As I get ready to buckle down to do some writing for my dissertation, I wanted to share these quotes with you. For those of us who're trying to go where noone has gone before with research (whoa, that sounds way cooler than I thought it would), etc., it's a constant struggle to be able to look at things from different perspectives and to not be tied down by what we have already been taught, the conventional methods and systems (which can sort of give you horse vision). I guess it's sort of similar to being able to think "outside the box".
But of course, these don't only apply to "disserting" but to every other aspect of our lives, too... And surely, these quotes are not anti-education, and I'm not anti-education (duh, I've been in school for how long now???? ). :D
"The difficulty lies, not in the new ideas, but in escaping the old ones, which ramify, for those brought up as most of us have been, into every corner of our minds."
John Maynard Keynes
"Men are born ignorant, not stupid; they are made stupid by education."
Bertrand Russel
December 5, 2007
The Golden Compass---Is it evil?
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Compass_(film) :
"On October 7, 2007 the Catholic League called for a boycott of the film. League president William A. Donohue said he would not ordinarily object to the film, but that while the religious elements will be diluted from the source material, the film will encourage children to read the novels, which he says "denigrate Christianity" and promote "atheism for kids." "
Gasp! God forbid children read something that encourages them to think critically (yeah I'm being sarcastic here). I don't get it...If you have faith, what are you exactly afraid of? If religious views can be swayed by reading a series of fantasy novels, then maybe the basis is not so sound after all...And noone makes a racket about children being brainwashed by reading Chronicles of Narnia. What's this double standard all about? Where does this criticism/controversy put us regarding freedom of speech, respecting others' rights to express their religious views, etc.?
Parents mostly have control of their children. If they find the movie at odds with their beliefs, then they can keep their children from seeing it. But trying to stop this movie from being shown is ridiculous...It's almost like saying "we're not going to publish the books either, lest children read them and become atheists". It is so ironic how the books criticize the stronghold of the Church (or organized religion in a broader perspective) over humanity, and the institution being criticized validates the concerns by acting exactly the way criticized.
"On October 7, 2007 the Catholic League called for a boycott of the film. League president William A. Donohue said he would not ordinarily object to the film, but that while the religious elements will be diluted from the source material, the film will encourage children to read the novels, which he says "denigrate Christianity" and promote "atheism for kids." "
Gasp! God forbid children read something that encourages them to think critically (yeah I'm being sarcastic here). I don't get it...If you have faith, what are you exactly afraid of? If religious views can be swayed by reading a series of fantasy novels, then maybe the basis is not so sound after all...And noone makes a racket about children being brainwashed by reading Chronicles of Narnia. What's this double standard all about? Where does this criticism/controversy put us regarding freedom of speech, respecting others' rights to express their religious views, etc.?
Parents mostly have control of their children. If they find the movie at odds with their beliefs, then they can keep their children from seeing it. But trying to stop this movie from being shown is ridiculous...It's almost like saying "we're not going to publish the books either, lest children read them and become atheists". It is so ironic how the books criticize the stronghold of the Church (or organized religion in a broader perspective) over humanity, and the institution being criticized validates the concerns by acting exactly the way criticized.
October 11, 2007
Insatiable is not sustainable!
I saw this on the bumper sticker of a car the other day...I really like it!
August 9, 2007
Ughhh Part 2
From phdcomics.com
Still having an existential crisis...Arrrrghgghhhh...I think I'm going crazy, and I can't get out of it!
And suddenly when I was trying to go to sleep last night, this thought occurred to me: What did Noah do with the fish? They would be OK with a flood...And say ducks..They can swim...Did he get some of those in his ark too? How can anyone really believe this happened???
August 8, 2007
August 3, 2007
My friend's trip for a worthy cause
My friend Eric and his girlfriend are doing an amazing thing by traveling to South-East Asia this fall to undertake volunteer projects for those in need. I really admire their dedication. I know that at least one of them had to quit a very secure job that he really liked doing to be able to do this.
You can read more about this donation here. I will try to post updates as they update their blogs (and you can check it out for yourself here), but in the meanwhile, if you feel like it, please feel free to chip in, and know that your money will be well spent!
You can read more about this donation here. I will try to post updates as they update their blogs (and you can check it out for yourself here), but in the meanwhile, if you feel like it, please feel free to chip in, and know that your money will be well spent!
August 2, 2007
Plush microbes-continued
Wow...I just received a batch of microbes via mail today-thanks to my uber-thoughtful boyfriend. Now I've got HIV, rhinovirus (the common col virus), influenza virus, pimple bacteria, and E.Coli (ehmmm just the toys of course!)Aren't they cute???
Back row (left to right): Rhino, flu, HIV, pimple
Front row: E. Coli
And here's Sissy (my cat) playing with E.Coli!
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