You should, like, totally go.
Roy Zimmerman is a comedic musician whose videos I have watched on youtube for years. I have yet to meet him, but I hope to be able to make his show next week and rectify that.
Pass along the news!
Category: Skepticism and atheism
Lies, to protect the relationship
I have been actively polyamorous for a while now. As a result of this I see the world of sex and relationships in a different way than most. I see the world with polyamorous eyes.
And while I remember being monogamous earlier in my life, I’m not sure if I can exactly remember how I saw the world differently. I must have seen it differently to some degree, right? Perhaps not, but I’m no longer sure. Perhaps I was always saw a lot of what I now see, just not as clearly. Again, I’m not sure.
If there has been any perspective shift, it is one of a heightened one; a view from above. It is the result of a consciousness-raising, where I can see many of the assumptions and behavior patterns of relationships.
It is not unlike how I see religion, faith, and unskeptical thinking in other avenues (such as politics). It is a view from the outside, being able to see much of what happens within and feeling some sympathy for the experience.
It’s not that I see everything. It is not even that what I do see I fully understand. An analogy would be to say that I am seeing more sides, or even dimensions, to our sexual and relationship behavior than those caught in the mire of cultural normalcy. And what new sides I see makes most of our cultural and psychological tendencies just seem funny and sometimes absurd.
Watching monogamous individuals and couples deal with relationship dynamics, for me, is sort of like a comedy where you, as the audience, know something about the play that the characters do not. The absurdity of their behavior, the obvious conflict of their desires and what they do, and the oversights of simple solutions missed due to ignored needs and lack of transparency in the relationship.
And usually in the name of maintaining the ideal of monogamy. Yes, people do unhealthy relationship things, like lie about what they really want, what they really do, and what they are really comfortable having their partners want and do, in order to protect the relationship.
I cannot think of any higher ironic comedy than that. And is see it all the time, and I am convinced that most monogamous people do it all the time, and that they usually don’t even realize they are doing it.
It is, after all, part of the dating world to lie. So when people commit, either with marriage or just exclusivity, many of those lies are smuggled in. After a while, they may not even feel like lies anymore. They become self-deceptions.
To protect the relationship.
And There Shall Be a New World for All
When I was a kid, I was fairly certain I was going to be an artist. My best friend (at the time) and I were always the “artists” in class when we were young. It was strangely competitive between us. She had a very good handle on realism, which is a set of skills that non-artists really respect. If you could copy a picture line for line by hand, you were considered the great artist (to untrained, untalented hacks, of course). But it was generally accepted that while my skills in realistic duplication were sub par, my interpretation was superior. I put much of myself in every drawing. She drew the perfect fish to see, I drew the fish you could identify with.
I thought that there was a place for my genius in the artistic world, but alas, I was (and have often been) ahead of my time. I held on to the idea for some time, but one day something changed. I have spoken about it before on here. A substitute teacher came in and demanded that we draw a picture of what we thought God looked like. Being an atheist even then, I was offended, but instead of lashing out, I chose to make a statement about my view of these types of things. I drew a picture of the solar system. My statement: There is no god, only the universe and all that is in it.
I was very advanced for a child, I will admit. And perhaps that was threatening to this man. What I didn’t tell you before, because it was too painful to remember, was that he completely rejected it. He called me a fool! And then he told me, a child with a fragile sense of self, that I was worthless as an artist and should never torture anyone with my depictions again.
I was a child and knew no better than to listen to what adults told me. I believed that he was right and gave up my dreams of being an artist.
That’s right. A Christian destroyed my childhood dreams, and ultimately, a Christian took away my childhood. How could I ever go back from that? How could I trust again?
I forged ahead as an atheist, turning my entire life towards science. As I grew older, I realized that truth could be only found in science’s cold, unfeeling clutches. As I was exposed to more and more Christians, I saw them trying to undermine this truth and make the world into something that further destroyed my sense of identity and dreams. Every time I had a conversation with a Christian about some kind of important fact of everyday life, I find myself being able to blame them for all these years of pain and hardship that I have had to endure. I began to develop ideas that simultaneously shocked and calmed me. I was shocked that I was genius enough to think of such things. I was calmed because they made so much sense during a time of such chaos.
