Secular Café: Logic is pure

Secular Café Discuss philosophical concepts and moral issues.

Logic is pure May 27th 2012, 16:17 Out of curiosity. Do you belief logic/reason is an independent entity that is impenetrable by outside influences?

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Secular Café: Moral character and science

Secular Café Discuss philosophical concepts and moral issues.

Moral character and science May 27th 2012, 06:24 Folks, I hold a belief that moral character has nothing much to do with science, if anything. I don't have any evidence for this belief, or even an idea of where my belief comes from, but there it is and I can't shift it. There are those who would tell us that we are part of chains of cause and effect, that our behaviour is conditioned by upbringing and socialisation, that our behaviour can be driven by deep imprints on our species (tooth and claw stuff) and all kinds of scientific reasoning to explain why we do what we do. However, I hold this belief that when a person does something sneaky and underhand, they do it because this is the kind of person they are; as if the bad fairy had waved the wand over their crib and made them like that. Although calling myself liberal, I also know that my belief is conservative, and highly judgmental, making me someone who would call another person "a bad lot" if the circumstances arose. What do others think about this issue? Alex. PS - Of course the 'bad fairy' scenario would itself be part of a cause and effect thing, so that is not a very good example, as it lets the sneaky and underhand person off the hook, implying that they were alright until cursed.

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Secular Café: The Salamander and the Phoenix

Secular Café Discuss philosophical concepts and moral issues.

The Salamander and the Phoenix May 26th 2012, 00:44 .. incredible incredible creature that can grow a new limb if it's injured! It truly is a recipe for immortality. Ditto my star sign's emblem the Phoenix... rising from the ashes.

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Secular Café: Random acts of kindness

Secular Café Discuss philosophical concepts and moral issues.

Random acts of kindness May 24th 2012, 21:50 .. like my neighbour putting out the rubbish to be collected if I'm not able to do it. So beautifully thoughtful. Does anyone here have a memory of such little acts of kindness?

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Secular Café: Just words?

Secular Café Discuss philosophical concepts and moral issues.

Just words? May 23rd 2012, 03:58 I wondered about this:- http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/847...dents-retarded The problem being the year book used the term "Mentally Retarded". When I was younger, this was the standard, polite term to use for someone with a lower than normal intellect, while "Spastic' was a normal, indeed medical term used to describe Cerebal Paulsy. People of course adopted "Retard" and "Spaz" as insults, with the result that it became un-PC to use those terms. But where does it end? I noted a case recently where a child objected to being termed "Special", and calling someone an "Aspie" has become a popular derogatory term. Do we need to just face up to the fact that words mean what they mean, and the fact that some are hijacked as insults shouldn't change their use? After all, I believe "Developmentally delayed" is the current PC term. Well, the development we are talking about is MENTAL development, and something which is delayed could also be termed impeded- or RETARDED. If changing the words doesn't change what you mean, why change the words?

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Secular Café: The poisonous concept of "honour"

Secular Café Discuss philosophical concepts and moral issues.

The poisonous concept of "honour" May 22nd 2012, 19:44 I'd like everyone to read this short article by the Pakistani physicist Pervez Hoodbhoy. IMO he writes the best articles in Pakistan. http://tribune.com.pk/story/374879/l...y--bayghairat/

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Secular Café: Cardinal who covered up child abuse and got away with it says secularists are immoral

Secular Café Discuss philosophical concepts and moral issues.

Cardinal who covered up child abuse and got away with it says secularists are immoral May 21st 2012, 16:29 http://www.secularnewsdaily.com/2012...+News+Daily%29 These scum know no shame.... Quote: In an address at Leicester's Anglican Cathedral, the former leader of Catholics in England and Wales, Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, said that "secular values" were behind the violence carried out in totalitarian states and some of the 20th century conflicts that have killed millions. "Our danger in Britain today is that so-called western reason claims that it alone has recognised what is right and thus claims totality that is inimical to freedom," he said. "No one is forced to be a Christian. But no one should be forced to live according to the new secular religion as if it alone were definitive and obligatory for all humankind." He said: "The propaganda of secularism and its high priests want us to believe that religion is dangerous for our health. It suits them to have no opposition to their vision of a brave new world, the world which they see as somehow governed only by people like themselves. They conveniently forget that secularism itself does not guarantee freedom, rationality … or violence. Indeed, in the last century, most violence was perpetrated by secular states on their own people." He said a loss of "reverence" for humanity meant that some of the most vulnerable people in society are now routinely viewed as a "problem" or "threat". Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, said: "Cardinal Murphy O'Connor is simply echoing the Vatican's familiar and untrue line that 'secularism' is the enemy of religion. It is certainly the enemy of power-seeking religion, as with the Vatican's present version of Catholicism, but it upholds the rights of religious believers to practise their faith freely and without hindrance. His presentation of Christianity as being under attack is a familiar one and still completely unconvincing. It is part of a wider campaign to reassert Catholic influence." Mr Sanderson continued: "Murphy O'Connor says that the 'high priests' of secularism can't guarantee freedom from violence or immorality. "But we should never forget that Mr Murphy O'Connor himself was guilty of disgracefully covering up some of the most horrific crimes of a paedophile priest when he was Archbishop of Arundel and Brighton – allowing the perpetrator to continue abusing children in other parishes. Why Murphy O'Connor was never brought to justice over this remains a mystery."

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