03-06-2014, 10:38 AM | #391 | |
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You want an astrophysicist performing your appendectomy? Last edited by kennyc; 03-06-2014 at 10:41 AM. |
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03-06-2014, 11:29 AM | #392 | |
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The Nirmukta.com article seems very interesting but I'll have to wait until I'm home from work to read it. |
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03-06-2014, 11:47 PM | #393 | |
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Recently on NPR's program OnPoint, they had the author of the book Grain Brain, a neurologist I believe, who likened gluten to a terrorist. He seemed very polished, but everything he said about gluten was speculation (although delivered as fact), or misstated facts refuted by scientists. Everything he had to say seemed like it was precision engineered to play into people's health fears, while also supporting the anti-gluten diet fad that he helped create. Essentially, the guy was a snake oil salesman. I get the sense that Lanza is making the same sort of sales pitch. It's always a bad idea to assume ill intent when incompetence will do, but Lanza just seems like he should be too informed (especially after years of skeptics pointing out the flaws in his arguments) to be honestly claiming biocentrism is a real thing. |
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03-07-2014, 03:52 AM | #394 | |
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Also, I just wanted to mention that the nirmukta link Kenny posted is a great article, worth reading IMO whether or not you're interested in Lanza's theory. http://nirmukta.com/2009/12/14/bioce...ious-universe/ |
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03-24-2014, 01:56 PM | #395 |
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I just finished "The Monkey's Voyage: How Improbable Journeys Shaped the History of Life" by Alan de Queiroz. It's about the biogeographical concepts of vicariance and dispersalism as competitive theories for the spatial distribution of life on earth. Per the title, de Queiroz is a dispersalist. The writing style is quite readable, and he describes some of the personalities involved. I have no biology background whatsoever, and I never felt lost reading this. A good read.
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03-24-2014, 06:57 PM | #396 |
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Yes, but why is the universe so perfectly balanced for life? It's not only perfectly tuned for humans, but for all carbon-based life. Coincidence?
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03-24-2014, 07:11 PM | #397 | |||
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03-24-2014, 07:22 PM | #398 | |
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I'm only about 60% of the way through, and I don't agree with everything he says. I agree with the Engadget review that he is sometimes 'lazy' which surprises me too. But he throws enough muck at conventional interpretations of modern physics for some of it to stick. I'm enjoying the book. It's a real mind-twister and makes you look at the world in a different way. I'm guessing the vast majority of the book's critiques on this thread haven't read it either. Last edited by Rizla; 03-24-2014 at 08:26 PM. |
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03-24-2014, 07:54 PM | #399 | |
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On the Anthropic Principle:
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03-24-2014, 08:27 PM | #400 |
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03-24-2014, 09:08 PM | #401 |
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Stuff happens all over the universe without observation. What scientist could seriously believe that nothing gets decided until something is conscious of it? There is a general misunderstanding of what "observation" really means with respect to quantum physics.
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03-24-2014, 09:30 PM | #402 | |
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Why is it not possible "that nothing gets decided until something is conscious of it."? That is exactly how the sub-atomic world works and the double-split experiment is proof of the principle manifesting at a macroscopic level. Last edited by Rizla; 03-24-2014 at 09:37 PM. |
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03-24-2014, 09:35 PM | #403 |
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No it's not. You misunderstand what is really happening.
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03-24-2014, 09:39 PM | #404 |
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03-24-2014, 10:05 PM | #405 |
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The vast majority of subatomic interactions take place outside of experiments with detectors and conscious observers. They seem to do fine without us being present and paying attention. It seems to me that a theory that requires consciousness is just introducing unnecessary complications.
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