What Does it Mean to be an Atheist?

Why, I ask, is the atheist so maligned?  Why are people shocked to learn, or even admit to themselves or others, that they don’t believe in spiritual ideas, or that they are an atheist?  What does it mean to be an atheist?

The lack of evidence for spiritual ideas is so great it is the proverbial elephant in our living rooms. It is there, but no one talks about it.  Do angels exist?  Do devils?  How about heaven, hell, souls, purgatory or gods?  These are all mystical ideas created by whimsical, imaginative men who had everything to gain over an ignorant populace, most who could not read, and if they did, they would find no opposition to the stories in the bible, written over two thousand years ago, before the age of enlightenment and long before modern biology, chemistry and physics were discovered.  It was a time when the stars were points of light in the sky, people feared the solar eclipse, witches were burned at the stake, and one could be stoned to death for even suggesting that god was not real.

But the atheist of today is a critical thinker. The atheist is unafraid to speak the truth about religion. The atheist is proud to have a good, if not great understanding of Science and mankind’s place in the universe. The atheist is an existentialist who knows that he is part of the animal kingdom, and like all other animals, he will rot after he dies. He knows he will never see his dead relatives again in some wishful make-believe afterlife. These are not pleasant thoughts, but they are real nevertheless.  It is sobering to know that life is short and often filled with hardship.  Like all people, we cannot escape death. We just don't kid ourselves about what death really is, and what it means for all of us.

Many if not most atheists were raised in a religion. And for some it took great courage to overcome the religious heritage and the religious mindset it created.  Just telling a family member or a friend that we no longer believe is hard for many, but once done, it allows the atheist to be released from the burden of having to pretend to believe.  After telling others, we can be true to ourselves and to those who mean the most to us.  Sometimes the revelation will enable the friend or family member to admit that they too, have similar doubts, but were afraid to admit them.

There is tremendous freedom in being an atheist. We do not let someone else tell us what to think, or what to believe. We judge every idea on its merits and accept only those ideas that make sense.  We know all new ideas must fit with all that we already know and understand about the world. We are not influenced by religious icons, superstitions, voodoo or holy waters. We don't care where we are buried, because we know that when we are dead, it won't make any difference. Most of us would prefer to be cremated, and that our families keep the money to improve their lives, or donate the funeral savings to a good cause. After all, caskets are a waste of good metal, and a waste of the money that buys them.

Our lack of belief in a god or an afterlife makes each day more precious than the last. At the end of each day, I often wonder how I could have lived it better, and know that I will try harder the next day to be a better person. A friend once said to me that the only thing that matters in life is how we treat other people. And I would add...how we treat others is all that matters, because in the end, it will be all that will be remembered of us. We want others to know and remember how much we loved them, and how much joy and laughter we brought to their lives. We want to know now, that when we are gone, we made a positive difference in the lives of those we touched.  And when they remember us, they will smile and know we were unafraid of public scrutiny.  They will understand we were unafraid to speak our minds and to state the truth about religion for all to see.

For more information, see the following link!  What Does it mean to be an Atheist?
  

What do YOU think?  Leave a comment!!!

R. Allan Worrell

Author:  Father John's Gift 
Contact:  alw314@yahoo.com 

Robots, Robots, Robots - Part 2

Thinking about sentient robots gave rise to a number of other related ideas.  Let me show you.

Questions:   
 1)  What rights should a sentient, self aware robot have?   
 2)  What laws should apply to intelligent robots?  
 3) Should robots be allowed to marry humans?  
 4) Should robots be allowed to marry each other?    

OK, I know these questions sound ridiculous, but let’s explore each of these questions, just for the sake of an intellectual argument.  You might be surprised where this takes me.

Question 1)  What rights should a sentient, self-aware robot have?

Let’s assume any self-aware being should have rights.  How about dogs and cats?  Any pet owner would certainly say his pets are conscious, sentient beings.   Can we kill them outright?   If you are shocked at this idea, you are not alone.   How about cows, pigs and chickens?   This is dangerous territory which would turn our society into vegetarians. PETA  (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) PETA Link  would agree, stating unequivocally that we should not kill animals for food, and even Kosher Jews have their own laws about killing animals without making them suffer. 

Sentient Robots, particularly ones who can talk and tell you how they are feeling will be a cut above cats and dogs, cows and chickens.   I would have a hard time turning off a sentient robot who pleads for me not to turn it off.   Can you imagine the discussion you would have with such a machine?  One could argue that you and I are both biological machines.  Think about it.  We might be little different than a truly intelligent, thinking, speaking, feeling robot.    

Question 2)   What laws should apply to robots?

Let’s assume all our laws apply and see where that leads us.  Robots should not kill humans or other robots.  Isaac Asimov created the three laws of robotics, (Three Laws of Robotics )the first of which stated robots should do no harm to a human and no harm to itself unless it was forced to in the protection of a human life.  This is not encoded into our Western laws today, but it seems like a good place to start should robots ever become sentient.  And speaking of that, it occurs to me that the robots may establish their own set of laws, particularly if they are smarter than us.  Wow.  Now we are in for real trouble.