But, I am civilized and realize that my radical opinions would alienate me from those close to me. I struggled with this for a long time, but as I found people who were like minded, I felt more comfortable being who I am. I didn’t feel like my heart was black, or that my ideas were crazy. I felt that I was exactly right, but as long as I had a small community to make me feel safe, I could keep them to myself.
So, imagine my surprise when I open this blog today to find that Shaun and Ginny have…become Christians. Not only did they sacrifice a goat without inviting me (something we had often talked about doing as an exciting evening out), but they converted to Christianity and publicly DUMPED ME because of the very things about me that I have thought they loved. I read the words. My heart was torn asunder. I collapsed into a wailing ball of tears and whimpering.
And then I woke up.
Once again, Christianity has caused my dreams of happiness to be destroyed. Once again, my heart has been stomped on by the likes of Christian ideology. And with Christianity’s one last assault on me, clarity was mine. I will no longer be quiet about the things brewing in my mind. They must be spoken and THEY SHALL BE HEARD.
I am working on a draft of a new book about my struggle. And you must understand that my struggle is YOUR struggle just the same. Our hopes and dreams, our self worth, everything that we are has been under constant threat by the Christian hordes. In it I will outline my vision of the perfect future. In brief, the perfect future will involve a government led by cold, hard, unwavering reason. Only the smartest and purest of mind shall be parts of this government, and then, by nature of evolution, by natural selection, the populace shall become the same. Reprogramming attempts shall be made on those who do not initially fit the mold. Those who can not be reprogrammed shall be eliminated, but not before their feeble minds can be used for something worthwhile in the world of science.
It is my hope, and it is my assumption that science will INDEED replace god in the hearts and minds of all who call themselves citizens of Earth and I shall be at the forefront of the revolution. All will know my name and those who have chosen oppose me now will certainly learn to regret it.
So, Shaun, I thank you once again for providing me with own Great Awakening. You have unlocked my potential, and soon all others will be awakened to the truth as well. Mark this day, April 1st, as the day the world became aware of the glorious future. Won’t you join me on this great journey towards ultimate enlightenment? The journey starts with this single step today.
Sense which pleases the Lord
Yesterday, Ginny and I spent a fair amount of time editing a new post for today. We had wanted to make sure that we got the wording just right, trimmed it down enough to not be overwhelming (I do have a tendency to go on and on…), and were almost done….
So, firefox crashed. The crash message was there so briefly before the window disappeared that I don’t know the nature of the crash, but crash it did. “No problem,” I thought. “WordPress saved most of the work, and it’s fresh in my mind.” But no. The work was gone, irretrievable, dead. I had never seen firefox crash in this way before, and that it happened right then was extremely irritating, as if some intelligent force were at work.
I was angry. Ginny came back into the room and was annoyed too. I considered re-writing the post, but I was too frustrated, tired, and didn’t have the heart for it.
That was the problem, I didn’t have the heart….
So Ginny came over to me and held me and we grieved together briefly and then, well, something else happened. This time this new thing happened to both of us, in apparent unison. A feeling of assurance and understanding washed over both of us and looked at each other in coterminous understanding.
It occurred to both of us that perhaps that strange crash, at that moment, was not mere accident. Why would it happen then, as we worked on a post together for the first time (sort of like a preamble to our coming wedding vows), rather than any other time? What was the significance?
What if some power, some force, or even some intelligence saw this as the right opportunity to reach out to us. I have been saying for some time that if a god existed, I’d want to know. Also, I have said that this god would know how to make itself known to me. Apparently, god was waiting for the right time. He surely does work in mysterious ways.
What happened next was too sudden, too intense to record. Most of it was a blur. There were tears, prayers, and we had to go out to get what we needed in order to complete the right ritual. We didn’t have time to call a priest or consult the book, we had to get moving before God smited us. Of course, finding a goat so late at night would be hard, especially without a car.
