Category Archives: Cosmology

Links and Quotes, mid-June

Posted on Monday 16 June 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Preoccupied with writing up book notes this past week (and other things), I have a bunch of linked articles to note without making any of them separate posts. From last Monday, two interesting op-eds in the New York Times. Charles … Continue reading →

Posted in Cosmology, Culture, Quote at Length, Religion, Science | Comments Off on Links and Quotes, mid-June

Unafraid of the Dark: Highlights from the last episode of Cosmos

Posted on Monday 9 June 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Passages from the last episode of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s “Cosmos”. Early in the episode, he describes a thought experiment: Pick a star, any one of the hundreds of billions of stars in our Milky Way galaxy, which is just one … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Cosmology, Culture, Evolution, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Thinking | Comments Off on Unafraid of the Dark: Highlights from the last episode of Cosmos

Salon on Cosmos, Neil deGrasse Tyson, science, and conservative denialism

Posted on Monday 9 June 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Several posts at Salon lately about “Cosmos”, Neil deGrasse Tyson, science, and conservative denialism. 5 Most Important Lessons from “Cosmos” Which are: It’s OK to not know all the answers Climate change is happening, and it’s made-made. Evolution: How did … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Cosmology, Culture, Science, Thinking | Comments Off on Salon on Cosmos, Neil deGrasse Tyson, science, and conservative denialism

Clarke, Childhood’s End, part 3 – passages

Posted on Saturday 7 June 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Passages from Clarke’s Childhood’s End. The early part of the book involves a faction of the public that objects to the Overlords’ presence, on the grounds that their influence deprives them of “Freedom to control our own lives, under God’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Arthur C. Clarke, Cosmology, Evolution, science fiction | Comments Off on Clarke, Childhood’s End, part 3 – passages

Cosmos and the Future of Humanity

Posted on Sunday 25 May 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Last week’s episode of Cosmos, episode 11, The Immortals, was one of the best and most moving. Neil deGrasse Tyson examines humanity’s desire for immortality, and the ways that this has happened in some sense: writing, that captures thoughts for … Continue reading →

Posted in Cosmology, Science | Comments Off on Cosmos and the Future of Humanity

Blessed Are

Posted on Monday 5 May 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

This is an old Joan Baez song, from her 1971 album of the same title — an original song by her, after she had passed through her folk music phase and begun composing her own songs. Has some nice lyrics, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cosmology, Music, Religion | Comments Off on Blessed Are

The Range of Human Perception

Posted on Tuesday 29 April 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Alternet, Chris Mooney: Why Right-Wingers Think the Way They Do: The Fascinating Psychological Origins of Political Ideology These experiments suggest that conservatives actually do live in a world that is more scary and threatening, at least as they perceive it. … Continue reading →

Posted in Cosmology, Culture, Psychology, Science | Comments Off on The Range of Human Perception

Cosmos So Far

Posted on Thursday 24 April 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

I should update my thoughts about the new version of the TV series Cosmos, since earlier I posted a mild critique about it needing to explain the background of scientific discovery – presenting not just the grandiose conclusions humanity has … Continue reading →

Posted in Cosmology, Culture, Evolution, Philosophy, Physics | Comments Off on Cosmos So Far

Kalam Cosmological Argument

Posted on Tuesday 22 April 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

The Kalam Cosmological Argument is one of the traditional, philosophical, arguments for the existence of God. The idea is that everything must have a beginning; therefore the universe must have a beginning, therefore God. (Which those who use this argument … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Cosmology, Psychology, Science, Thinking | Comments Off on Kalam Cosmological Argument

The Need to Feel Special

Posted on Wednesday 9 April 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

The scientific kerfuffle of the past couple days has been about a documentary supporting geocentrism (as if the creationists are not crazy enough), the idea that the Earth is the center of the universe, immovable, and that the sun and … Continue reading →

Posted in Cosmology, Culture, Lunacy, Religion, Science | Comments Off on The Need to Feel Special