Just got back from a loverly weekend up the coast with my family. Just what I needed after a very hard week at uni.
Surfed with dolphins, surfed sans dolphins, surfed again in the afternoon, surfed with dad (photo above), read, relaxed, caught up sleep, caught up with the family. Wrote the longest letter I’ve ever seen. Church tonight. Its good to be alive.
Lots of great comments left while I was away, thanks guys!
Philosophy is fun in that annoying kind of way, like when your little cousin discovers that he can ask ‘why’ to everything you say especially answers to ‘why’ questions.
Here’s an argument I’m wrestling with at the moment. It argues against the view that who we are (our personal identity) is carried by our soul:
Souls cannot be observed directly but only indirectly by observing psychology, specifically personality and memories. Since sameness of physical body correlates with sameness of psychology, we conclude the general rule that sameness of body equals sameness of soul. However, suppose other souls can have similar psychology. If the soul inhabiting a body were to be replaced by one of these, there would be no noticeable difference and it would be impossible to know whether a person possesses the same soul from day to day. Far from being essential to our identity, the soul is instead found to be completely irrelevant. It makes no difference to our conception of ourselves or others as people.
That’s the argument in my own words. It looks much neater using symbols, algebra-style, and I’m worried that my expression of it misses something or changes its emphasis. In any case, it is a pretty powerful argument. What would you say to it? I might post my thoughts later.
(Incidentally, I rang Dad to get his ideas on it. He doesn’t think we have souls… apparently that’s what he was taught at Bible College… I wasn’t expecting that.)
… the bags under your eyes jiggle if you jump up and down.
What does it mean for you to be young in Australia today? What are the desires, motivations, fears, and interests of our teenagers and twenty-somethings?
I have some ideas of my own, but I really want to know what it means to you. If you are young, what does it mean for you, and what do you think it means for those around you? If you aren’t so young, what do you think it means based on what you’ve seen?
I’m specifically interested in those on the Central Coast, or nearby, but anyone is welcome to comment.
Last year I reviewed charity search engine SearchKindly.org (read the review here).
There has been lots happening over there recently:
Congratulations to all the SK users! If you don’t already use it, make it your homepage, add it to your search bar, and get Searching Kindly.
PS Go over and vote for Compassion
I thought the issue was closed… what do they make of articles like this?
“The report considered all the research since the last IPCC assessment in 2001 and the 21-page summary (pdf) of its findings – approved by officials from 113 countries – says that “warming of the climate system is unequivocal”.”
Or this one?
The 2nd of February 2007 will one day hopefully be remembered as the day the question mark was removed from the debate on whether human activities are driving climate change, said the head of the UN Environment Programme at the launch of the most authoritative scientific report on climate change to date….
“The word unequivocal is the key message of this report,” said Achim Steiner, executive director of UNEP, adding that those who have doubts about the role of humans in driving the climate “can no longer ignore the evidence”…
The IPCC draws together the world’s leading climate experts to review and assess all available research, under the auspices of UN Environment Programme and the World Meteorology Organization. The result of their assessment, which is done every five to six years, establishes what is considered the gold standard of consensus on climate change science.
Would the person who knows more than these scientists please step forward? Can I please see the evidence that New Scientist magazine has somehow missed?
Frankly, its embarrassing.
When you claim that recent trends disprove global warming, do you really think that these panels have somehow ‘missed’ that data? All you do is reveal your ignorance.
It’s happening. Get past that and start working out what to do about it.
On the way to the train station this morning, Dad was talking about the concept of ‘Peak Oil’.
Watch this ABC 4 Corners episode (or read the transcript)
Scary stuff. I don’t know what to think.
[8pm] Resolved: I’m going to work hard on this assignment until 10pm. No breaks, no distractions, just work.
[8:30pm] UPDATE: …. ok, actually starting this now….
[10pm] UPDATE 2: Hoorah! That wasn’t so bad. Still have lots of work to do though…
p.s. An idea for a book: the sms outbox of a person. 160-letter chapters. Feel free to steal my idea (but give due credit).
I’ve learned something awesome over the last 24 hours:
Just as water is most refreshing when it meets parched lips, so the joy of knowing Jesus is richer and sweeter when tasted through pain or hardship.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade…
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:3-9
Are you having a hard time too? Look upwards to Jesus, in Him is found great joy!
Last night the shaving experiment was put to the ultimate test. Did I swim faster?
We went out to the pool Sydney Olympic Aquatic Centre. It was a really fun night, lots of the college guys came down to support the team. I swam backstroke in the medley relay. (Backstroke is the one stroke I don’t do… but apparently neither does anyone else).
My legs felt really good in the water! It was as though they weren’t even there. Was I any faster? Maybe a little. Worth it? Nope. Regrets? None.*
(I’m in the red cap)
*No regrets yet. Check back for updates as hair regrows. I’m told it’s insanely itchy.
The rumours have been confirmed, Mark Driscoll is coming to the Coast! (If you don’t know who Mark Driscoll is, you’re missing out. Click here)
He will be hitting up the Central Coast for 2 nights in August this year:
Monday 25 August – speaking mainly to Christians
Tuesday 26 August – speaking to everyone about Jesus… It’s all about Jesus.Unconfirmed reports suggest it will be held at Mingara.
While some people might hate the guy with a passion, I think he’s hilarious!
Come if you like to laugh. Come if you don’t mind a bit of political incorrectness. Come to heckle. Come to listen. Come naked. However you come, don’t miss out on this event!
Keep an eye out for more info.
Picture: Dave Miers
