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Special
concern avian flu
This "Enlightenment" section
here has many of the most eye-opening articles.
The overall theme here are articles for which common belief significantly differs from the reasonable conclusions. Enlightened skepticism promoted also considers the harm arising from ignornace.
“Enlightenment” & “Utilitarianism" are the oldest two addresses under "skeptically.org".
#128 Terrorism Hegemony
Currently averaging over 5,000 pages downloaded per weekday--see bottom of page.
The evidence based health site is nearly 1,000 pages per day
California skeptic thank you for the support—for our purpose is to inform. Come again, please.
Send comments to thinker@skeptically.org
"Enlightenment" is the beginning;
started in 2001. Many of the most eye opening articles (contrary to the beliefs of the common herd) are found here in
Enlightenment.
This
site is one of 3 sites maintained by California Skeptics
All
with cool art and informative articles
A =
Art with some of the articles.
All home pages have art.
#7 TABLE OF CONTENTS
skeptically, a dozen major topic, over 1,000 articles, averages over 9,000 pages downloaded per weekday.
#201 TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR CURRENT NEWS ISSUES, 900 current
political news, international news, corporate news & archives—over 600 pages downloaded per day A
#31 TABLE OF CONTENTS healthfully, 1,000 health & medical articles, many topics, averages over 1,000 pages downloaded per day. A
#209 THE ARTISTS, bios and samples of their art A
# 220 VIDCASTS & U-TUBE, for those who like the visuals A
# 125 The Crash On the economic collapse of 2008
#1 Enlightenment, our favorites,
the flagship articles A
Skeptical sites:
#1 Enlightenment, collection of the best A
#4 Logical threads
#6 Thinkers on Religion A
#9 Spiritualism
#17 Quackery
#19 Skepticism
#29 For skeptics
#37 Biographical
#102 Quacks, theories & practice
Religious sites:
#1 Enlightenment A
#5 Cartoons Mostly Religious
#6 Thinkers on Religion A
#8 Old Testament Analysis
#26 Ancient Sacred Works of the Hebrews
#9 Spiritualism
#10 Literary Works on Religion
#15 Christian Apocrypha and Essays
#16 New Testament
#18 Against Religious foolishness A
#20 Ancient Sacred Works of the Christians
#22 Christianity
#24 Bible Studies More
#107 Holy Horrors
#109 Philosophy & religion
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NEW SITE: CURRENT POLITICS INCLUDING LINKS TO OVER A DOZEN A+++
MUSICAL CARTOONS ON THE CANDIDATES.
This site, once the skeptical-educational efforts of JK, it is now currently being
revised to reflect the varied interests of members of the skeptical group of San Diego, and thus the content of a non-skeptical
nature are being removed, and placed in the linked site jerrymondo. (Other member sites will be found linked in
suitable locations.) This revision of this site will take some time, for there are many articles which we desire
to add to this site and many others to move, and only two have volunteered to continue working upon the site.
The essays
which follow are exercises of our rational nature. They also disabuse certain all too common errors
in factual foundations and logical inference. Taken as a whole, the articles contain a scientific explanation of the Nature of Things (as understood by the Greek atomist school of philosophy).
The
reference to Socrates (below the title "ENLIGHTENMENT") alludes to his assertion--according to Plato--that the God Apollo
required of Socrates that he teach people the love of the good to his fellow Athenians and also to improve their analytic
skill. The Greek philosophers shared a vision of the ideal citizen. We too
feel that Apollo is looking over our shoulders.
WHY BOTHER?
You probable wonder why we have done this. There
is the psychological answer: We like working on this site because of intellectual
pleasures and the relief of boredom; viz., we get more reinforcements from this activity than others for approximately
20 hours per week. And there is the conceptual answer: the combination of the fulfillment of the utilitarian imperative, and Hope (the chance that this would
lead to something bigger). We are unloading years of learning and paper
collecting. Nearly all that we have pasted is for the sake of helping both
you and me rise above our animal side and become both logical and free of spiritual poppycock. Secondly, it is
to prmote ataraxia, read (Love of all things as foundation for happiness). Why should
we be knowing and logical? The Greek philosophers replied that such person, all other things being equal, would obtain
a greater portion of ataraxia.
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A humane skeptic is one who not only believes in proportion
to the evidence in support thereof, but also accepts utilitarian ethics and thereby seeks to improve the condition of mankind in
according to the measure of harm-and-happiness. If nearly all people saw half as deeply as Plato or Jeremy Bentham we would
overturn our old apple cart.
