Religious Musings: Maybe God Isn't So Ridiculous?

Yesterday I was in my backyard playing fetch with Lucy. We have one of those little UFO shaped grills and it was laying on its side with a few insects buzzing around it. I realized that the insects wouldn't treat it any differently if it was a hollow tree stump. The insects had no idea it was man made and no idea how or why the grill was there. All they knew is that it was a source of shelter and nutrition.

What if there was evidence of higher intelligence around me and I simply could not recognize it? If helium and nitrogen were natural elements but hydrogen and oxygen were artificially created by a higher intelligence how would I know? What sorts of clues could I look for to see what parts of my world might have been shaped by a higher intelligence?

By drawing an analogy to the round, metallic grill I speculated that evidence of complex engineering would be tend to suggest involvement by a higher power. After all, engineering is simply a combination of intelligence and environmental manipulation. Since our entire universe is organized by the law of physics into complex shapes and reactions (including our own biology), I found it interesting that maybe the notion that our universe was created by a higher power wasn't so crazy.

Of course, this isn't to say that the complexity of our universe is proof of a higher intelligence. If that conclusion was a necessary implication, then the intelligence that engineered our universe would have to have been engineered by another intelligence, and so forth into perpetuity. Assuming our universe was engineered by a higher intelligence, this doesn't necessarily prove the existence of a Judeo-Christian God. It would suggest with equal likelihood, for example, that we are part of a Matrix-style Simulation.

Also my speculation that evidence of higher intelligence could/would come in the form of evidence of complex engineering could be incomplete or wrong.

All flaws considered, I thought it was an interesting thought worth sharing nonetheless.

Backwards Copying: Reaching the Singularity

Backwards Copying. That is the label I give people who think my thoughts, wear my clothes, or go to my destination before I do. It's basically my way of venting frustration when I have an original idea that someone has before me.

So earlier this summer I had this great idea. Reach the singularity by applying darwinian principles in a computer environment. Give the computer survival tasks from the bottom-up that require it to acquire sensory intelligence, coordination, problem-solving, and language. Start basic and slowly move up. Start with a simple computer program, assign it a task, and the more successful it is at completely the task the more likely it is to survive and reproduce. When it reproduces, introduce random mutations into its program. Must will be immaterial or harmful, but sometimes a beneficial mutation will result. That beneficial mutation stays in the program and then a new generation is spawned. Great idea, right? I planned to start working on this in a few years in my basement once I had some capital flowing from my anticipated income as a lawyer.

Looks like I've been Backwards Copied. :-(

Philosophical Conflict: Petri Dish Meat and Cloning/GMO

In case you missed it, a bit of a scandal erupted on the other side of the Atlantic this week:

Beef from a second bull bred from a clone has illegally entered the human food chain and has been eaten in the last few months, safety officials have disclosed.

Tampering with genetics ignites the fears and passions of many.  But is this opposition justified?

Hugh Pennington, emeritus professor of microbiology at the University of Aberdeen, said meat and milk from cloned cows posed no health risks. "It is perfectly safe," he said. "They are just the same as their parents from the genetic point of view so there's no problem there."

Alright, I concede that one line from one story is hardly enough to conclude that cloned meat is safe. But considering the genetic variation already in our diet -- from non-genetic minerals and vitamins to plants, fungi, and a wide assort of animals -- I do wonder wonder what all the fuss about genetically modified food is about. What's a handful of mutations from cloning or genetic modification really going to hurt? All naturally born life forms come into this world with a few genetic mutations and an entirely unique genome. We're not going to ban the consumption of any individual plant or animal due to the unknown side effects of consuming its unverified genome, right? So why doesn't that principle apply to cloned or modified organisms?

But understandably at least, many people are skeptical, afraid, and hostile. Whatever. So how does this conflict with animal ethics?

Possibly the Saddest Livestock Video Ever

This is a scene from the Earthlings sequel, "Unity."  Earthlings as you may recall is a recent pro-animal documentary narrated by Joaquin Phoenix with music by Moby.

The video does not show blood or gore.  It shows the fear and desperation of an animal awaiting its turn for slaughter...

This Really Annoys Me About Politics

Anyone who knows me or follows my blog has figured out that I'm a pretty liberal guy. But I'm not a kool-aid drinker. Not only are there plenty of "liberal" issues I'm apathetic about or even oppose, but I'll criticize Democrats for bad politics too.

Well, if you want bad politics:

Okay... so one Republican on some talk show says "exact same agenda" and you're going to repeat that line over and over again as though its an effective attack against Republicans generally?  We don't even get to hear the whole sentence in context, nevermind the broader topic itself.  Look, if there was a memo signed by the heads at the RNC and Congressional Committees then play ball.  But I don't even know who that guy is and I'm an astute political observer.

And while we're at it, can we ban creepy background music from political advertisements?  The music didn't make me want to vote against Republicans -- eight years of Republican mis-management did it for me.  What  f***ing rational purpose does that music serve besides making me afraid that guy is going to break in and rape me in my sleep?  Seriously.  That music belongs on a Lifetime movie, not a political ad.

Apparently It's Amazing

I would definitely buy this pre-French Revolution champagne if I had $70,000: World's Oldest Champagne Found on Baltic Seabed.

Musical Musing

Smashing Pumpkins, Hummer (Siamese Dream 1993).

It's about twenty years late, but I've been obsessed with this song all summer...

TIME Profiles the Animal Rights Movement

This week's issue of TIME has a nice, short profile of the animal rights movement.  It notes recent accomplishments in America, including bans (in a few states) on battery cage eggs, foie gras, and dog-chaining.  

The profile also annoys me in a couple of ways.  Take this quote:

Government Behaving Reasonably

At least that's all I inferred from article at CNN:  Thousands of Sex Offenders Received U.S. Passports.

