots (92%)

3. Pharmacists (89%)

4. Nurses (86%)

5. Physicians (86%)

6. Teachers (77%)

7. Farmers (72%)

8. Policemen (60%)

9. Meteorologists (56%)

10. Priests/Pastors (53%)

11. Judges (50%)

12. Taxi-drivers (50%)

13. Lawyers (45%)

14. Travel Operators (41%)

15. Financial Advisers (38%)

16. Journalists (29%)

17. Soccer Players (24%)

18. Leaders of Labor Unions (23%)

19. Car-salesmen (17%)

20. Politicians (7%)

Before reading this, know that I am aware of most if not all faults found within. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but as I'm already aware of the problems in this case I likely won't respond to it as it has already been accepted. I always post the original and uneditted forms of my works, so that they are particularly easy for me to trace back to myself should someone decide they wanted to claim my work as their own.

I had actually thought I'd already posted this here, but found to my surprise that I hadn't when I went to link to it. Basically, I took my previous post regarding marijuana, and gave it some much needed adrenaline. Enjoy.

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In 1923, without parliamentary debate, marijuana became illegal in Canada(2). It took more than 10 years before someone was convicted related to marijuana, but it’s all gone downhill from there(2). Today, close to 60,000 people a year are thrown in jail per year for marijuana related offences(3). A drug that has less affect on a smoker than alcohol has on a drinker puts about that many people in front of the court system every year. Especially when there is a much better alternative than continuing to fight such a losing battle.

Who is friend with Ray Comfort does not need enemies anymore:

http://raycomfortfood.blogspot.com/2008/09/nothing-serious.html

I mean I could believe what ever I want about my friends afterlife - even if I would believe that they were absolutely cheerfully playing around in a paradise garden I would still mourn and miss them.

Either Ray Comforts definition of Friendship is an extremely loose one or he just proved that Christianity is the shortest way to sociopathy.

The Following is a great satire by my good friend and mentor Riki Mathews

O come all Ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come Ye, O come Ye to the altar,
of the al mighty dollar
O come let us adore it
O come let us adore it
O come let us adore it
Money, and, Our Lord