Clipmarks | grimmy's 'morality' clips

A Morality Test

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 02:13:55 GMT

clipped by: Malhablada

From an e-mail...

This test only has one question, but it's a very important one. By giving an honest answer, you will discover where you stand morally.

The test features an unlikely, fictional situation in which you will have to make a decision. Remember that your answer needs to be honest, and spontaneous.

Please scroll down slowly and give due consideration to each line.

-------------------------

THE SITUATION

You are in New Orleans, There is chaos all around you caused by a hurricane with severe flooding. You are a photo journalist working for a major newspaper and you're caught in the middle of this epic disaster.

You're trying to shoot career-making photos. There are houses and people swirling around you, and disappearing under the water.

===============================================

THE TEST

Suddenly you see a man in the water. He is fighting for his life, trying not to be taken down with the debris. You move closer. Somehow the man looks familiar. You suddenly realize who it is. It's the President, George W. Bush. At the same time you notice that the raging waters are about to take him under forever. You have two options- you can save the life of the President, or you can shoot a dramatic Pulitzer Prize winning photo, documenting the death of one of the world's most famous men.

===============================================

THE QUESTION

Here's the question, and please give an honest answer.......

Would you select high contrast colour film, or would you go with the classic simplicity of black and white?

Tags: humor, politics

Seven blunders of the world

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 09:26:21 GMT

clipped by: pokkets

Clip Source: www.doctorhugo.org

"Seven Blunders of the World"

1. Wealth without work

2.

Pleasure without conscience

3. Knowledge without character

4. Commerce without morality

5. Science without humanity

6. Worship without sacrifice

7. Politics without principle

—Mahatma Gandhi

|| Museums of the Mind ||

Tags: proverb, philosophy, gandhi, thought, mind, humanity, world

Atheism: 10 Myths & 10 Truths For The Open-Minded

Tue, 26 Dec 2006 07:55:26 GMT

clipped by: BartendingBear
clipper's remarks: These 10 Myths of Atheism are well countered by the 10 Truths offered in answer to them in this article.

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

10 myths -- and 10 truths -- about atheism

SEVERAL POLLS indicate that the term "atheism" has acquired such an extraordinary stigma in the United States that being an atheist is now a perfect impediment to a career in politics (in a way that being black, Muslim or homosexual is not). According to a recent Newsweek poll, only 37% of Americans would vote for an otherwise qualified atheist for president.

Atheists are often imagined to be intolerant, immoral, depressed, blind to the beauty of nature and dogmatically closed to evidence of the supernatural.

Atheists believe that life is meaningless.

Atheism is responsible for the greatest crimes in human history.

Atheism is dogmatic.

Atheists think everything in the universe arose by chance.

Atheism has no connection to science.

Atheists are arrogant.

Atheists are closed to spiritual experience.

Atheists believe that there is nothing beyond human life and human understanding.

Atheists ignore the fact that religion is extremely beneficial to society.

Atheism provides no basis for morality.

We have made considerable moral progress over the years, and we didn't make this progress by reading the Bible or the Koran more closely. Both books condone the practice of slavery — and yet every civilized human being now recognizes that slavery is an abomination. Whatever is good in scripture — like the golden rule — can be valued for its ethical wisdom without our believing that it was handed down to us by the creator of the universe.

Tags: religion, atheism, logic, truth, rationality

7 Blunders of the World -- Gandhi

Sat, 30 Sep 2006 03:54:29 GMT

clipped by: adamc

Clip Source: www.doctorhugo.org

"Seven Blunders of the World"

1. Wealth without work

2. Pleasure without conscience

3. Knowledge without character

4. Commerce without morality

5. Science without humanity

6. Worship without sacrifice

7. Politics without principle

—Mahatma Gandhi

Tags: gandhi, mahatma ghandi, blunders, world, humanity, philosophy

Do not believe in anything

Fri, 05 Jan 2007 15:44:09 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.meaninginmylife.com

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find anything that agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it." -Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha), 563-483 B.C.

Read on...

Our Perception - how our experience of our existence changes our perception

Universal Laws - how universal laws affect the shape of existence

Why This (And Not Some Other) Matter?

Principle of Persistence - the principle that underpins existence and evolution

Tags: science, philosophy, life, evolution, perception, universals

Evolutionary Metaphysics - Shattering the Sacred Myths

Wed, 27 Dec 2006 15:50:20 GMT

clipped by: Djiezes
clipper's remarks: Contents

Clip Source: www.evolutionary-metaphysics.net

1. Troubled Times
2. The Story of Human Evolution
3. Advancing Technology
4. The History of Ancient Israel
5. Ancient Greek Philosophy
6. A Rational History of Christianity
7. The Rise of Modern Science
8. Hinduism and Buddhism
9. A Rational History of Islam
10. Analysis of Ancient Beliefs
11. The Rise of Modern Democracy
12. Sexual Morality
13. Modern Materialism
14. Deepening Consciousness
15. Politics and Religion
16. Replacing Religion with Science
17. Evolutionary Metaphysics
18. Peace and prosperity

Evolutionary Metaphysics means “to contemplate the existence of the universe in light of the theory of evolution”.

