Lateralus

Prejudice is an inescapable part of being human. The word as it's commonly used today might have extremely negative connotations, but it's not the only way to use the word. You can only judge people on how you percieve them, so you build up some kind of prejudice towards everyone in your life. It's much easier (and probably essential) to fit people into invented categories and then judge them against an archetype. Really you're fooling yourself if you think you can be completely objective.

Liverpool in the Europa League. Breaks my heart.

I don't care about enough people to need a Facebook account. I see all of my friends very regularly; some of them every day. I think I'll probably get one sometime down the line, just as somewhere to host pictures and the like. No desire for one at the moment, but I'll cater to my needs as they arise.

Are you just trying to make the point that actions are controllable or are you saying there are circumstances when people should not 'be gay'? If you're arguing the first, I mostly agree, but there are times when urges do take over, and if you're arguing the second then I have no idea why.

I'm pretty sure this is a joke. Are you saying that anyone who engages in an action which would earn them society's scornful eye is doing so because they were born with a predisposition to engage in that action? Personally, I wouldn't think so. ...Oh, and pejoratives are stupid ;) I think it's a stupid point too. Aside from the obvious fact that many things that make life harder are well worth choosing, the other point that hit me was that people choose interesting things because people are boring. I don't know how true this is for people choosing to call themselves gay (not choosing to be gay - that's not my point), but people do make themselves outcasts deliberately because it gives them a reason to be rejected.

I just watched The Edge of Love. It was alright. I really wanted to like it because I love Dylan Thomas, but he's not portrayed very favourably at all.

I wear a half crown from 1819 around my neck. Probably the rarest thing I own, but I couldn't be sure. This is the one...

That's really great. I didn't even know you were that into poetry. I'm not really into writing/poetry but sometimes I get these random phrases and ideas in my head. I usually ignore them but sometimes I get bored and just write all the ideas and phrases I've banked up over time. If anyone ever tells you that's not what writing is, then they are wrong. I'm no literary paragon, but almost everything I've ever written has developed from one sentence that popped into my head. Again, well done and keep it up.

That's really great. I didn't even know you were that into poetry.

I think we can draw a line under this. It's not interesting anymore.

Read some anthropology and biology textbooks - I assure you, your questions have answers. Even if they did not, do you think it's acceptable to say "I don't understand this, so this supports my position!"? Of course it's not acceptable - Don't do it. I know what the Bible says, and so I know that it says that I am to be damned for all eternity. I find the suggestion insulting because the authority on which it is based is highly questionable. I might think you are wrong, but I am without the luxury of divine assurance.

Alright, that's my mistake. I won't be written off as someone who would misrepresent an argument, so I apologise for misreading. My point stands, however. A god of the gaps argument just doesn't fly. If god can't be disproven, then he can't be proven to exist either - Falsifiability is key. Trust stemming from what? Why believe what you believe other than because it feels right? If someone wants to believe in god because it feels right to them - fine, that is absolutely their right. The problem is that people don't just say that this is the case and instead try to pervert science to give themselves some credibility. As for the quote, it's a juvenille analogy at best, and it fails to mention that sometimes chairs break when you sit in them. My, my. I'm sorry - You'll really need to read something about the development of humans as a species. The questions you're asking are extremely rudimentary and they just show a complete lack of understanding on your side. As for this... ... This is a disgusting thing to read, and if revelling in the thought of someone being consigned to eternal damnation is the moral standard your church sets then it is disgusting too.

That's exactly what He did. He created everything in such a way that we can attempt to explain it using the reasoning power that He gave us. He did this because it allows us to choose Him. I agree that it's pointless to answer a scientific question by saying "God did it." But that doesn't mean the scientific method can't lead us to the conclusion that God did it. The scientific method can not lead to a conclusion for which there is no evidence. You said it yourself that everything is created in such a way that god is not required, and that means he can be ruled out. If you believe in a god, then it's completely on faith (which I'm sure is a virtue in your eyes - it's not in mine). Faith - that is, belief without, and perhaps in spite of, evidence - has no place in science.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s50QwbbubQc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6Mh7hhaqhk Oh man. Two of the best cartoon intros ever. I loved these shows.

My dad got me a fountain pen a few months ago, and I never use anything else now. Inside the case there was a little card that read: 'Hope one day this helps create a masterpiece!' Pretty touching, and one of the best gifts I've ever recieved.

What I'm trying to articulate is quite difficult, but I'll try to make myself clearer. When I said god has no place in science, I meant he can't have a place in science. In order for it to be scientific and explainable, the answer has to be something other than 'Oh, that was god.' If you believe god created the laws governing the universe, then he has to have done it in a way where it looks as if he hasn't done anything; he has to have created but only be an observer to the creation - Do you get what I'm trying to say? That unexplainable divine spark just can't fit into scientific method.

I don't think the two can coexist. If you believe a divine spark started a chain reaction (even at the smallest level) then you're moving outside of the realms of science. I don't think the concept of god has any place in science. As for saying it satisfies nothing except for curiosity and the search for knowledge, I think perhaps we differ greatly in that respect. Satisfying curiosity and seeking knowledge seem like two perfectly good pastimes to me.

I think it's because our state school system is still officially Christian (as is the entire country). It seems to have turned state schools into atheist factories.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syj3dYJvHUQ I'll never forget this.

This particular idea is extremely stupid, but on the subject of public executions... In Discipline and Punish, Foucalt makes the point that public executions provide a means for the public to become sympathetic towards prisoners (and even in some cases empathy, admiration or worship), and public torture and executions lead to riots in support of the prisoner in some cases. Keeping executions behind closed doors makes things run much more smoothly.

I really don't think I could be part of a state that shot people in the throat.

I expected a reply like this :P I dmit, my taste in music is aged...and frequently disagreed on. BUt you can't say that Fred Durst wasn't one of the key voices of the Nu-Metal ('rapcore' as the call it now) movement. I love my grunge. I love my 90's Nu-Metal. and the 1990's was the best decade representing those genres. Of course, I have other tastes, but I practically grew up on Limp Bizkit and KoRn. Of course Limp Bizkit were massively successful, but to me they are an absolute travesty. It seems a real shame that you Yanks had bands like that when here in the UK we got to enjoy Britpop. Suede aren't the best example of Britpop, but this song always makes me feel very 90's. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaEc_5abpfA

I hope those bands you mentioned never set foot in a recording studio ever again.

This was a GREAT episode. Big Gay Al is right - It's just so much fun to say.

I just watched Easy Rider. I forgot how much of a bummer it is.