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Scientism gets a negative reaction. Many people assume that it is a bad thing, but do we really know what it is? Its bad reputation is probably based on a definition like this one: That seems like a pretty shoddy definition to me. Define 'exaggerated' in this context, for a start. Is using...

Have you noticed all those PC ways of saying things that either make it more complicated, or make you feel like you are being tricked? I saw all these on the way to work this morning (the translations are my own :blush: ) "Supply chain solutions" - tankers "Cultural Quarter" - two theatres...

Here's another companion thread to Mycernius' on Christianity and Islam - hope you don't mind my borrowing your wording Mycernius. Religious Tolerance's article on Atheism is a good place to start. It explains the many definitions of Atheist, discusses discrimination against Atheists...

What is it that distinguishes any one of us as a person? After a few years your body consists of completely different atoms. As we gain experience our personalities develop, our beliefs often change, we react to things in different ways. But I think we would all claim to be in some sense the...

Is There Marriage in Heaven?* In the gospels, Jesus is recorded as having said that there is no marriage in heaven: Mark 12:25 has a practically identical verse, Luke is slightly different: Why would Jesus say that there is no marriage in heaven? Would you want to spend eternity where there...

This website has a (loooong) list of books that have been banned in various places at various times. Some of the reasons are very strange: http://author.forbiddenlibrary.com/

Here are some definitions of art from www.dictionary.com: art 1. Human effort to imitate, supplement, alter, or counteract the work of nature. 2. The conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colors, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty...

Looks like 42 might be the answer after all - if not to life, the universe and everything, at least to Riemann's hypothesis. http://www.seedmagazine.com/news/2006/03/prime_numbers_get_hitched.php?utm_source=seedmag-main=rss&page=1 BTW, I find his definition of prime numbers a bit sloppy for an...

...so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months" So said Oscar Wilde. But what are your thoughts on fashion? Personally, I find it distasteful for several reasons. 1) I don't like the waste. I can keep an item of clothing for years. But fashion dictates that we change our whole...

Have a look at this article: http://www.religioustolerance.org/cults.htm. Of the three, 'denomination' is the least controversial term - although determining which religious movements are classed as denominations is disputed. The term 'sect' is more controversial. For me it has a connotation...

I saw this passage in the book I am reading at the moment. It is a beautiful, philosophical novel called The Root and the Flower, by L H Myers. I don't necessarily agree with everything here, but it gave me a lot to think about - and I think it's beautifully written.

Thanks to Dameko for giving me the idea for this thread here: http://www.eupedia.com/forum/showpost.php?p=313242&postcount=30 What do you hold sacred? Or, if you prefer, what is crucially important in your life? Is it certain people or principles or ideas? Please describe.

Do you judge people by what they wear? My husband and I both have a slightly unconventional style of dress - you could call us 'hippies'. I haven't experienced much of an attitude, except for the occasional sarcastic comment, but he quite often receives rude treatment, and I am sure it is due...

What do you understand by the term 'faith'? It is a term I have difficulty with. I have felt for quite a while that faith was a last resort after all other avenues of investigation have been exhausted, but for others, faith is the guiding principle of their lives. Here are some definitions...

I was arguing on another forum that the fact that the existence of god cannot be proved is a good reason not to believe in it. Someone asked if I needed proof that love exists to believe in it, and if it could be proved that love exists. My answer is that love does not exist in any concrete...

Here is what the much-maligned, though much-quoted, Wikipedia has to say about itself: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia So, do you trust it?

This is something I have been wondering about for a while. If you have an illness and don't have insurance or money to pay for treatment, what happens to you? Although I don't believe everything I see on TV :blush: , I get a bad impression from how it's portrayed on TV shows. For example, the...

What do we make of the similarities between various 'saviours'? Jesus and Krishna Both were called both a God and the Son of God. Both was sent from heaven to earth in the form of a man. Christ and Krishna both mean 'Savior' They are both the second person of the Trinity. Their adoptive...

Do you speak proper English like the Queen, or do you have a local dialect? My dialect is called 'Potteries', from Stoke-on-Trent in the NW Midlands of England. Here are some of its peculiarities: We call people 'duck' instead of 'love' or 'dear' or 'mate'. We miss out words - like we say...

What women scientist do you admire, apart from Marie Curie? I like the astronomer Caroline Herschel (1750-1848). She started out as an amateur, and as such discovered three nebulae, and was the first woman to discover a comet. Because of this, George III began to pay her a salary as her...