Throughout history and still today, the vast majority of people have been conditioned to believe in religious myths and philosophical ideals that may seem very real but which in fact have no basis in reality.

This book will attempt to explain why these myths and misconceptions are still so popular. And it will try to convince you not to commit to any belief about our existence that cannot be proven beyond doubt.

Clip Source: www.evolutionary-metaphysics.net

The birth of the universe
The formation of the earth
Organic molecules
The first spark of life
Single cells
The process of evolution
Multi-celled animals
Sensory perception
Predators and prey
Plants
Reptiles
Mammals
Dinosaurs
Learned behavior
Cooperation and competition
The extinction of the dinosaurs
The evolution of mammals
Tree dwellers
The ancestors of humans
The power of speech
Human migration
The development of culture
Farming villages
The Bronze Age
The rise of empires
Ancient temples
The Iron Age
The art of writing

Tags: evolution, metaphysics, philosophy, history, religion, myths, faith, book, ebook, free, literature

What's REALLY wrong with gay marriage

Thu, 16 Nov 2006 04:30:47 GMT

clipped by: enbar
clipper's remarks: A short, angry screed, but, to me at least, one that asks an important question.

Clip Source: www.sfgate.com

Gay Marriage Is Still Evil?
Because the funny thing is, despite all the frantic state bans, no one can really say why

Oh, make no mistake, I've heard the theories. I have plenty of hissing, puerile, "fag"-laden hate mail. I've heard the half-baked notions regarding "debauched" morality, the necessity of procreation, the pseudoscientific studies claiming kids are in danger of being "recruited," the quivery references to bitterly homophobic interpretations of biblical passages that somehow "prove" that gay love is immoral, unethical, dangerous. It's all just a bit cute, in a grossly ignorant sort of way.

I have even personally addressed the question directly. I have sat across the dinner table from staunch cultural conservatives whom I truly felt were articulate and thoughtful human beings with actual souls and I therefore asked them outright what the hell is the problem with gay people getting married. I have even posed the ultimate gay-marriage question to them all, over and over again, the one inquiry that seems to stop every baffled homophobe in his tracks.

It is this: What would happen, really and truly, to America, to you, to your family and your marriage and your children and their children and your precious SUV and the price of a killer latte, if gay marriage were allowed, nationwide, tomorrow? How would it affect your life and your happiness and your faith? What would change? What is the threat, exactly? Can you actually pinpoint it?

It is just so much BS. Do you really need to hear it? Kids of gay couples do just fine -- even better, in many cases, than their Christian brethren. What's more, in Vermont, where civil unions have been legal for half a decade, the separation rate among gay couples is less than 2 percent. In red Christian states, the divorce rate still lies somewhere between 40 and 50.

Tags: glbt, gay marriage, same-sex marriage

Excellent quote--religion

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 14:07:36 GMT

clipped by: ayame28
clipper's remarks: Steven Weinberg (credit)

Clip Source: atheistrevolution.blogspot.com

"(Religion) With or without it you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion."

Tags: atheism, christianity, religion, morality

Playing God Depends On Your Religion

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 21:18:10 GMT

clipped by: debbyski

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

American and European researchers have made most of the progress so far in biotechnology. Yet they still face one very large obstacle — God, as defined by some Western religions.

While critics on the right and the left fret about the morality of stem-cell research and genetic engineering, prominent Western scientists have been going to Asia, like the geneticists Nancy Jenkins and Neal Copeland, who left the National Cancer Institute and moved last year to Singapore.

“Asian religions worry less than Western religions that biotechnology is about ‘playing God,’” says Cynthia Fox, the author of “Cell of Cells,” a book about the global race among stem-cell researchers. “Therapeutic cloning in particular jibes well with the Buddhist and Hindu ideas of reincarnation.”

Tags: should, we, stop, people, from, seeking, cures

Atheism - BBC Reference Site

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 04:24:22 GMT

clipped by: invictus

Clip Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Atheists are people who do not believe in a god or gods (or other immaterial beings), or who believe that these concepts are not meaningful.

Some atheists put it more firmly and believe that god or gods do not exist.

Features

Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins is one of the most famous scientists in Britain, has authored many popular books, and is a vocal pro-humanist.
Reasons
This article is an indepth look at some of the reasons why people choose atheism, and some of the most influential atheist thinkers and their arguments.

Full list of articles in Atheism

Tags: atheism, reference, bbc

Commonly Confused Words

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 21:02:11 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad
clipper's remarks: Go to source.

Clip Source: www.askoxford.com

Commonly Confused Words

These are some of the pairs of words that are most often confused with each other.

