INFORMATION

This website uses cookies to store information on your computer. Some of these cookies are essential to make our site work and others help us to improve by giving us some insight into how the site is being used.

For further information, see our Privacy Policy.

Continuing to use this website is acceptance of these cookies.

We are not accepting any new registrations.

Search found 15 matches

by smellincoffee
August 10th, 2009, 10:35 pm
Forum: Humanism, secularism, freethought...
Topic: Political Humanism
Replies: 15
Views: 3473

Re: Political Humanism

These questions have made me realize that there's a difference between humanism's human values and more idealistic values. I tend to forget the difference. What I'd like to see is a group that takes these problems seriously, that makes common human values their central platform -- that refers to the...
by smellincoffee
August 9th, 2009, 8:19 pm
Forum: Humanism, secularism, freethought...
Topic: Are you a humanist or what?
Replies: 456
Views: 229120

Re: Are you a humanist or what?

Humanist, Skeptic, Universalist, freethinker, rationalist, and somewhere down the list, atheist. By "Universalist", I mean...well, a number of things. I think of it as humanism with a spiritual flair. Of course, "spiritual" is ill-defined. It's an acceptance of humanity as one, belief that all human...
by smellincoffee
August 9th, 2009, 7:31 pm
Forum: Humanism, secularism, freethought...
Topic: Political Humanism
Replies: 15
Views: 3473

Political Humanism

I'm looking for ideas and discussion on what humanist politics might be like. I have some ideas of my own. Most of these are ideas I think everyone can agree with: statements that are more ambiguous are bracketed by asterisks. First, I believe that humanist politics should begin with a radical commi...
by smellincoffee
May 24th, 2008, 1:44 am
Forum: Culture Club
Topic: WWI Books?
Replies: 8
Views: 1903

Re: WWI Books?

The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman is one I've heard many times. I actually used isolated portions of it for a paper on the air war over France -- obviously just for general information. I'll recommend the other WW1 books I used for that same paper. The Price of Glory (Alistair Horne) was a fair...
by smellincoffee
May 24th, 2008, 1:31 am
Forum: Culture Club
Topic: The original book thread
Replies: 406
Views: 67277

Re: The original book thread

The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, Modern Germany: Its History and Civilization , and East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I don't recall who wrote Modern Germany off-hand The Darwin book is actually the abridged, illustrated version edited by Richard Leakey. According to the introduction, the boo...
by smellincoffee
May 24th, 2008, 1:27 am
Forum: Culture Club
Topic: Music at your funeral.
Replies: 49
Views: 11318

Re: Music at your funeral.

"My Way", Frank Sinatra is mandatory. Some songs I'd want people to remember me by, though:
"The World Ain't Slowin' Down", Ellis Paul
"Young at Heart", Frank Sinatra
"Life is a Magic Thing", Johnny Clegg
by smellincoffee
May 23rd, 2008, 1:15 am
Forum: Social Club
Topic: Explain your avatar
Replies: 561
Views: 146842

Re: Explain your avatar

My avatar is of Frank Sinatra. I've been using this avatar for nearly five years now, which should tell you how much I like it. There are a number of reasons it has persisted. (1). Frank Sinatra is easily my favorite singer. (2). When I started listening to Frank Sinatra, I was at a really bad point...
by smellincoffee
May 23rd, 2008, 12:49 am
Forum: Social Club
Topic: Quiz: What kind of atheist are you?
Replies: 26
Views: 6216

Re: Quiz: What kind of atheist are you?

I took this quiz a little over a year ago and I must say, I don't remember the quiz being this annoying. This time around many more of my answers didn't quite fit the limited options available. My results in April '07 : Spiritual Atheist: 92% Scientific Atheist: 92% Apathetic Atheist: 75% Angry Athe...
by smellincoffee
May 23rd, 2008, 12:27 am
Forum: Social Club
Topic: What would you have on your headstone?
Replies: 34
Views: 6529

Re: What would you have on your headstone?

"He's dead, Jim."



(Yes, I'm serious. I want to be amusing people from beyond the grave.)
by smellincoffee
May 16th, 2008, 4:15 am
Forum: Miscellaneous Discussions...
Topic: Does anyone ever post on the RichardDawkins.net forum?
Replies: 5
Views: 1324

Re: Does anyone ever post on the RichardDawkins.net forum?

I've been posting there since the forums opened and have not noticed anything particularly irksome...but then again, I only post in a couple of the forums.
by smellincoffee
September 13th, 2007, 2:47 pm
Forum: Culture Club
Topic: The original book thread
Replies: 406
Views: 67277

I'm reading The River Out of Eden by Richard Dawkins, Infidel[ by Ali Ayaan Mirsi, and Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920s by F. L. Allen.
by smellincoffee
September 8th, 2007, 9:28 pm
Forum: Social Club
Topic: Do you ever go to church?
Replies: 379
Views: 152570

I think I might show up at my parents' church right before church ends for Father's Day and Mother's Day, but otherwise I wouldn't go to church. I do sympathize with Unitarian Universalism, though, and I think I might visit the nearest fellowship a few times to see how their services are. The UUA is...
by smellincoffee
September 8th, 2007, 7:05 am
Forum: Culture Club
Topic: Bill Bryson
Replies: 14
Views: 3854

I've read A Short History of Nearly Everything and may check out his book on Australia next week. This week I'm anticipating Dawkins' The River Out of Eden.
by smellincoffee
September 8th, 2007, 7:03 am
Forum: Social Club
Topic: Explain your avatar
Replies: 561
Views: 146842

I absolutely adore Frank Sinatra. His voice is incredible -- that goes without saying. I also like watching his movies. His personal philosophy was also quite attractive -- here are some quotations by him. What I do with my life is of my own doing. I live it the best way I can. I would like to be re...
by smellincoffee
September 8th, 2007, 6:56 am
Forum: Social Club
Topic: Why did you choose your particular user name?
Replies: 288
Views: 190155

I actually chose this name in 2000, when my Yahoo account was compromised and I needed a new name. I had just "gotten saved" and made a name based on a Christian song I liked -- "Smellin' Coffee" by Chris Rice. The song is about waking up in the morning and finding God's "new mercies". I used the na...