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Monkey See, Monkey Do...Good

Illustration by Edel Rodriguez based on source material from Frans de Waal

FROM THE NYT

Some animals are surprisingly sensitive to the plight of others. Chimpanzees, who cannot swim, have drowned in zoo moats trying to save others. Given the chance to get food by pulling a chain that would also deliver an electric shock to a companion, rhesus monkeys will starve themselves for several days.

Biologists argue that these and other social behaviors are the precursors of human morality. They further believe that if morality grew out of behavioral rules shaped by evolution, it is for biologists, not philosophers or theologians, to say what these rules are.

Moral philosophers do not take very seriously the biologists’ bid to annex their subject, but they find much of interest in what the biologists say and have started an academic conversation with them.

The original call to battle was sounded by the biologist Edward O. Wilson more than 30 years ago, when he suggested in his 1975 book “Sociobiology” that “the time has come for ethics to be removed temporarily from the hands of the philosophers and biologicized.” He may have jumped the gun about the time having come, but in the intervening decades biologists have made considerable progress.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE

Enter, The Human Camera

Gay Animals Extremely Common in the Wild

From the Times Online UK

It is not what you would expect to see when you take your children on a Sunday outing to the natural history museum: a giant photograph of one male giraffe humping another, or two whales sparring with giant penises. This, however, is Norway, where — for better or worse — the normal rules do not apply. Three years ago the Government told the country’s museums and libraries that they should do more to contribute to social debates and dare to tackle taboo subjects.

The results of that order are now coming through. One museum is staging an exhibition that debunks the national myth that every Norwegian was an heroic Resistance fighter in the Second World War. A second is planning an exhibition on Vidkun Quisling, the ultimate Norwegian collaborator. A third has an exhibition showing how badly Norway has treated Gypsies.

But the Natural History Museum in Oslo has gone one better. As America’s religious right fulminates against homosexuality, Europe embraces gay marriage, and leading homosexuals such as Martina Navratilova denounce scientists in Oregon for attempting to make gay sheep straight, the Naturhistorisk Museum is stepping squarely into the heart of a controversy that dates back to at least AD1120 when the Church Council of Nablus described homosexuality as a “sin against nature” .

It is staging a government-financed exhibition in its august halls that shows that homosexuality — far from being unnatural — is actually rampant in the animal world. Against Nature? is the first exhibition in the world dedicated to gay animals, claims Petter Bockman, its bearded and ponytailed scientific adviser, who also happens to be the University of Oslo’s leading — and only — frog expert (there are not many amphibians, gay or straight, this far north).

The facts have been staring scientists in the face for years, Bockman says, as he stands in front of the gay giraffes. “It’s fairly easy to see because the giraffe’s sex organs are not what you’d call modest.” The problem, he contends, is that when researchers are confronted by such behaviour, they choose to ignore it. They claim it is irrelevant to their work, or fear ridicule or the loss of their grants if they draw attention to it. They prefer to describe two animals of the same sex frolicking with each other as “competition, a form of greeting, ritualised combat, things like that — even when we are talking full anal intercourse with ejaculation”.

The taboo was finally broken in 1999 when Bruce Bagemihl, a gay biologist at the University of Wisconsin, published a book entitled Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity.

Bagemihl had scoured every scientific journal and paper he could lay his hands on for references to homosexuality in animals. Tucked away at the end of long and erudite texts, or consigned to footnotes and appendices, he found that homosexuality had been observed in no fewer than 1,500 species, and well documented in 500 of them. The earliest mention of animal homosexuality probably came 2,300 years ago when Aristotle described two female hyenas cavorting with each other.

