Astrophysicist Writes Brutal Response To WSJ Article Claiming Science Has Proven God Exists Recently – Christmas Day, in fact – the Wall Street Journal published an article by a Christian apologist who boldly declared that science was “increasingly” making the case for God, year-after-year. Eric Metaxas is best known as a biographical writer, but he is also lauded (in conservative circles) for his work promoting the pro-life movement and making sweeping, outrageous conclusions about the existence of God based on whatever tenuous evidence seems handy at the time. If sweeping, outrageous conclusions be Metaxas bread-and-butter, than his Wall Street Journal article is perhaps his magnum opus. It’s a doozy. After subtitling his work “The odds of life existing on another planet grow ever longer. The arguments aren’t new. Today there are more than 200 known parameters necessary for a planet to support life—every single one of which must be perfectly met, or the whole thing falls apart. Feature image via The Conversation
Earth - Rats will save their friends from drowning Saving another person from a life-or-death situation is something many of us do instinctively. But it's not unique to humans. Many primates will also help each other out. They are our closest relatives, so it's likely that our ape-like ancestors behaved in similar ways. In other words, our willingness to save others is an ancient trait, which modern humans have inherited. This trait may go back a surprisingly long way. When one was soaked in water, another rat quickly learned how to operate a lever that would allow it to escape to a safe and dry area. They did so even in the presence of a tempting chocolate treat, foregoing the lever that would release the food in favour of the one that would save the drowning rat. The rats therefore engage in helpful "prosocial behaviour" even if there was no apparent reward. Past experience played a role too. But when there was nobody to save, or the distressed rat was replaced with an inanimate object, the rats no longer pressed the lever.
Teaching Is a Spiritual Endeavor Pete Reilly , Author, A Path with Heart: The Inner Journey to Teaching Mastery Posted 09/13/2015 9:28AM | Last Commented 09/14/2015 3:58PM I’ve been thinking lately about how work in general, but especially teaching, is a spiritual endeavor. Not spiritual in a religious sense but in the context of satisfying the human desire to connect to something larger than ourselves, to live lives that mean something, and to do work that reflects our dreams, values and beliefs. No doubt, that for some, work is just that, ‘work'. It's simply a way to make living and pay the bills. If we’re open to viewing work both as a professional and spiritual experience we can use it as a mirror that reflects back to us what the external world, in our case our students, experience when they interact with us. An example that’s seared into my memory from the early part of my own career is an incident with Kelly, a quiet and earnest young seventh grader. Pete
Body Painter Transforms Humans Into Breathtaking Portraits Of Animals There’s more to this beautiful heron than meets the eye. It’s actually a human body covered intricately in paint. The stunning work was created by artist Shannon Holt, a body painter from Florida who’s known for her ability to transform the human body into a canvas for beautiful art. The piece is part of Holt’s “Florida Wildlife Series,” a collection of several animal portraits, all painstakingly drawn on human bodies. In a May interview with the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Holt explained what it is about body painting as a medium that she loves so much. “You can have a really beautiful work that transforms the body into a human sculpture or abstract piece that touches on art history, or is a master copy of an Italian Renaissance painting,” she told the news outlet. She added that she loves the “ephemeral” nature of body painting. Scroll down to see more images of Holt’s "Florida Wildlife Series." Ryder Gledhill / Shannon Holt / Caters News Honey Bees
The Compassionate Instinct Humans are selfish. It’s so easy to say. The same goes for so many assertions that follow. Greed is good. Altruism is an illusion. Cooperation is for suckers. These kinds of claims reflect age-old assumptions about emotion. Jonathan Payne Even compassion, the concern we feel for another being’s welfare, has been treated with downright derision. Recent studies of compassion argue persuasively for a different take on human nature, one that rejects the preeminence of self-interest. First consider the recent study of the biological basis of compassion. But this compassionate instinct isn’t limited to parents’ brains. In other research by Emory University neuroscientists James Rilling and Gregory Berns, participants were given the chance to help someone else while their brain activity was recorded. The brain, then, seems wired up to respond to others’ suffering—indeed, it makes us feel good when we can alleviate that suffering. It seems so. Signs of compassion Cultivating compassion
How to Master Your Habits in 6 Powerful Steps I want you to consider the following parable for a second. A woodcutter strained to saw down a tree. A young man who was watching asked “What are you doing?” “Are you blind?” the woodcutter replied. The young man was unabashed. The woodcutter explained to the young man that he had been sawing for hours and did not have time to take a break. The young man pushed back… “If you sharpen the saw, you would cut down the tree much faster.” The woodcutter said “I don’t have time to sharpen the saw. I first came across this parable in the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Steven Covey. “Balance and renew your resources, energy, and health to create a sustainable, long-term, effective lifestyle.” Covey was a really smart guy. Habits are present throughout our everyday lives. Covey could have easily used the word trait instead of habit for the title of his book. And that’s what we are going to scrutinize in this article. We are going to talk about good habits and bad habits. Thomas B.
▶ One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful (5 Piano Guys, 1 piano) - ThePianoGuys We're on Tour! Sheet Music: Album here: song here: Subscribe to our main channel: to our BTS channel: us on Facebook: us on Twitter: Get PianoGuys T-Shirts, Wristbands, Sheetmusic here: STORY BEHIND THE SONGThe idea: A couple months ago the 5 of us were gathered round a piano prepping for a video shoot scheduled for that day. The song: We went through several song possibilities before landing on "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction. The location: Where to film? Many thanks to the awesome guys at Annex Recording and Giles Reaves (engineer) for letting us record at their studio.
My Father, the Philosopher If the bed was here, if I touched it, lay down in it, walked away and came back, then it existed. If it existed, then when I left for school and came back, it would still be there. If it was there today, then it would be there tomorrow. Right, Dad? I touched the objects in the house. My father smiled, pleased. Descartes's bad dream. “Think about your first premise.” “My first what?” “Your first premise. If your father is a philosopher, then you should expect to lose many arguments. For my friends and me, the best seats in my family’s station wagon were in the way-back. But Adrianne and Christy widened their eyes when they asked him. I hated those faces. "Of course," my father said when they asked. "NO Way!" "Who's going to sit back there if they don't?" "Nobody." "And where are you going to sit no matter where they sit?" "In the front." "So how is it not fair? But my situation would be worsened. "Adrianne. And so I learned utilitarianism. My father's philosopher friend Paul came over. OK?
The Nature of Change Whether they’re aware of it or not, all people keep a running account of what’s happening to them, what it means, and what they should do. In other words, our minds are constantly monitoring and interpreting. That’s just how we stay on track. But sometimes the interpretation process goes awry. Some people put more extreme interpretations on things that happen—and then react with exaggerated feelings of anxiety, depression, or anger. Or superiority. Mindsets frame the running account that’s taking place in people’s heads. People with a growth mindset are also constantly monitoring what’s going on, but their internal monologue is not about judging themselves and others in this way. Chapter 8 is about changing the internal monologue from a judging one to a growth-oriented one.