But eventually we found a supermarket that had some goat meat which was open all night, and proceeded to acquire it. It was not much of a “sacrifice,” but it was all we could do under such short notice. The meat department were nice enough to supply some goat blood too, as that would be necessary.
We burnt it on an altar to the Lord, as is demanded by Him, and left it for the high priests.
Of course, not having our own altar, we had to go to the local Jewish temple. But their altar was probably inside, and the door was really hard to get through, so we stopped trying and instead used the front steps and left it there for them. They will be so happy to know that people are returning to the old ways.
I know, I know…I’m new to this, OK? I have not read Leviticus in so long that I just sort of winged it. It came from the heart. That’s all the Host of Hosts demands, right? Later today I will re-read the chapters and do it right, but I thought that the attempt was enough to please the nose of the Lord at the time.
It did smell pretty good. That YHWH sure loves BBQ.
In any case, we then walked home and prayed loudly in the streets for all to hear and enjoy, sharing our new-found relationship with the true god, the King of Kings, with all who were out sinning in the Babylon which is downtown Philadelphia on a Saturday night. By this time, the bars were near to closing and we were getting nowhere with the people coming out of the bars drunk on their own dirty sin. So we just had to try and go in and spread some more good news.
Most people were friendly, but they were not in the mood for helping us find an unblemished male goat for a morning ritual. Plus, the blood all over us from earlier was apparently off-putting.
If these unforgiven Sodomites and Gomorrah-dwellers would only read Leviticus, they would understand that we hadn’t just slaughtered a room full of children, but in fact had been trying to please the God they were ignoring.
But they were too busy ignoring His Throne in their drunken orgy of Baal or whatever. Hey, I read the gosh-darned book years ago, it’s not exactly fresh in my memory!If not Baal, it was one of those false idols, like Vishnu or something. That false god loves drunk people.
So, after getting a few hours of sleep (I slept on the couch, not being married to Ginny yet and all), we woke up for an early church service at the local Baptist church, where we tried to show them all how to properly sacrifice a dove (OK, pigeon. We were short on time, again). But they were not interested and asked us to leave. So we left them to their luke-warmness and proceeded down the street.
We were lucky enough to catch the start of a Presbyterian service, and since they were already started we quietly sacrificed the pigeon in the back rows, which seemed to offend a few people. Perhaps they were upset because we did it at the wrong time? I’m not sure, but I don’t remember where the scripture tells you precisely when to do these things, so perhaps they were yelling at us for no reason except that they preferred to sacrifice birds after the communion.
Apparently, our timing was really bad, because they kicked us out too, a few of them following us down the street. Something about returning a “collection” plate, whatever that is.
But before trying to catch the noon Mass at the Catholic church, we decided that we should share our good news. Also, sorry Gina and Wes, but we can no longer take part in your sinning lifestyle. I guess we can still hang out and stuff, so long as you see the light. You do have a good back yard for burnt offerings, after all. However, if you don’t see the truth, we don’t want to be associated with people who will burn for eternity. And no, it’s not classism, whatever kind of Commie talk that is!
We will also have to take the website down soon, or at least change it to burntofferings.com (if that’s available!). But right now we have to get to Mass!
They’ll be so glad we brought our own sheep!
The Monogamy Delusion?
So, I just finished reading Greta Christina’s new book Why Are You Atheists So Angry: 99 Things That Piss Off The Godless (Kindle version), right after having met her after the Reason Rally, and I will briefly say that I recommend it as a great resource for both believer and heathen alike. It is a great read for anyone who does not quite understand why we get so fired up about religion and faith.
I use this as a premise for talking about goals of social movements, a question that Greta addresses in her book concerning the goals of the atheist movement specifically, and what this might have to teach the polyamory community. After watching the atheist movement grow and mature over the last 10 years or so, and given that I am usually thinking about polyamory, I inevitably will ask whether there will ever be a large, organized, coherent polyamory social movement.
And if there were, what would it look like?