Bagemihl’s book provided the inspiration for this exhibition, and any notion that homosexuality is a uniquely human trait is quickly disposed of. You are greeted by a pair of swans — the very symbols of romantic love — who turn out to be a female couple. “Up to a fifth of all pairs are all male or all female,” reads the accompanying text.  >> more at the times online uk

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Below is a comment from John Warton, Reading, UK that I thought was worth including:

The point of this exhibition was not to justify homosexuality in humans - I don't see that it needs to be justified - but to respond to the claims of religious people that God instilled a "natural law" (see Thomas Aquinas), or inclinitation away from homosexuality which is transgressed in humans who "choose" to be gay. The idea therein is that only humans could trangress because (according to the religious) only humans have the power to disobey God (that is, to sin); thus anything which "animals" do cannot be sinful.
This exhibition merely takes that argument to its logical conclusion: if animal behaviour includes homosexuality (which it patently does), then homosexuality cannot be sinful. Brockman cannot be blamed if the homophobic cannot accept. What actually requires justification is not homosexuality, but hatred.   

Humans to evolve into coffee-coloured giants?

According to UK's Sky News, there is a coming "social division" that could lead to whole new breed of human that look more like Sleestacks than Homosapiens.  One can't help but wonder what the "Creationists" think of all this.

FROM SKY NEWS

The descendants of the genetic upper class would be tall, slim, healthy, attractive, intelligent, and creative.

They would be a far cry from the "underclass" humans, who will have evolved into dim-witted, ugly, squat goblin-like creatures.

The forecast was made by Dr Oliver Curry, who spent two months investigating the ascent and descent of man over the next 100 millennia.

He said, within a thousand years, humans will evolve into coffee-coloured giants between 6 and 7ft tall.

But Dr Curry said centuries of sexual selection - being choosy about one's partner - was likely to create more and more genetic inequality.

The logical outcome would be two sub-species, "gracile" and "robust" humans.

Dr Curry said: "Things could get ugly, with the possible emergence of genetic 'haves' and 'have-nots'."

Other predictions included:

:: Physical appearance, driven by indicators of health, youth and fertility, will improve.

:: Men will exhibit symmetrical facial features, look athletic, and have squarer jaws, deeper voices and bigger penises.

:: Women will develop lighter skin, large clear eyes, pert breasts, glossy hair, even features and smooth hairless skin.

:: Racial differences will be ironed out by interbreeding, producing a uniform race of coffee-coloured people.

:: Improved nutrition and medical science will see people growing taller and fitter, while life-spans are extended to 120 years.

The Scientific Monk

More and more we're reading and hearing about the intersection of religion and science. Whether it's fundamentalist Christians battling it out with the Evolutionists or Buddhists vs Neuroscientists it seems we need to choose one versus another. Rarely in life is this "all or nothing" approach accurate. As we know the truth lies somewhere in the middle, or perhaps that's just some Buddhist brainwashing. Nevertheless, things get most interesting at the intersections.

At the cross-roads of two opposing views we can see the similarities and differences most clearly.
A new book called "Contemplative Science: Where Buddhism and Neuroscience Converge", by B. Alan Wallace explores these cross-roads in fascinating detail. Wallace who spent fourteen years as a Buddhist monk and was ordained by H. H. the Dalai Lama, "challenges neuroscientists, cognitive scientists, and Buddhists, with lucid, provocative scholarship."

The followng is a review of the book provided by the Mind and Life Institute:

"Science has long treated religion as a set of personal beliefs that have little to do with a rational understanding of the mind and the universe. However, B. Alan Wallace, a respected Buddhist scholar and Mind and Life Board member, proposes that the contemplative methodologies of Buddhism and of Western science are capable of being integrated into a single discipline: contemplative science.

The science of consciousness introduces first-person methods of investigating the mind through Buddhist contemplative techniques, such as shamatha, an organized, detailed system of training the attention. Just as scientists make observations and conduct experiments with the aid of technology, contemplatives have long tested their own theories with the help of highly developed meditative skills of observation and experimentation. Contemplative science allows for a deeper knowledge of mental phenomena, including a wide range of states of consciousness, and its emphasis on strict mental discipline counteracts the effects of conative (intention and desire), attentional, cognitive, and affective imbalances.

Just as behaviorism, psychology, and neuroscience have all shed light on the cognitive processes that enable us to survive and flourish, contemplative science offers a groundbreaking perspective for our capacity for realizing genuine well-being. It also forges a link between the material world and the realm of the subconscious that transcends the traditional science-based understanding of the self.

