Arcamaede's Muse

The Power of Guilt

I have thought and said that guilt is a cancer, but I have reason to doubt that conclusion.

Guilt can be a huge motivator.

Just like self-confidence can cause arrogance leading to destruction, guilt can can cause despair leading to the same destination.

It's not in excluding either one from life that you are empowered or freed.

Forgetting what it means to be an intellectual

This is SOOO important a quote. Don't forget it.

Let me ask you this.  So how are things going for you lately?  A year ago, the climate establishment was on top of the world, masters of the universe.   Now we have a situation where there have been major challenges to the reputations of a number of a number of scientists, the IPCC, professional societies, and other institutions of science.  The spillover has been a loss of public trust in climate science and some have argued, even more broadly in science.  The IPCC and the UNFCCC are regarded by many as impediments to sane and politically viable energy policies.  The enviro advocacy groups are abandoning the climate change issue for more promising narratives.  In the U.S., the prospect of the Republicans winning the House of Representatives raises the specter of hearings on the integrity of climate science and reductions in federal funding for climate research.

What happened?  Did the skeptics and the oil companies and the libertarian think tanks win?  No, you lost.  All in the name of supporting policies that I don’t think many of you fully understand.  What I want is for the climate science community to shift gears and get back to doing science, and return to an environment where debate over the science is the spice of academic life.  And because of the high relevance of our field, we need to figure out how to provide the best possible scientific information and assessment of uncertainties.  This means abandoning this religious adherence to consensus dogma.

This problem impacts more than the hard Sciences.  It also impacts perception of intellectual ("experts") in every field.

Intellectuals (that includes Philosophers and Theologians ;-)) need to recognize that all those ideals are _essential_ to gaining people's confidence.  when you try to force the conclusion without actually proving you are worthy, it just won't hold up.

If only the public would get over its blind trust of politicians in the same way!

Two things I hate

1.  Worrying.  It's fruitless, but I still do it -- I guess that's the part that makes me most upset.2.  Irrational arguments.  They also are fruitless, but it seems like there's really no escaping them.  Be they disputes with neighbors or family or friends, the equation of human understanding is balanced with a mixture of reason, emotion, and vanity.

Formulating

I was trained in the Sciences (Physics) and I feel deeply indebted to the problem solving skills I learned from that training.

But, we were always a little short on research writing skills.

Since I've dabbled in Philosophy and Theology over the last few years, those few occasions where I did have to research and write about topics have come back into my consciousness.

It's easy when writing to imagine what is _possible_ or _desireable_ in your conclusions.  What is more difficult is writing something that you really wish was not true or is likely be true.

I enjoy a few friendships that help keep me on track as far as if my writing is at the least plausible.

I'm currently working on the third part of a six part series on the evolution of the tradition of Satan.

At the moment, I find myself acknowledging gaps in my knowledge that have to be filled.

Frustrating to my publication schedule, but essential to my conscience.

Dealing with Differences

While having my Saturday morning discussion with my boys (family tradition -- discussions are about almost anything but often Bible, History, and Philosophy).

After we finished, I zoomed off to reading articles and dealing with crew and client communications ... while reading this I realized how strongly it is necessary to involve yourself (and my kids) in the thoughts of people you disagree with.

I'm no longer sold on the idea of "protecting" children from ideas.  I am all for being fully informed and informing.

HG Wells and Prophecy

I know its a favorite area of comment for James McGrath that Science Fiction and Religion often intersect with one another.  I thought I'd develop a thought here for myself (and anyone else who might want to participate -- hint hint).

A thought came to me last night from some intersecting discussions I have had recently.

Another unfinished book in my library is "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" by Richard Rhodes.  It traces the development of the ideas and people that led to the creation of the Bomb.

As part of this is shares the possible intersection of HG Wells and his story "The Shape of Things to Come" and people involved in the early science of the atomic bomb.

Assuredly Wells was a futurist.  But, in light of the recent writings of Michael Dowd on the New Atheists being God's Prophets, wouldn't it be tantilizing to invision the role of all creative thinkers with a message as potential prophets?

Neither Dowd nor I would consider the foretelling portion of prophecy that is commonly held but the forth-telling conception:  teachers.

Thoughts?

Theology and Friendship

Faith and Theology ...

Thus one of the proper goals of theology is not so much spiritual catharsis or intellectual mastery – clearing up every difficulty so that one can sleep at night – as the cultivation of theological friendships. Friendship sustains the difficulty of thinking about God. I warm myself by the fire of a friend's loneliness. God is near, and so we are lonely for God. Friendship is the small room in which we share together the loneliness and the joy of God's nearness.

I really liked this one.  I have no pretense at being a "theologian" but I do know that I have the spirit of one if not the credentials of one.

Say you want a revolution

I perpetually have a lot of pending books to read.  Frequently, a book gets started then put down in favor of another book or a pressing task.  I had started "Big Bang" by Simon Singh several months ago.  During his background of cosmology I stumbled upon the following quote ... which for some reason stuck in my mind and yesterday popped up and compelled me to dig the book out of a stack of unfinished books ...

Copernicus spent the next thirty years reworking his Commentariolus, expanding it into an authoritative two-hundred page manuscript.  Throughout this prolonged period of research, he spent a great deal of time worrying about how other astronomers would react to his model of the universe, which was fundamentally at odds with accepted wisdom.  There were often days when he even considered abandoning plans to publish his work for fear that he would be mocked far and wide.  Moreover, he suspected that theologians would be wholly intolerant to what they would perceive as sacreligious scientific speculation.

I so often feel like Copernicus.  You make a step down a pathway that others are not thinking about or actively avoiding.  Then, you want to give yourself a reality check.  How long does it take to make a Revolution?