DO NOT CONFUSE

adoptive with adopted: children are adopted, but parents are adoptive.

adverse, 'unfavourable, bad', with averse, which means 'strongly disliking or opposed to', as in I am not averse to helping out.

affect and effect: affect means 'make a difference to', whereas effect means 'a result' or 'bring about (a result)'.

ambiguous with ambivalent: ambiguous primarily means 'having more than one meaning, open to different interpretations', while ambivalent means 'having mixed feelings'.

amoral with immoral: amoral means 'not concerned with morality', while immoral means 'not conforming to accepted standards of morality'.

appraise with apprise: appraise means 'assess', while apprise means 'inform'.

augur, 'be a sign of (a likely outcome)', with auger (a tool used for boring).

censure with censor: censure means 'express strong disapproval of', whereas censor means 'suppress unacceptable parts of (a book, film, etc.)'.

climactic, 'forming a climax', with climatic, which means 'relating to climate'.

complacent, 'smug and self-satisfied', with complaisant, which means 'willing to please'.

complement, 'a thing that enhances something by contributing extra features', with compliment, which means 'an expression of praise' or 'politely congratulate'.

continuous and continual: continuous primarily means 'without interruption', and can refer to space as well as time, as in the cliffs form a continuous line along the coast; continual, on the other hand, typically means 'happening frequently, with intervals between', as in the bus service has been disrupted by continual breakdowns.

council, an administrative or advisory body, with counsel, advice or guidance.

Tags: confused words, words, . better writing, word meanings

C.S. Lewis on Theocracy

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 17:32:23 GMT

clipped by: Kore7
clipper's remarks: Famous Christian author, C.S. Lewis, from "A Reply to Professor Haldane," (1966).

Clip Source: time.blogs.com

"Theocracy is the worst of all governments. If we must have a tyrant, a robber baron is far better than an inquisitor. The baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity at some point be sated; and since he dimly knows he is doing wrong he may possibly repent. But the inquisitor who mistakes his own cruelty and lust of power and fear for the voice of Heaven will torment us infinitely because he torments us with the approval of his own conscience and his better impulses appear to him as temptations...

The nearer any government approaches to Theocracy the worse it will be. A metaphysic, held by the rulers with the force of a religion, is a bad sign. It forbids them, like the inquisitor, to admit any grain of truth or good in their opponents, it abrogates the ordinary rules of morality, and it gives a seemingly high, super-personal sanction to all the very ordinary human passions by which, like other men, the rulers will frequently be actuated. In a word, it forbids wholesome doubt. A political programme can never in reality be more than probably right."

Tags: theocracy, religion, fundamentalism, doubt, government, cs lewis, christian

You Reap What You Sow

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 13:25:08 GMT

clipped by: thisnamecantbetaken
clipper's remarks: What you think you create, energy is never lost only transformed etc. Even quantum physics seems to suggest there is some sort of karma. What exactly IS karma, if it exists at all? Divine retribution / reward of sorts, or just actions / reactions? Hmm...

Clip Source: web.tickle.com

Historically, karma is a topic associated with reincarnation. However, today more and more people are beginning to use karma as a moral gauge for living their lives — even if they believe they only have one life to live. There are a variety of popular expressions based on the ideas of karma, including: "You get what you give," "You reap what you sow," and "What goes around comes around."

Karma is the basis of eastern religion. It also runs through western religions, perhaps most closely resembled by the Judeo-Christian ethic of "Do unto others as you would have done unto you." However unlike the Golden Rule, the laws of karma equate actions and their repercussions more directly.

Regardless of your spiritual faith, the concept of karma is a useful one in determining how to lead a good life. By monitoring your intended thoughts, words, and actions, you can see for yourself how much good you're putting out into the world, and thus how much you can expect to receive in return.

Tags: karma, fate, destiny, religion, ethics, morality, consciousness

In defense of dangerous ideas

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 01:37:35 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.suntimes.com

In every age, taboo questions raise our blood pressure and threaten moral panic. But we cannot be afraid to answer them.

BY STEVEN PINKER

Do women, on average, have a different profile of aptitudes and emotions than men?

Were the events in the Bible fictitious -- not just the miracles, but those involving kings and empires?

Has the state of the environment improved in the last 50 years?

Did Native Americans engage in genocide and despoil the landscape?

Did the crime rate go down in the 1990s because two decades earlier poor women aborted children who would have been prone to violence?

Are suicide terrorists well-educated, mentally healthy and morally driven?

Would the incidence of rape go down if prostitution were legalized?

Do African-American men have higher levels of testosterone, on average, than white men?

Is morality just a product of the evolution of our brains, with no inherent reality?

Would society be better off if heroin and cocaine were legalized?

Tags: dangerous ideas, steven pinker

"Seven Blunders of the World"

Sat, 14 Jul 2007 00:28:10 GMT

clipped by: betovski

Clip Source: www.doctorhugo.org

"Seven Blunders of the World"

1. Wealth without work

2.

Pleasure without conscience

3. Knowledge without character

4. Commerce without morality

5. Science without humanity

6. Worship without sacrifice

7. Politics without principle

—Mahatma Gandhi

Tags: filosofy, filosofia