B. Alan Wallace spent fourteen years as a Buddhist monk and was ordained by H. H. the Dalai Lama. The founder and president of the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies (http://sbinstitute.com), he has translated a number of Tibetan Buddhist texts and is the author of several books, including Choosing Reality: A Buddhist View of Physics and the Mind, The Taboo of Subjectivity: Toward a New Science of Consciousness(Oxford), Buddhism and Science: Breaking New Ground (Columbia), Genuine Happiness: Meditation as the Path to Fulfillment (John Wiley & Sons), andThe Attention Revolution: Unlocking the Power of the Focused Mind (Wisdom).

Praise for Contemplative Science

"Contemplative Science is a must read for anyone interested in consciousness. Alan Wallace challenges neuroscientists, cognitive scientists, and Buddhists, with lucid, provocative scholarship."
Paul Ekman, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, University of California, San Francisco, and author of Emotions Revealed.

"In Contemplative Science, Alan Wallace forcefully and properly challenges the materialistic presuppositions held by many scientists. He goes on to argue convincingly for the development of a contemplative science of consciousness based on a highly-trained faculty of attention that can investigate the mind firsthand. Using his unique mastery of Buddhist philosophy and meditative practice, Wallace sketches for us the value of integrating contemplative methods with empirical research. I share his view of the unique importance of such an integration and recommend Contemplative Science as one of the first comprehensive presentations of that view."
Arthur Zajonc, Andrew Mellon Professor of Physics, Amherst College, and the author of The Dalai Lama at MIT.

"Provocative, challenging and engaging, Contemplative Science should be read by all serious students of the mind, scientists, contemplatives and religious scholars alike. Alan Wallace has a breathtaking command of knowledge rooted in Buddhism but embracing the physical and cognitive sciences and most importantly informed by meditation practice. This book will help set the stage for a unique development in the 21st century - a genuine collaboration between the contemplative traditions and Western science."
Richard J. Davidson, William James and Vilas Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

technorati

GODFIGHT - the existential blog project :: question 2

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QUESTION 2

What's the best proof that your God is real?

With the line between church and state as blurry as ever, the questions
for week two are relevant  for every human; democrats,
republicans, gay, straight, man or woman, or even those fearless
few who still think Pat Robertson has street cred.

If you believe in intelligent design, then who or what do you think the
designer is? If it’s creationism that you gravitate towards, who is that
creator? If its evolution you imbibe, is there truly is no master plan?
We all know what George Bush and the Pope think, but what about
the rest of us?

Let the GODFIGHT begin...

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ARE YOU ALIVE? - the existential blog project

When the mass evolves, there is massive evolution. Or at least that's the hope.

Here's the idea - what if comments made to a blog posting were about something OTHER than reality tv or Paris' new boy toy.

What if thousands of people from across the globe opened their minds and shared their personal insights to questions
that no one individual can answer.

That's exactly the inspiration for : "Are You Alive?: The Existential Blog Project" We'll feature a total of eight existential question that hundreds of people can weigh in on. All participants get a free copy of the compiled E-book. Raw thought encouraged.

As we all add comments, our collective insights soar. Take a minute and give us your two cents....personal thoughts, opinions, facts, religious answers whatever you feel compelled to say.

_______________________________

Question week one ::  What happens to you after you die?
_______________________________

Upcoming Weekly Questions :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

1. What happens to you after you die?
2. What's the best proof that your God is real?
3. Why are are we all here?
4. How does one obtain true peace?
5. Why are so many people depressed?
6. What are we all so afraid of?
7. Is current religion serving its purpose?
8. Do you think we're somehow “all one”?

 

 

Questions from and inspired by the independent film Oneness (www.onethemovie.org)

News

New movie about life has odd effects on viewers

I came across the article below in the latest issue of Science and Theology news.

Sounds like the trend towards existentialism is gaining momentum.

“I’ve had old women crying, 35-year-old business men crying and 19-year-old college students crying at one showing”. They're talking about a documentary made by three first time filmmakers. With no experience in the film industry and armed only with a camera, the three recorded the journey they made as they sought answers to some of life’s ultimate questions.