Question 3)  Should robots be allowed to marry humans?

I suspect there will be humans, so enamored with their sexy sentient robot that the humans will request the right to marry it!   This will, of course, have our legislators scratching their proverbial collective heads.  Some of them may be having affairs with a robot.  

 In the movie, AI, there is a sentient robot character named, “Gigolo Joe”, played by actor Jude Law, who services lonely women.  But was Gigolo Joe just an elaborate vibrator?    You might be inclined to think so, but consider a truly evolved robot that has feelings and is highly intelligent.  I suspect if it could be emotionally hurt might be a significant test.  But how would you really know?   I believe a learning, self-programming machine can exceed its initial code, very much like a human grows into adulthood.  You would not be able to predict the behavior of such a robot person.  Wow, I just used the ‘P’ word.  Can a robot be a “Person”?

Question 4)  Should sentient robots be allowed to marry each other?

This begs the question why we have marriage in the first place.  The Catholic church states the institution of marriage is for one man and one woman.  Why?   It occurs to me they come to this conclusion for the protection of any children that might result from the union.  This would explain why the church is against gay marriages.  But do they permit divorce between married partners when one of them is sterile and cannot conceive?   I wonder.

What do YOU think?   Leave a comment below!!!!!


 R. Allan Worrell
Author:   Father John's Gift
Contact:  alw314@yahoo.com

Robots, Robots, Robots - Part 1.

If you have seen a manufacturing facility in the last ten years, you have seen industrial robots.  They come in all shapes and sizes, from desktop models that can move a pen or pencil, to giant hydraulic arms which can grab an automobile off of an assembly line.

In short, robots have proliferated across the globe.  I can imagine a time in the not too distant future when robots will outnumber humans.  I'm not talking about robotic servants in our homes that cook, clean, and wash windows, although those will certainly come to us someday.  I'm talking about the robots which have largely replaced us in our factories, fly our airplanes, drive our cars, sail our ships.  Did you know they can see?  Yes, they now have all of our five senses:  sight, touch, taste, hearing and even smell.   Technology is advancing so fast it sometimes makes my head spin when I think about it.

Why should we care about the proliferation of robots (and smart computer programs)?   Well, for one thing, they are putting us out of work.  They don't get paid, they always show up for work, that is, they never go home.  They may break down and need to be repaired, but they don't get sick unless they are connected to the internet and may be subject to hackers.

But more significantly, robots or smart computer programs may become sentient, self aware machines.  Can you imagine that?  Can you imagine what a robot could do with access to Google?  With the ability to learn and remember everything, there is no limit to what it might do.  It boggles the mind.

I once heard a professor say he would not be afraid of a robot as long as it loved him.  I'm not so sure.  I love my dog and my cat, but I don't think I want a robot to keep me as a pet.  Do you?


R. Allan Worrell
Author:  Father John's Gift
Contact E-mail:  alw314@yahoo.com

Carl Sagan's Novel - Contact!

I'm reading Dr. Carl Sagan's fiction novel, Contact.  

You can find the Contact book on Amazon.com here:

Click here for the Amazon.com "Contact" web page.

I love this book for several reasons.  Although it tells a story, it allows Dr. Sagan to teach us a great deal of Science, particularly Astronomy which was his specialty.  

Astronomy is fascinating because it is the biggest picture we can imagine.  When you begin to grasp the size of the solar system, the Milkyway Galaxy, and think about our place in the Universe, it is mind blowing.  It may not be infinite (according to Einstein) but it is so big it may as well be.  BTW, Contact was published in 1985 and was made into a movie in 1997.  Today (3/17/17) the movie is available on Netflix.  I recommend it highly, particularly the first few minutes of the film which gives you the scope of the known Universe.  It's tremendous computer graphics, and shows you THE BIG PICTURE!

Astronomical distances are so big astronomers have to resort to an unusual yard stick to measure it.  Their yard stick is called a, "light-year".  Most of us have heard of a light year, but do you know how big it is?  A light year is the distance light can travel in one year.  We know light travels 186,000 miles in one second, and there are 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day, and 365 days in a year.  Therefore, there are 60 x 60 x 24 x 365 = 31,536,000 seconds in a year.   Now, multiply that times 186,000 and we should have our distance in miles.

186,000 miles per second x 31,536,000 seconds per year  =  5,865,696,000,000 miles per year !!!!!

One light year is well over 5.8 Trillion miles, or if you prefer, it's over 5.8 Million Million miles, and light can travel that distance in one year.

Now the nearest star, other than our sun, is Alpha Centauri (AC).   I learned in Contact that AC is approximately 4.25 light years from us.   Let's do the math:

4.25 light years x 5,865,696,000,000 miles per light year =  24,929,208,000,000 miles

This means our nearest star is almost 25 Trillion miles away, and if we wanted to send a message to a planet circling AC, then it would take 4.25 years to get there and another 4.25 years for their reply to get back to us, making a round trip of 8.5 years just to say, Hello!