As Greta talks about in her book, there are fundamental problems which the larger atheist community addresses through various means. There are the basic issues of confronting stereotypes, discrimination, and hatred of atheists. Such things range from moral, legal, and to philosophical issues and are fought for by both theists and atheists. There is also the front of the atheist community which actively responds to theistic claims, both to truth and socio-political access of levers of power (in the US, this is usually through Christian privilege), with counter arguments of varying levels of intensity. On the farther end is the ultimate goal of ridding the world—through persuasion—of religion. Greta and I share that goal.
With that in mind, what types of issues could a polyamory social movement address?
- are there fundamental cultural, legal, or philosophical problems which polyamory addresses?
- is there any real and significant discrimination against polyamorous people in the world? If so, is it primarily cultural or legal in nature?
- Would such a movement be essentially a struggle for equal rights or would it also include questions of truth, such as whether polyamory is the best model for relationships that all people should emulate? (I a thinking about that last point in terms of Sam Harris’ Moral Landscape)
I don’t have any definitive conclusions to these questions right now, nor do I think anyone does. I ask these questions to tease out some stark differences in the types of problems that the atheist community is dealing with from what the polyamory community has to deal with, whether it will become a larger social movement or not.
Will there ever be a poly equivalent to accommodationists?
In the atheist community, there are those whom like to argue that religion is worthy of respect, should not be criticized, and that there is much about religion that we should perpetuate, learn from, etc. I have addressed this question numerous times over the last few years, and will not say more than I disagree with this view. Strongly.
On the other side are people, like myself, who believe that religion is more harmful than not, untrue, and perpetuates the worst parts of our humanity; specifically faith. I will resist urge to rant about that here. Resistance is not always futile.
(In other words, urges to rant about faith can be countered with Star Trek references)
So, the question is whether this pattern holds for the polyamory community? Are there people who will argue that, for example, monogamy is more damaging than not? That monogamy cannot be a healthy relationship structure? Will people argue that polyamory is objectively better than non-polyamory? Will there, in short, be anti-monogamists? Not merely people who prefer polyamory, think it a better way to live given more options, but actually against the practice of monogamy as an irrational and delusional lifestyle? Will someone write a book called “The Monogamy Delusion”?
Again, not mere amonogamy–the lack of monogamy–but the active social activism against (through persuasion) the continuation of monogamy as a cultural practice.
(Some of you are thinking about Brave New World. Or, if you are uber-literate, you are thinking of WE.)
Now, I don’t doubt that there are a few people out there who might try to make such an argument. I’m sure that a rare poly bird out there, or a few, will argue that monogamy is fundamentally wrong, irrational, and possibly a bowing to the worst instincts of humanity; things like jealousy, social conformity, and living against one’s true desires (living inauthentically).
And on some points, I will agree with such people. I might, in fact, agree with many of the points they will make, and make some of those points myself. But despite this affinity for such arguments, I am not, at least not right now, one of those people who will make such an argument. And I want to explain why.
Theism v. monogamy
Theism is a hypothesis about the world, specifically the existence of some supernatural being commonly referred to as a deity, god, etc. It makes a specific claim which is either testable or untestable. If it is testable, it has not survived skeptical/scientific analysis so far, and does not appear as f it will ever pass such a standard. If it is not testable, it is a worthless hypothesis and should be thrown out on those merits alone. Atheism is the lack of that hypothesis, whether made out of ignorance or through informed analysis, and the arguments it makes are in response to a proposition of how the world is.
Monogamy is a relationship style based upon sexual (and usually romantic) exclusivity between two people. It is the lifestyle of having one lover, sometimes a spouse, at least at a time but possibly life-long. It is not a hypothesis about the world, but it is a…choice? (is it really always a choice, given how many people are not even aware of alternatives? A question for another post!). In any case, monogamy is a structure of one’s relationship, rather than a claim about reality.
What is the significance of this distinction? Essentially, it is the fact that polyamory is not a reaction to monogamy in the same way that atheism is a reaction to theism. A polyamorous advocate could say something like “this is a better lifestyle for my wants and needs, and it may be better for you” and not “your lifestyle is objectively unproven to be best, true, and so your lifestyle is objectively wrong and you should give it up.” Polyamory is not a reaction against a claim to objective truth, as atheism is. Polyamory has a relationship, and not always an antagonistic one, to a traditional cultural ideal of monogamy (traditional in much of the world, but certainly not all of it) that feels unnatural to many people.
