Friday, September 30, 2011

Near-Death Experiences: Science After All « Science-Based Life

"Here I will give the supposedly supernatural claims of near-death experiences (NDE’s) and provide the science behind them. Although only approximately 3% of Americans declare to have had a near-death experience, their seemingly paranormal components have perpetuated pseudoscience for years. Until now."

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Faster than light story highlights the difference between science and religion | Science | guardian.co.uk

"Most physicists believe, as Einstein proposed, that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum. You might say that some, like Jim Al-Khalili who promised to eat his shorts if this was proved untrue, hold this belief religiously. But the recent fuss over the possible existence of faster-than-light neutrinos illustrates precisely how different science and religion are when it comes to questions of "belief" or "knowledge"."
Go To Article

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Why I Am a Naturalist - NYTimes.com

"Naturalism is the philosophical theory that treats science as our most reliable source of knowledge and scientific method as the most effective route to knowledge. In a recent essay for The Stone, Timothy Williamson correctly reports that naturalism is popular in philosophy. In fact it is now a dominant approach in several areas of philosophy — ethics, epistemology, the philosophy of mind, philosophy of science and, most of in all, metaphysics, the study of the basic constituents of reality. Metaphysics is important: if it turns out that reality contains only the kinds of things that hard science recognizes, the implications will be grave for what we value in human experience."

Friday, September 16, 2011

Peace of Mind: Near-Death Experiences Now Found to Have Scientific Explanations: Scientific American

"Near-death experiences are often thought of as mystical phenomena, but research is now revealing scientific explanations for virtually all of their common features. The details of what happens in near-death experiences are now known widely—a sense of being dead, a feeling that one's "soul" has left the body, a voyage toward a bright light, and a departure to another reality where love and bliss are all-encompassing."

Saturday, September 10, 2011

The Blog : September 11, 2011 : Sam Harris

"What if I had said, “Gravity comes from God”? That would be merely to stifle her intelligence—and to teach her to stifle it. What if I told her, “Gravity is God’s way of dragging people to hell, where they burn in fire. And you will burn there forever if you doubt that God exists”? No Christian or Muslim can offer a compelling reason why I shouldn’t say such a thing—or something morally equivalent—and yet this would be nothing less than the emotional and intellectual abuse of a child. In fact, I have heard from thousands of people who were oppressed this way, from the moment they could speak, by the terrifying ignorance and fanaticism of their parents." Go To Article

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Study Dumps Colon Cleansing as Useless and Dangerous | Colonic Irrigation Dangers & Colon Fecal Matter | Debunking Colon Cleansing | LiveScience

"Doctors have long argued that colon cleansing is money down the proverbial toilet, utterly useless for good health and a huge waste of time and money. A new study, however, finds that this is only half the story: Colon cleansing not only in unnecessary, but over time, it is also detrimental." Go To Article

Sunday, September 4, 2011

New Scientist TV: Time-lapse Tuesday: Milky Way forms in fine detail

"This epic time-lapse shows the Milky Way forming and evolving over 13.7 billion years (see video above). Developed by a team led by Piero Madau from the University of California in Santa Cruz and Javiera Guedes from the Institute of Theoretical Physics in Zurich, it's the most detailed simulation of a galaxy's evolution yet made. Unlike previous attempts, the massive galaxy that appears closely resembles the Milky Way - with its central strip of bright stars surrounded by spiral arms swirling in a flat disc." Watch Video Here

Atheists and Sex Offenders - YouTube

"Yeah...he's a nobody, but Florida "pastor" Michael Stahl has provided a great excuse to remind others just how many atheists and free-thinkers affect our lives and cultures every day. Stahl has suggested that known atheists be categorized on a list he called "The Christian National Registry of Atheists." Imagine what kind of names, past and present, such a list would provide." Watch Video Here

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Ask Sam Harris Anything #1 - YouTube

"Sam Harris, author of the New York Times bestsellers, The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation, and The Moral Landscape, answers questions submitted by users on Reddit.com.
Hear Sam talk about everything from meditation to religion, and see if one of your questions got answered!" Watch Video Here

Ask Sam Harris Anything #2 - YouTube

"Sam Harris, author of the New York Times bestsellers, The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation, and The Moral Landscape, answers questions submitted by users on Reddit.com.
Hear Sam talk about everything from meditation to religion, and see if one of your questions got answered!" Watch Video Here