Sunday, July 18, 2010

It's Time To Agree On Some Things

Why do we have to fight for gay marriage instead of using our energies to end nuclear proliferation and poverty? Why has egalitarianism got us so confused that we feel like we have to admit all ideas into debate, no matter how obviously delusional?

Sam Harris, a neuroscientist and one of the world's bravest critics on exoteric religious nuttery, recently spoke at TED about how we might agree on all things moral, and the profound difference this would make. A sobering and great talk.

Recently

• • Life During Wartime
  • In the midst of terrible illnesses and tropical holidays came MIFF, that most trusty staple of the antipodean winter. First up was Life During Wartime, Todd Solondz's sequel of sorts to morbid and wonderful Happiness (1998). There's more.
• • It's Time To Agree On Some Things
  • Why do we fight for gay marriage instead of ending nuclear proliferation? Sam Harris, a neuroscientist and one of the world's bravest critics on exoteric religious nuttery, talks about how we might agree on all things moral, and the profound difference this would make. There's more.
• • A Man and a Unicorn, Alone on a Mountain Top
  • A unicorn shares a drink with a lone camper on the top of a mountain. Then the booze runs out. There's more.
• • Four Records From The (Almost) Canon
  • Four remarkable, little-heard records from two depressed Kiwis, a deep listening scholar, some truly radical post-punkers and a couple of Arizona desert rats. There's more.
• • Hetfield vs. Science
  • In 2009, Hetfield the metal singer met Songsmith the digital accompaniment program. Here's what happened. There's more.
• • Recent Spam, Reviewed
  • I receive lots of comments on this blog. Ninety-nine per cent of them are from robots. Here I take a closer look at eight of them. There's more.