One morning in 2002, Ward Powers woke up with the idea to create an independent film on the theme, “We are all one.” As a practicing trial lawyer and father of three from Novi, Mich., he realized he was an unlikely candidate for this impulse. Yet, One, the documentary that Powers created with his cousin and best friend, has had a profound and unexpected impact on the people who have seen it.

• Trailer 1 (1:00)
• Trailer 2 (2:30)

“There is a certain place within us where this understanding of our belonging to one another and being connected to everything — not just to people but to the earth and the universe — is so deep that even though it’s not something you access daily in the noise of your common existence, when a flicker of its light is remembered you immediately know it like you know a family member.”

Their initial concept was to gather answers from people on the street. As word of the project spread, however, they were able to meet and interview some of the greatest thinkers and spiritual leaders of our time, beginning with Robert Thurman, the first American-born Tibetan Buddhist monk. “Two hours after we sent out an e-mail asking if he would like to be interviewed, he wrote back and invited us to his home in the Catskill Mountains,” Powers said.

Powers attributes people’s willingness to contribute to their respect for the project’s theme: oneness. “There is an energy moving into the world that transcends all other things,” he said. “If you want to talk about the place where science and religion meet, it’s oneness. Where oneness is, science and spirituality are merging. At the apex of both, they’re at the same place. That place is oneness.”

Describing himself as a servant to this energy, Powers said that there is an urgency to oneness because during the past few years the world has become increasingly divided. “My sense is that this new energy of oneness is counterbalancing the divisions that have been happening,” he said.

The team originally expected to find that when faced with the important questions, people’s answers would reveal that we are all ultimately the same. Instead, Powers said they discovered that “Oneness exists in our differences, not in our commonality. Oneness is about everybody having their own take. All those different takes together is oneness, not all those different takes becoming the same.”

I have a feeling we've only just begun to hear about this movie. We saw similar trending last year when independent film What the Bleep exploded out of nowhere.

News

Five Million dollars offered for a holy miracle?

Call me a cynical New Yorker. Call me jaded. Just dont call me late to Church. Not because I'm a religious person at all, I just REALLY want to see a miracle.

They used to happen all the time, back in the day with Moses and his water-parting abilities. Remember the one about Jesus and the loaves? All those hunrgy people. Tiny but of fish. Everyone ate, in fact rumor has it that Peter went back for seconds.

Where are the modern miracles though? The media certainly doesnt know. As John Stewart reported on last night's episode of the Daily Show; CNN, ABC, CBS and FOX called a well executed plane evacuation a "miracle". Good news yes, miracle? Not so much.

Can our mighty mega churches manufacture a miracle? Perhaps a single show of something truly spiritual is what's needed to rekindle our faith in the divine. We humans can wager billion dollar venture investments on disposable business models but why has no one ever offered the divine a dime to showcase their best stuff?

Here's what I propose. We get a group of investors to pool $5 million dollars and offer it to the first person who performs a mircale. A real "media tested, Pope approved" kind of a miracle.  One with good lighting and slow motion footage. Think of it as putting Jesus, Jehovah, Buddha and Allah on a reality show. Call it Faith Factor and watch the world tune in and wait.

Religious scholars scoff at the thought of course. Anyone with an education knows it doesn't work that way. Other might even think it blasphemous. Why? Our own scientific theory that has driven every major breakthough is based on questioning, seeking proofs to theories, testing them, testing them again and then arriving at a definite solution. Whenever we try to apply that same thinking to anything even remotely religous the Pope gets all schvitzy and preachers start to sound more like politicians.

My goal is to create an environment for a real miracle that's witnessed by millions. Surely any venture capitalist worth the weight of their Harvard MBA would jump at the chance to own the rights to the first ever modern day miracle. If ever there was an pay-per-view event this is one worth watching. It would HAVE to be guranteed to work of course. Investors need assurances. You gotta have faith...and probably a whole of lot of collateral. Now we're back to needing money.

This is all tounge in cheek of course. It'd be crazy to think investors would actually pool a fund to see what would happen if we as a species decided to play the ultimate game of truth or dare.

That said, any takers?