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Thread: Richard Dawkins on TV

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    Registered User Baruch's Avatar
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    Re: Richard Dawkins on TV

    Quote Originally Posted by Rocky View Post
    Have you been to your local GP lately? Ours is worse than useless..
    Yes, I have. I can happily report that ours is very good. I was very ill earlier this year and was off work for seven months; if it wasn't for our GP, I'm pretty sure I'd still be off work now, four months later.

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    Re: Richard Dawkins on TV

    Quote Originally Posted by Baruch View Post
    Probably not that many. If alternative medicine worked better than normal medicine it would no longer be alternative; it would just be "medicine" and the professionals would use it.
    I think we can probably agree that in most cases it probably isn't an immediate life-or-death issue. However, quite a few of the prescription only medicines have the effect of increasing morbidity, i.e. The taker will suffer from reduced life expectancy and experience unpleasant side effects.

    I'm not complaining about health professionals in general, as I believe that most of the time they are doing an excellent job. The main problem lies with profit-hungry pharmaceuticals companies and the 'Pill For Every Ill' approach. Examples of this:

    Statins have been prescribed to huge numbers of people, yet the latest research (involving over 2 million patients) shows that for every 271 people that were protected from heart disease, another 443 suffered from serious side effects. These effects included liver dysfunction, kidney failure, cataracts and muscle weakness. Everyone is going to die sooner or later, but the bottom line is; will the medications being prescribed hasten that point in time?

    Ritalin prescriptions have been used to treat Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder in children. This is the equivalent of giving amphetamines or cocaine to children as young as two. In recent years prescriptions have increased tenfold (55000 children in 2006), although research suggests there is no long term benefit and various undesirable side effects (including suicide).

  3. #83
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    Re: Richard Dawkins on TV

    Quote Originally Posted by Bubble View Post
    I didn’t name you or anyone else.
    You followed my "You got that from his writings? anger and hate? I don't get that at all.." with "If someone sympathises with Prof. Dawkins viewpoints then it doesn't surprise me that they see nothing wrong with his writings." and you are saying it was an unconnected general "someone" that somehow excluded me? Perhaps that is so, but then why did you not simply address my point of not seeing "anger and hate" rather than meandering of to your completely unconnected statement?


    Yeah, I’m wearing out my keyboard, and all for nothing!
    You are if you are including generalities in reply to specific points. Unless you are being completely disingenuous

    I haven’t read either of those books. However, I did read somewhere that Dawkins biggest problem when attacking religion is that he doesn’t understand Christianity, or for that matter, religion in general.
    Of course he does, he grew up in a religious society. You would find it hard to support that statement. You could argue he doesn't understand specific peoples take on religion, but who can other than the people themselves? Does your average christian understand the killing of a doctor because he does legal abortions? I would highly doubt it.

    I suppose it really depends on what the defining features of a religion are considered to be. I’ve always regarded Christianity and Islam as 100% theistic. With some other religions things are not so clear cut. For example, both Hinduism and Buddhism have followers that are atheists.
    Yes they do, because they don't believe in any gods. Theism can't be counted as a percentage - you either believe in gods or you don't. I can't see how you could be 67% theistic for example Interestingly, many of Americas founding fathers were deists, i.e. they did not believe that god has anything to do with this planet, even if he was responsible for creation - which means they were not theists either, in so far as one definition of theism can include gods personal interaction with humans in some way.

    For me at least, that creates an oxymoron, if someone says they are following an atheistic religion.
    Well it isn't.

    I recently asked my Thai friend if Buddhism was a religion, or, a philosophy-for-living. She said it was both. However, in the discussion that followed, it rapidly became apparent that she had no idea of what any of the defining features of the Abrahamic religions are.
    I think all of the abrahamic religions are a religion and a philosophy, according to many of the adherents.

    For now, I think I’m going to stick with the idea that a religion must be 100% theistic. Interestingly, Dawkins titled his book ‘The God Delusion’, that tends to imply theism is being criticised.
    But you said you've not read it, so you may never know But you are wrong in your definition of religion and theism anyway. Both can include things you say they shouldn't.

    Probably not, I don’t normally, so I’m loathed to start now.
    Please back up what you say, rather than simply dismiss criticism.

    As I’ve already said, I’m sticking to the idea that a ‘religion’ must be 100% theistic in nature. Therefore, Christianity and Islam make up most of the worlds religious followers. Why would Dawkins waste time attacking a small religion which has only a relatively small number of followers? Far better to go after the biggest two religions.
    relatively small number ? we are talking around 30% of the worlds population. But anyway, you miss the point. Richard Dawkins is "attacking" many of the concepts and superstitions behind gods - that automatically, includes the majority of all the gods out there in human experience.

    Yeah, I was a little short, so I turned the handle a few times on my Bunkum Generator.
    That doesn't surprise me. You are fighting against common definitions and understanding of theism, religion, and Richard Dawkins.

    People have been known to vehemently profess views that are the complete opposite of those that they privately hold. If you’ve never encountered that before then I can’t assist you any further.
    I personally do this all the time, and one of my favourite books - "The Way of all flesh" by Samuel Butler - has the main character do exactly that. But an important point is, whatever you argue for or against - you should at least attempt to engage in coherent argument.

    It makes me wonder how many other people would live a lot longer if they considered the alternatives, rather than going straight to the 'professionals'.
    Your use of quotes suggests some 'professionals' are 'quacks' by another name. No doubt some are. But an actual professional will have already considered 'alternatives' and will be able to advise you on the best course of action, that's the very definition of professionalism. Clearly some doctors are rubbish, so are people in many other fields of endeavour - this is new information how?

    I'm sure everyone can agree that we would like all doctors to be infallable and medical science to be perfect - but thats an impossible goal. I'd rather focus on the advances in medical science and medical training in the last 100 years, which are astounding to say the least.

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