To clarify the distinction between these two issues, let me ask two questions:
- Is it reasonable to consider all of the arguments for and against theism and rationally come out a theist?
- Is it reasonable to consider all of the arguments for and against monogamy and rationally come out monogamous?
In terms of (1), there are no good arguments for any gods’ existence, so any skeptic should become an atheist if they properly apply their skepticism to the question of gods. As for (2), there are people who will, upon honest reflection, discussion, and consideration with their partner, find that they both are actually quite happy, satisfied, and feel no desire to be with other people sexually/romantically. Those people will be what I call “accidentally monogamous.” They have seriously considered whether they would want other people in their sexual/romantic life and have concluded that they need no rule about exclusivity but will end up living a monogamous lifestyle, for all practical purposes.
And before anyone thinks to point this out, I admit having argued that a true skeptic should be polyamorous, but I have also argued that monogamy is legitimately rational as a needs-securing lifestyle for at least some people. To be clear, my view is that polyamory (not having an exclusivity rule) should be the starting position for all relationships, and monogamy is subsequently only fully rational if, and only if (iff), that is what both people actually, authentically, want with each other. Which means that they would need no rule arguing for exclusivity, because doing so would be redundant because neither is actually interested in pursuing other people.
Wes would probably say that this lack of a need for an exclusivity rule is coterminous with polyamory, and I tend to agree. But I think there is room for debate here about the definition of polyamory, so I am allowing that room in my analysis here. My views may change in the future, in that I may completely adopt his definition as being sufficient for polyamory. The consequence of this would be that I might then conclude that all monogamy, unless it is reached “accidentally,” would be irrational and possibly harmful.
I’m not there right now.
Polyamourous evangelicalism?
The conclusion from all of this, as I see it, is that any movement to advance polyamory culturally, socially, or politically will probably be limited to providing information, legal and philosophical challenges, and the decreasing of any discrimination which polyamorous people experience or are legitimately worried about.
I don’t see a strong argument, parallel to atheism’s arguments against theism, religion, and faith, against monogamy. I see arguments for being polyamorous, but that is not precisely the same thing as being against all monogamy.
There will be people who want to get rid of monogamy, and I will want to hear their arguments why they think we should strive for that (as I would hope atheist accommodationists should want to actually read new/gnu atheist arguments. I’m looking at you, Julian Baggini!). But for now, I don’t see much room for a “new/gnu poly” movement. But I suppose only time will tell.
If anyone feels I am being to accommodating to monogamy, I’m open to arguments.
Atheists, Polyamorists, and Skeptics…OH MY! Also, Bartenders.
A few years ago while hanging out with a friend on a lazy afternoon, I suggested that we go off to visit another friend who was at work at a local coffee shop. She looked at me in a somewhat horrified fashion.
“You want to bother someone at work?”
I thought this was a strange way to look at it. When I worked in a coffee shop in the beginning of college, I really enjoyed when people came to visit me. Not only did I get to give people a discount, but I had a nice distraction. In addition, I liked people seeing what I did when I wasn’t in class or whatever. I am generally proud of what I do to make a living. Over the years, I have often wished that people could visit me in my chemistry world to see what I do all day (when I’m not blogging of course). I like to show off the technology I work with and geek out about why it’s “cool”. I like guiding tours in the facility and I like demonstrating stuff. It would be fun for me to be able to do that for my friends and family, but it isn’t generally done. There’s lots of security and safety stuff that you have to consider, so it wouldn’t be a habit you want anyone to develop. In addition, I work out in the relative “boonies” so dropping in is unlikely.
