09 JAN 2013 by ideonexus
Humanism is About Exploration
As humanists who see life and human history as a great adventure, we seek new worlds to explore, new facts to uncover, new avenues for artistic expression, new solutions to old problems, and new feelings to experience. We sometimes feel driven in our quest. and it is participation in this quest that gives our lives meaning and makes beneficial discoveries possible. Our goals as a species are open ended. As a result, we will never be without purpose. 
1 We are always seeking new experiences, new vistas, new ideas...
23 JUN 2012 by ideonexus
If We Do Not Find an Alternative to Oil...
The power of man to do work—one man-power—is, in its purely physical sense, now an insignificant accomplishment, and could only again justify his existence if other sources of power failed. ... Curious persons in cloisteral seclusion are experimenting with new sources of energy, which, if ever harnessed, would make coal and oil as useless as oars and sails. If they fail in their quest, or are too late, so that coal and oil, everywhere sought for, are no longer found, and the only hope of ...Folksonomies: alternative energy oil
Folksonomies: alternative energy oil
1 
notes
notes...we will see a return to the galley-slaves rowing ships when it runs out.
20 JUN 2012 by ideonexus
Max Plank's Inspiration to Go Into Science
My original decision to devote myself to science was a direct result of the discovery which has never ceased to fill me with enthusiasm since my early youth—the comprehension of the far from obvious fact that the laws of human reasoning coincide with the laws governing the sequences of the impressions we receive from the world about us; that, therefore, pure reasoning can enable man to gain an insight into the mechanism of the latter. In this connection, it is of paramount importance that t... 1 notes
notesThe realization that the world can be understood rationally.
05 JAN 2012 by ideonexus
Skepticism Means Wrestling with Issues Without Knowing if...
I use the word skeptical in an etymological or philosophical sense, because to be
skeptical does not mean that one doubts, but that one investigates or searches without the
need to find definite conclusion or affirmation. There are those who examine a problem
and feel they must find an explanation or a solution, whether it is accurate or not.
[...]
So then, they will say to me: “What is your religion?” And I will respond: my
religion is to look for truth in life and life in truth,...Folksonomies: skepticism spirituality
Folksonomies: skepticism spirituality
1 notes
notesMiguel de Unamuno rallies against what he calls the "spiritual laziness" of dogmatists and describes his quest for spiritual meaning.
02 JUN 2011 by ideonexus
Stephen and Lucy Hawking's Scientist's Oath
I swear to use my scientific knowledge for the good of Humanity. I promise never to harm any person in search of enlightenment. I shall be courageous and careful in my quest for greater knowledge about the mysteries that surround us. I shall not use scientific knowledge for my own personal gain or give it to those who seek to destroy the wonderful planet on which we live. If I break my oath, may the beauty and wonder of the Universe forever remain hidden from me.Focuses on greater good, doing no harm, enlightenment, and environmentalism.
18 MAY 2011 by ideonexus
How Science is Different from Any Other Human Enterprise
Science is different from many another human enterprise - not, of course, in its practitioners' being influenced by the culture they grew up in, nor in sometimes being right and sometimes wrong (which are common to every human activity), but in its passion for framing testable hypotheses, in its search for definitive experiments that confirm or deny ideas, in the vigour of its substantive debate, and in its willingness to abandon ideas that have been found wanting. If we were not aware of our...Folksonomies: science scientific method
Folksonomies: science scientific method
For its need to form testable hypotheses.
03 MAY 2011 by ideonexus
Hummingbirds are Proof of the Cost of Sex
If sex had no cost, hummingbirds would not exist. Hummingbirds eat nectar, which is produced by flowers to lure pollinating insects and birds. Nectar is a pure gift by the plant of its hard-won sugar to the hummingbird, a gift given only because the hummingbird will then carry pollen to another plant. To have sex with another plant, the first plant must bribe the pollen carrier with nectar. Nectar is therefore a pure, unadulterated cost incurred by the plant in its quest for sex. If sex had n...Plants offer nectar to hummingbirds in exchange for their role in plant sex.