To him who little is not enough, nothing is enough--Epicurus
Original sin is the difference between my pleasures and yours--B.F. Skinner
Above all cause no harm--Horace
Political-economic sites:
#111 World Trade Organization A
#123 Neoliberalism at Work
#125 The Crash A
#131 The Depression
#106 Economics A
#119 Economic Developments A
#121 Economics the Dismal Science
#116 OIL A
#128 Terrorism Hegemony
#21 Muckraking Political Articles
#23 Critical of capitalism A
#126 Corporate system
#25 Bush Bashing
#112 Bush watch A
#103 Parliament of Whores A
#104 Government, Presidency, Congress, Courts
#117 Federal court system
#12 Penal system
#14 Labor A
#28 Nuclear war threat A
#118 Iraq war A
#127 Military war
#120 Election reform A
#124 Managed-Corporate Press
#41 Medical business abuses
#130 Big Pharma at work
Utopia, ethics, happiness, misc. sites:
#2 Utopia A
#3 Utilitarianism A
#5 Cartoons & satire
#7 Table of contents & links
#101 Links & quotes
#105 Scientific psychology
#108 Psychoanalysis, their weird theories
#27 Recreational drugs A
#110 Recreational drug research A
#113 Environmental & animals
#114 B.F. Skinner, works and life
#115 Ethics humanistic
#122 Pod casts & u-tube A
JK’s Poetry, Satire &
Short Stories sites:
#32 Short stories,
etc.
#33 Satire
#34 Rhymed poems
#39 Rhymed poems romantic
#40 Rhymed poems
melancholy
#42 Rhymed poems
social message
#43 Rhymed poems satire
California Skeptics has an excellent collection of political cartoons and huge collection of links to sites with political cartoons and animation
We
appreciate feedback. Contact US
at thinker@skeptically.org.
Moreover, JK has something to say, and he likes
saying it. He has written several works of fiction in need of a publisher. Can you help?
Just as Socrates/Plato wrote on many things, to which the totality thereof constituted an overall weltanschauung, for which
only an extensive reading of the works of Plato along with an understanding of the issues he addressed would open the doors
of their perceptions; so too does the collection of material presented by me require a reading to understand my mind and how
thus how I have taken their foundation and adapted it to the truths of our era.
In order to know what is one must know what isn't. This site addresses popular delusion,
and also to provide the tools to recognize delusions.
To him who little is not enough, nothing will be enough--Epicurus
| Link to more of these cartoons |
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| Danish cartoons that started riots in 2/06 |
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The Greek Philosophers self-servingly (for
they were the teachers) held that an essential condition for the development of right character of the upper class citizens
consisted in instructing their sons in philosophy (which in those times also included the now separate fields of sciences,
social science, political science, mathematics, and literary analyisis) so that their rational nature could guide
their actions and thus dominate in prudent ways over their animal side. Their students would learn to be free through
rational understanding the frightful superstitious beliefs of the masses including their brand of religion. As their
students developed they would come to understand the conditions necessary to live the good life and have sufficient to
control--if not abjectly poor--to fulfill those conditions.
The good life included in--given the unstable political conditions--fulfilling
obligations to the state, so as to avoid becoming an outcast. It also consisted of living in moderation, of having control--as
a rational animal--over ones desires, to seek the purer pleasures, of which those arising from quite contemplation while being
at peace with oneself ranked as the purest. A person living the good life exercised and participated in sports, enjoyed the
fine arts, was honorable, had a group of noble companions, and of course had the skills of a philosopher (the term which means
"lover of wisdom).
There were of course disagreement among the different schools of Greek Philosophy, but compared to their agreement about the
good-life, it was minor. Epicurus as leader of the Greek Atomists best and succinctly voiced what the good-life is. A revival
of his teachings occurred with Gassandi--and others--in 17th-century Europe. This culminated with utilitarianism (see my
other site). I hold this theory of ethics to be an improvement upon the Greek Ethics in its metaethical foundation and prescriptions
for society.
Utilitarianism in my life occupies a place comparable to that of a religion, but without the need
to believe in that which given the totality of evidence is quite unbelievable.
| Boris Artzybasheff |
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| M.C. ESCHER |
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The skeptic is one who judges all things according to the evidence. Many
things are widely affirmed by the common herd in a degree well beyond what the evidence supports. The humanistic skeptic applies a second measure, that of harm resulting from such beliefs. Issues of economics and politics, of religion,
quackery, and of psychology and personal behavior top our list. Education and scientific psychology are gateways to the following the dictates of reason.
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