The thing is that I also love watching people do their jobs. As an example, my sister has been bartending for 20 years. I think that some might find it hard to take something like that seriously as a career if only because we’re told from a young age that unless you own the restaurant, it isn’t a “real career”. This is, of course, preposterous. People don’t talk about mechanics that way. Bartending is a highly skilled trade just like that, but because you’re slinging booze and not lugnuts, it somehow gets less respect as a “whole life” kind of thing. I also might be wrong about that as a general opinion. It’s just one I have encountered. Regardless, I have sat down at the bar while she works and have been transfixed by the sight. There’s just something exciting about watching a seasoned professional work. I have so much respect for the skills she has acquired over the years. I would say that she makes it look easy, but she doesn’t actually. I know watching her that I couldn’t be as good at taking care of a room like that tomorrow or in a year.
I also just enjoy seeing people in other parts of their lives. We all have a “home self” and a “work self”. Some would say that the big difference between these two selves is simply what you have to hide, but I think the professionalism that most people have to display at work is the more entertaining and interesting part of it. I am always amused at my phone etiquette at work. I have a “phone voice” that is apparently somehow soothing, friendly and authoritative all at once. I also display a level of confidence in my professional life that is very different from my out of work personality. I feel confident about coatings because I have a lot of knowledge. I have been doing this for years and I know what I’m talking about. I bring that to every meeting, every customer visit and I’m pretty proud of it. People trust me with their chemicals and that is something that takes years to garner (and not something you learn in school, by the way). I like seeing these things in everyone while they do their jobs.
It probably has something to do with having really high caliber people around me. I don’t worry about showing up to someone’s workplace and seeing them be mediocre. No one I would visit at work is. When I walk into the candy shop, Jessie beams in her period costume and even though she knows me well, she still answers all my candy-related questions professionally and with great enthusiasm (and then she usually lets me taste stuff because she’s a really smart saleslady…and then I buy things…so many things). I got the chance to sit in Wes’ office the other day while he was being all lawyery and it was fun to see him so professional, especially since we spend so much of our time being silly and ridiculous at home. I got to see Ginny teach a class at Gymboree once and I was highly entertained to watch her explain that the kids had a choice between a big ball and a little ball and that each ball only fit in one tube. The kids were fascinated. I haven’t gotten to see Shaun at his day job, but I think I would be really amused since he regularly sends me pictures of dinosaurs with koosh balls for bodies and Star Wars figurines sitting on toy boats. Based on how he entertains and confuses our dog, I just think watching him with kids would hilarious.
In all these cases, every job seems like a potential career because anything can be a career that you are good at and passionate about. Sure, not all the people I just mentioned are ridiculously passionate about their day jobs, but seeing someone do their job well makes the job itself seem all the more legitimate and real.
This is similar to how I feel about being out and open about being poly and being an atheist. It’s easy for people to judge you poorly when they are not directly seeing you live your life. People will make assumptions based on their own limited filter on the world and then go write a diatribe against you on the internet. But when we are all out and about a lot as a group and when people find out that we are poly, they often have a lot of questions (which we welcome!). People want to know how it works and why we chose to live this way. I find that the response to people talking to us about it in person, when they can see us all functioning in our relationships just like they do, is pretty positive. Sure, we might not be converting anyone, but at this point acceptance is just as good. Much in the same way, when people see that I’m an atheist who is smiling and who has managed not to murder everyone around me due to apparent lack of a moral code, it’s harder to think of atheists in the same evil light.
It should be obvious, but it should be said that it is important to actually observe the reality of things before making vast assumptions. For instance, many atheists are pretty learned in religious texts and theory. They judge them based on not only the words but also how concepts are carried out in people’s lives and in churches. If you talk to one, you might find yourself in an interesting theological discussion and you might also find that atheist is not synonymous with depressed godless douchebag. If you talk to polyamorous people before assuming that the only defining characteristic of them is sluttiness, you might find that the whole thing seems quite logical. If you spend a day working with an old and wizened carnie, you might be impressed by the amount of knowledge being good at something like that requires.
Or you might get really creeped out. Rumor has it carnies eat the heads of chickens or something.
I think when people hear the word skeptic, they assume you are skeptical (which, well, they should). But I think that people equate being skeptical with being a naysayer who just wants ruin everyone’s fun. But all it means is that you want to see it before you believe it. It’s easy to make grand statements about how a job or lifestyle is stupid or wrong, but it’s harder to do that once you actually see it. It comes down to whatever benefit you get from remaining ignorant and I for one never feel that the benefit of ignorance is worth it.
