If you were God..............

[Darth Vodka]

David Goodhart, the editor of Prospect, describes the exercise as a “bit of intellectual fun, a parlour game. It’s not meant to be entirely serious.

i never said it wasn't

 

[RHYDAL]

it's not Health & Safety, it's school rules vs religious twattery we're in trouble if the law panders to religious needs, luckily it doesn't and we have to keep it that way

In my day, schools banning jewellery of all kinds was driven by a desire to prevent cuts etc arising during the day to day rough and tumble. Similar rules exist in most contact sports for the same reason.

At the bottom of the story is this....

However, she said the government would shortly be issuing guidance on school uniform policy considering issues including health and safety as well as equality and discrimination.

So health and safety is heavily involved.:icon_eek:

 

[Darth Vodka]

In my day, schools banning jewellery of all kinds was driven by a desire to prevent cuts etc arising during the day to day rough and tumble. Similar rules exist in most contact sports for the same reason.

At the bottom of the story is this....



So health and safety is heavily involved.:icon_eek:

oh

they should have the balls not to hide behind H&S and just say "it's the rules"

 

[RHYDAL]

oh

they should have the balls not to hide behind H&S and just say "it's the rules"

Agreed. Uniform is supposed to be a leveller. Adornments undermine that.

 

[Darth Vodka]

Agreed. Uniform is supposed to be a leveller. Adornments undermine that.

in France, crosses on necklaces are banned

quite right too

 

[Disco Bob]

and as for Dawkins making "stupid comments"

you mean Professor Dawkins, the Head of Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University, who (along with Umberto Eco and Noam Chomsky) has been described as one of the "top three public intellectuals in the world"

As much as I agree with almost all of your contributions: it is not unheard of for Chomsky to make "stupid comments", twisting or obscuring evidence in order to support his own political agenda.

ARTHUR: Be quiet! I order you to be quiet!

WOMAN: Order, eh -- who does he think he is?

ARTHUR: I am your king!

WOMAN: Well, I didn't vote for you.

ARTHUR: You don't vote for kings.

WOMAN: Well, 'ow did you become king then?

ARTHUR: The Lady of the Lake, [angels sing] her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite, held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water signifying by Divine Providence that I, Arthur, was to carry Excalibur. [singing stops] That is why I am your king!

DENNIS: Listen -- strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.

ARTHUR: Be quiet!

DENNIS: Well you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just 'cause some watery tart threw a sword at you!

ARTHUR: Shut up!

DENNIS: I mean, if I went around sayin' I was an emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me they'd put me away!

 

[Vince Noir]

i found a quote about it on the internet

no hard evidence though

the timing of the eruption means christians could have been in the city

it sounds like a Christian myth though, surely a photo of it would have travelled the world

I was interested purely on a nerdy front.
Pompeii was destroyed about 5 years after the first Roman-Jewish war, and Christianity had been around for less than 50 years with Christians being persecuted until Constantine made Christianity the official religion 250 years after the destruction of Pompeii.
Hence it's highly doubtful any Jews or Christians were around during the eruption of Vesuvius in a place like Pompeii.

 

[Disco Bob]

I was interested purely on a nerdy front.
Pompeii was destroyed about 5 years after the first Roman-Jewish war, and Christianity had been around for less than 50 years with Christians being persecuted until Constantine made Christianity the official religion 250 years after the destruction of Pompeii.
Hence it's highly doubtful any Jews or Christians were around during the eruption of Vesuvius in a place like Pompeii.

You seem to know an awful lot about this for someone claiming not to have been there.

Exactly where were you at this time and do you have anyone that can vouch on your behalf?

 

[Darth Vodka]

As much as I agree with almost all of your contributions: it is not unheard of for Chomsky to make "stupid comments", twisting or obscuring evidence in order to support his own political agenda.

i agree with you. my argument that RD isn't stupid therefore doesn't make stupid comments was specious

but if the comments themselves were quoted, they could be up there to be shot down...

 

[Darth Vodka]

I was interested purely on a nerdy front.
Pompeii was destroyed about 5 years after the first Roman-Jewish war, and Christianity had been around for less than 50 years with Christians being persecuted until Constantine made Christianity the official religion 250 years after the destruction of Pompeii.
Hence it's highly doubtful any Jews or Christians were around during the eruption of Vesuvius in a place like Pompeii.

well it may well have had Jews there...

 

[RHYDAL]

in France, crosses on necklaces are banned

quite right too

Headscarfs too if memory serves.

 

[Dour]

then you're on the wrong thread

i'm not saying everything Dawkins writes is gospel (pun intended) the point is, he's a scientist and comes up with theories that can be tested. maybe a few things are wrong, he'd be the first person to debate the finer points

Well, y'see, I don't think he's a scientist. He hasn't really done any science in the last 25 years - what he is is a celebrity atheist. And memetics is about as untestable a theory as you can get...


go on then...

Richerson, Boyd, Rose would be obvious places to start. As would the list that Dennett attacks in consciousness explained. But you're always welcome to find out where it's taken seriously.


after a degree, a masters, a D.Phil and a DSc and being a professor, he takes a sponsored chair

Not really. He becomes a professor through taking a sponsored chair. Otherwise I suspect he never would have become one.

the part that wasn't purely academic about the chair is that Simonyi is obviously a big fan

Well, as in making it conditional on it being given to Dawkins, yes.

 

[fitz]

Headscarfs too if memory serves.

always wonder how the feckers ever go to the bank......

 

[Darth Vodka]

Well, y'see, I don't think he's a scientist. He hasn't really done any science in the last 25 years - what he is is a celebrity

he IS a scientist :icon_roll

i agree he has celebrity status. but to say he hasn't done any science does a grave injustice to the many books he's written since TSG

i can agree on Celebrity Scientist

Richerson, Boyd, Rose would be obvious places to start. As would the list that Dennett attacks in consciousness explained. But you're always welcome to find out where it's taken seriously.

still not seen any quotes attacking memetics. and in Dennett you have an advocate, so you can use your own reference to find someone who takes it seriously...

Not really. He becomes a professor through taking a sponsored chair. Otherwise I suspect he never would have become one.

pffft, he could be a professor anywhere. if he lectured, students would flock to the uni. we'll have to agree to disagree here, i doubt he'll give up the Microsoft money for a purely academic slog (as you will probably agree)

 

[RHYDAL]

always wonder how the feckers ever go to the bank......

I imagine they use the Nat West Bank.

 

[Steven]

There is no God. :icon_wink

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7681914.stm

 

[spionfox]

There is no God. :icon_wink

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7681914.stm

I trust the campaign will be targeted at all 'Gods' and not just the Christian variety.

 

[FIF]

what? Mars, Poseidon, Thor?

I believe in Thor.

 

[Real Sharapova]

what? Mars, Poseidon, Thor?

I believe in Thora Hird

Each to their own I suppose.

 

[FIF]

You heard too?