According to a GAO report (requested by some worthless senators), the State Department issued about 5,000 passports to sex offenders last year even though:

"Federal statutes authorize the Secretary of State to deny issuance of a passport in certain circumstances, such as while an individual is imprisoned or on parole or supervised release for a conviction for international drug trafficking or sex tourism or is in arrearages for child support... However, there is currently no comprehensive program to deny passports to applicants who are registered sex offenders."

Okay, so the Secretary of State does deny passports based on "a conviction for... sex tourism," yet it is report-worthy that passports are issued for other people?  YAWN.  This report is shocking neither in raw numbers (5,000 out of 300,000,000 people in the United States) nor substance.  

Some people might advocate denying passports to all sex offenders, but that seems unduly harsh to me.  Considering the sex-crime-mania that inflicts our criminal justice system already (see here and here), denying passports would be overkill.

The Singularity is Creeping Down Wall Street

The singularity is near.

That's the thought I have at least when I read articles like this from the Wall Street Journal. Key quotes and context below the fold...

Musical Musing

FC Kahuna, Hayling.  Machine Says Yes (2002).

I just discovered this song last week and am in love with it:

Greyhound Racing Outlawed in New Hampshire

UPDATE: check out GREY2KUSA for more information and ways to help greyhounds.

Good news from New Hampshire on the Animal Welfare front:

"Governor John Lynch has signed into law House Bill 630, a humane proposal to outlaw greyhound racing in New Hampshire. New Hampshire now joins a majority of states where greyhound racing is illegal.

"This is a victory for everyone in the state who cares about animals. It sends a clear message that we will not tolerate cruelty, regardless of whether the perpetrator is an individual or a profit-driven industry.

"Greyhound racing is cruel and inhumane. At New Hampshire racetracks thousands of dogs endured lives of terrible confinement and many suffered serious injuries. According to state records, nearly 1,200 greyhounds were injured in New Hampshire since 2005, including dogs that suffered broken legs, paralysis, and head trauma."

My favorite framework for thinking about policy issues is to define the interests at stake and then weigh them.  The best policy minimizes harm to all of the competing interests while advancing the benefit.  In this case, we would weigh the interests of (1) animal welfare against (2) entertainment.  Thus, while it's true that greyhound racing isn't as cruel as other animal exploitations like industrial farming practices, it is weighed against a very arbitrary benefit and some animals are inevitably injured, euthanized, or sold to research labs during their careers.  There are countless ways to entertain ourselves, but only so many types of food to eat.  Similarly arbitrary forms of animal exploitation include circuses and  cosmetic testing on animals.

My dog's not a greyhound, but she is a chocolate lab and hound mutt mix (and adorable):

Lines Drawn in Battle Between Free Will and Determinism

NPR has a philosophically fascinating special series called "Inside the Criminal Brain."  The whole series is worth a look, but I want to focus on a specific case:

"When the police arrived at Bradley Waldroup's trailer home in the mountains of Tennessee, they found a war zone. There was blood on the walls, blood on the carpet, blood on the truck outside, even blood on the Bible that Waldroup had been reading before all hell broke loose.

"Assistant District Attorney Drew Robinson says that on Oct. 16, 2006, Waldroup was waiting for his estranged wife to arrive with their four kids for the weekend. He had been drinking, and when his wife said she was leaving with her friend, Leslie Bradshaw, they began to fight. Soon, Waldroup had shot Bradshaw eight times and sliced her head open with a sharp object. When Waldroup was finished with her, he chased after his wife, Penny, with a machete, chopping off her finger and cutting her over and over."

So what makes this gruesome murder a front line in the battle between free will and determinism?  Join me below the fold...

Mad (16th Century Royal) Props to South Dakota

 As a Vermillion (South Dakota) native, I can't help but pass this front page story from NPR along:

"Since its opening in 1973, the National Music Museum has become one of the first places people think of when they come across a rare instrument. Its latest acquisition — a 400-year-old Amati Brothers violin, made to order for King Henry IV of France — is one example. Violin expert Claire Givens, who has lent her expertise as an appraiser to The Antiques Road Show, brokered the deal that brought the instrument to Vermillion.   

Governator Saves Chickens

It may not be as bad ass as going back in time to save (or destroy) the human race, but Gov. Schwarzenegger signed a bill into law today that would require all eggs imported into California to conform to Proposition 2 standards by 2015.

 

The Meaning of Heroic

Can we stop calling it heroic when people battle for their own survival?  My sympathies go out to this woman, but struggling to save oneself from E. coli is hardly worthy of the "heroic" title.  Unless we want to drain the word of all meaning at least.

Sorry, but taking an outdoor cat is probably a crime.

I'm working on some research over the summer about lost and abandoned pets, so this video from Slate's "Dear Prudence" advice column was particularly on-point.  While I agree with Prudence's advice to take the cat, the advice is illegal.  The cat is not abandoned unless the neighbor intended to abandon the cat -- a fact compatible with but not suggested by the original question.  Thus, taking the cat would probably subject the taker to civil and criminal liability.  And Prudence would probably be found to be aiding and abetting the crime of theft.

You're Not Thinking Hard Enough: ISS!

International Space Station Supply Ship Fails to Dock.  It's not a terribly interesting story, but holy fuck, we actually have an international space station floating in orbit above our heads!  That's bad ass.  If the thought doesn't amaze you, then you're not thinking hard enough.

Going Vegan, Temptation

This hot dog looks soooo delicious... I might have to become omnivorous once more just to try it:

Vuvuzelas: Annoying AND Deadly?

Anyone watching the World Cup, or reading news about the World Cup, is aware of the Vuvuzela craze.  Most people aren't aware, however, that playing a Vuvuzela is also lethal.