Let's just hope that our side of the planet is facing towards AC when the reply comes back!  If we are facing away from AC when the reply message arrives, we will miss it!!!  (Remember the earth rotates once each day, so it turns away from AC for 12 hours at a time.)   The Earth's rotation is a problem for inter-space travel communication as well.


Have an opinion?  What do YOU think?   Leave a comment!!!


R. Allan Worrell
Author:  Father John's Gift
E-mail:  alw314@yahoo.com

The Importance of Data. Science Vs Religion.

You may know data is everything to scientists and engineers.  They live and die by their data.  The data doesn’t lie.  You can accept it or reject it, but it doesn’t care what you think. It is what it is.  It is all about truth.  It tells you what is real, given your ability to measure whatever it is you are testing.  

I don’t argue with what works.  You can always retest, but it is hard to argue with consistent data. You may find a way to cure the common cold, or keep worms from eating your tomatoes, and one way may be better than another.  But if it works, I just want to know two things:  1)  are there any side effects, and 2) what does the solution cost.  If there are no side effects, then the solution is great, and if there are side effects, then I want to know the impact.  Can you live with the side effect?   For instance, if you are testing a new cancer drug, can you keep the patient alive even if his ankles swell up a bit?   Or if you are testing a new pesticide, will you kill an entire species of worm in order to save your tomato crop?   Will the worm-eating birds die of starvation, or will they adapt and find another insect to eat?   These are the kinds of things Science can tell us if we work hard and smart enough.

Of course, successful business leaders use lots of data too.  They measure all kinds of factors that contribute to their profit and loss.  Naturally, if they are wrong, or they don’t pay attention to the right details, they will go bankrupt and lose their business.  If they are right and customers love their products or services, and if their costs are lower than their prices, they will make money and their business will thrive.

So the bottom line is this:  we all live and die by our data.  You can think of it as the sensory information we take in and process using the one survival gift nature has bestowed upon us, our big brains.  So why, I ask do we abandon our reason, logic and empirical data and believe in things for which there is no evidence at all?   You may have guessed by now, I am writing about Religion (with a capital ‘R’).

My own belief is that we are all too terrified of death, so many of us embrace an ideology which says we don’t really die, but we go to heaven where we will live on forever.  But is there any evidence (data) that we have a soul?  Is there any evidence (data) for life after death or the existence of god or heaven?  Must we accept the philosophical ramblings of a scientifically ignorant people who lived over a thousand years ago?   

 Do you believe in miracles?  If so, why do you believe in them?  What data do you have to support your belief?

Many people say there are two camps of information, those that can be supported by information (data), and those which require no support.  I reject this argument.  I say we are animals, we are specifically, thinking primates, with big brains and a limited lifespan of something less than one hundred years.  Like all the other animals on the planet, we are born, we live, we struggle, we mate, we may reproduce, we grow old and we die.  And like all the other animals, we will rot as bacteria then consume our bodies.  If we are lucky, we will do something important with our lives, and we may do something to help insure the long term survival of our species on the planet.  

This is the Scientific point of view, and it is in direct contrast and opposition to the fairy tale wishful thinking world view created by the religion camp, and by the people (primarily old men) who profit by spreading the superstitious and ignorant words of a people who lived over a thousand years ago. 

Now don't get me wrong.  I don't really fault our ancestors too much.  They were just trying to make sense of life and death with the data that they had at the time.  They didn't know their place in the universe.  We are still trying to figure that out.  But we have come a long way.  We know for instance, that stars are more than points of light in the night sky.  Think about it.  We have put more than one of our own species on the moon and brought them back safely to earth.  We have used robotic probes to explore and take pictures of the other planets (and their moons), and we have even sent spacecraft beyond our solar system.  This is the stuff of Science Fiction, but we made it Science FACT.  We have the data to prove it.


What do YOU think?   Leave a comment!!!!

R. Allan Worrell
Author:   Father John's Gift
Contact:  alw314@yahoo.com 

Expect the Unexpected! Use a Monte Carlo Simulations.

Expect the unexpected!  

"How do I do that?"  you ask.

Figure out what is logical to happen, and then think about what illogical thing could happen instead.

The probability of the illogical happening may be bigger than the logical.  Why?   Because we can't know everything.  We don't know all the factors that may contribute to the problem at hand.  What's worse, is that we often don't know what we don't know.  Sometimes we may know the parameters but not the possible values.  We have to guess at the possible values.

What's the good in guessing?   Well, sometimes you may be able to specify a range of values for a guess, and you may also be able to associate a probability that a particular guess will occur.
You can do the calculation repeatedly and calculate a probability for each possible outcome.

There is a mathematical, computerized tool for doing this.  It is called, a Monte Carlo Simulator and is used to calculate probable outcomes for all kinds of problems where factors are unknown and some degree of risk is involved.


R. Allan Worrell
Author:  Father John's Gift