Some Thoughts While I’m Waiting in Line for Overpriced Wine
It’s 11pm and I’m feeling content and comfortable. After standing in rainy conditions from 9:30am to 5:00pm, we here at Polyskeptic.com decided to head back to the hotel to dry off and get our brains in order. Then we headed to Bethesda for an after party sponsored by American Atheists and here we are.
Last month, Wes, Jessie, and I went to Wicked Faire in Somerset, NJ. It was a wonderful weekend for various reasons (not the least of which was getting to walk around as Lock, Shock and Barrel again). One of the things that was appealing at the time was the massive amount of acceptance for all lifestyles and interests. At Wicked Faire, you could be who you want to be, whatever that may be. That felt like a vacation for me for a weekend because it was really nice to not have to particularly explain polyamory for once. We could just introduce ourselves and our relationship and people were cool with it (we didn’t even get weird looks about it). So that’s nice. But the acceptance was one I couldn’t fully trust and give in to, because, well, when you are with people who accept everything regardless of any thought at all, the acceptance is…um…kind of bullshit. If you don’t think about it and just accept, sure, you don’t fight…but you’re also not asking questions or getting a real opinion. It’s nice for a weekend, but not for a life.
At the Reason Rally, I feel a similar kind of acceptance but I feel like it’s one I can trust. The Reason Rally has been a gathering of like minded people, just like any convention…but here’s the difference: we accept because we know that anything we disagree with can and will be challenged. It is an acceptance based on truth and a commitment to critical thinking. Just like asking why we were waiting in a long line before getting into it themselves, meetings here are done with an important understanding. The understanding is that we know that we may not agree on, well, anything…but we do agree that we should find out exactly what people are about before accepting or rejecting them, much like ideas and beliefs.
This is the essence of reason. This is why we are here, in DC and, frankly, in life.
Maybe it’s the wine talking, but I’m feeling motivated and excited about this movement and the kind of people who join it. I am not alone.
And just in case you thought this wasn’t a real rally, there was totally a woman dancing with hula hoops on the dance floor a minute ago. The drum circle will begin shortly…most likely. I missed a chance to take a picture of hula hoop girl because I was blogging.
I should, um, maybe stop blogging for a minute…maybe.
PZ Myers and His Rightous Hat
So, PZ Myers showed up today with a 10 gallon…nay, a 20 gallon hat and it is glorious. I think it fitting that he be wearing an impressive, kind of silly hat as some would possibly consider him a pope-like figure for the movement. Or at least a Cardinal.
Of course, by pope, he is simply a dynamic leader urging us to stop accepting lies and ridiculousness as part of our national dialogue. This should seem obvious, but seeing as we have to have a rally about reason, these things need to be said.
Apparently, Eddie Izzard is coming on next. ZOMG.
Jesus Riding A Dinosaur
The Reason Rally is the greatest place on Earth.
That’s right. You know you’re jealous.
Also, I don’t know if I should consider this proof of humans and dinosaurs existed at the same time, but seeing as I’m losing brain power by the minute, let’s not ask any questions and assume that it is.
Skepticism!
Also, we shall bow to our dinosaur overlords.
Brain power!
Richard Dawkins: Need I Say More?
It is a fact of my own life that scientists will always offer the most persuasive arguments to me for logic and reason. But it is also true that they offer the most compelling arguments for the beauty of our world. Listening to Dawkins speak about “this rock, near a mediocre star on the edge of a typical galaxy” and how despite the ordinary nature of the conditions in this particular pocket of the universe, something as extraordinary as our planet and the life on it managed to occur fills me with a sense of awe. To accept that the beauty we see in our short, insignificant lives can be attributed to chance, the entropic reality of the universe is a gift. To attribute to anything else cheapens it. It is a beautiful world without spirituality. It is more beautiful to me because of that.
Science is practical magic.
As such, I enjoy that my camera phone makes all the pictures of the video screen look like promotional posters or cartoons.
Skepticism, Properly Applied 