Background Probability

The Agnostic Popular Front has moved to its new home at Skeptic Ink, and will henceforth be known as Background Probability. Despite the relocation and rebranding, we will continue to spew the same low-fidelity high-quality bullshit that you've come to expect.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Acura Declares War on Xmas! (not really)

Okay, so check these out:

http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/jref-news/789-the-season-of-reason.html

http://www.acura.com/vb/tlp/tlp_allmodels.aspx

The catchy phrase "Season of Reason" is in both cases is being used to promote and raise money for the corporate cause, while telling the customer/donor that she is a bright person who makes rational choices. That's all well and good, but doesn't Acura have anyone in the PR dept who can translate from English to Midwestern? Such blatant pandering to the rationalist crowd will surely draw a harsh backlash from the culture warriors on the far right.

Cue FauxNews hissy fit in 3... 2... 1...

Liveblogging Dinesh D'Souza

Q&A time starts around 21:07 or so. Woo hoo!

21:05 - Back to Romans 1:18-25. Given the preponderance of Sunday School teachers and students here, this argument seems a bit unoriginal and superfluous. Evidently I'm not taking advantage of the real joy of religious unbelief, which is unfettered debauchery. Damn!

21:01 - He does a better Bertrand Russell than Sam Harris impression.

21:00 - Now we've moved on (slightly) to atheism = communism. My brain is bleeding.

20:55 - Back to the argument that (1) Western culture rules :. (2) Xn doctrine is true.

20:50 - Now we're on to fine-tuning of the universe. Nothing new or surprising here.

20:45 - Arguing that the Big Bang in particular supports Augustinian cosmogony. He makes an incredible (some might last inordinate) amount of hay over this, then makes a poop joke at Hawking's expense.

20:42 - Evidently modern science overwhelmingly supports theism. Don't tell the NAS!

20:40 - Now he is getting into the argument that methodological naturalism has slowly displaced faith-based thinking.

20:35 - Turns out Christianity hated slavery all along. Who knew?

20:33 - Dinesh does his Sam Harris impression. Evidently Sam has a significantly deeper and manlier voice than Dinesh. :)

20:30 - Starting in on the argument from his bestselling apologetic book that Xn culture is compassionate and good, thererfore Xn doctrine is true. Is is true that Eastern cultures don't believe in compassion and the dignity of life? Don't tell the Jain!

20:25 - He has covered the "accident of birth" argument for one's faith, and the problem of childhood indoctrination. So far so good.

20:20 - Claims he is going to answer the "best arguments " of the Gnu Atheists, appealing solely to evidence and reason.

20:15 - Now he is telling us about the New Atheists and Hitch's hairdo. He claims that atheists want to convince people that atheism is correct. How very un-Xn of them! It is not as if Christians are evangelical about their worldview.

20:10 - He looks even goofier in person. Starts off with a joke and an anecdote about Churchill.

I've never had the chance to see Zaltzman in person, so it may be said that D'Souza is the most consummate bullshit artist that I may ever get the chance to see live. Probably I should not be this excited about it, but here we go!