Encephalon

His presence and his agenda offend me deeply because they are antithetical to the spirit of Taoism. From the first day he landed he's been busy foisting a division between TTB members, dividing our community into two falsely polarized camps; theists, "believers" and creationists in one camp who aren't up to speed on modern science but have a taste for superstition and metaphysics, and atheists who champion evolution under the banner of secular humanism. The end result is an annhilation of the middle ground where enlightened agnosticism and fluidity of thought find sure footing. This also happens to be where a good bit of Taoist and Buddhist thought find sanctuary, where ambiguity and unknowing are accepted, even welcomed, in lieu of "fairy tales and illogical explanations" as Deng Ming-Dao puts it. On either rigid extreme, theism or atheism, all the wonder, mystery, ambiguity, and nuance cease to figure. Divide and conquer - this has been the agenda of American religious conservatives for decades, people too imaginatively impoverished to be courageous in the face of unknowing. Their music sucks too.

I would second that motion. I used to think that his style of aggressive ignorance served no purpose here but keeping him around might be a good idea just to see how far out there he's going to go.

oh my gosh never mind

I don't find that kind of morbid fatalism all that amusing, Marblehead. Please keep your notes of despondency to yourself or I shall be forced to report you to the... Besides, Immortal4Life is on the verge of developing a new and improved form of 'science' that can render us immortal... for life!

Me too. In some ways I've actually gotten cockier as I've gotten older but I don't feel unconscionable in these expressions, rather an outburst of exuberant laughter at the absurdity of life. I can see how this is not always well-received by the greenhorns.

There's no question that you are very talented in the art of cutting and pasting irrelevent talking points but the most credible authorities to discuss the fissures in higher education are those who've actually experienced it firsthand, and it's pretty clear that your intellectual fortitude renders you unfit for such an enterprise. You've truly distinguished yourself in this forum with your unwavering brand of aggressive ignorance. That's an awfully boring way to live.

It's called comparative mythology and it has more to do with the universal themes of the human psyche than supernatural beings sharing their notes with each other. It's a subject in the Humanities that you can actually study instead of remaining in a perpetual state of intellectual infancy. The process takes place at colleges and universities, although public libraries have been known to facilitate the escape from ignorance. You should check them out sometime. The practice of spinning fairytales typically loses its luster by the age of 22.

...well, maybe not, but I have been using this salt and drinking the salt solution for about 3 years now. You guys know me - I'm a neurotic critical thinking junkie - but I have to say that on days that I forget to drink this in the morning as prescribed my chi flow is not as strong. I am well-versed in the effects of expectation on subjective experience, but the literature on this stuff is awfully interesting. It could be nothing more than a giant dose of electrolytes and trace minerals that increases the electrical conductivity of your nervous system. Cooking with it is great too. We don't use anything else. http://www.swansonvitamins.com/health-library/master/barbara-hendel-himalayan-crystal-salt.html

Like the title of Jack Kornfield's book "After the Ecstasy, the Laundry," it's not a state of mind that kicks in permanently. We have our glimpses of connectedness, of oneness, but egocentrism keeps shutting the door. I think it's been demystified as an intensely perceptive psychological state free of baggage. Personally, the most interesting investigations are happening in the area where deep ecology, or eco-psychology, and cognitive science intersect. Of course, you'll find Buddhism and Taoism well represented there, looking for the mind of God in the Web of Life. Fritjof Capra's the Man! typo

Thanks Dagon for bringing this up. I wasn't aware of this controversy. I buy mine from Swanson Co, a 42 yr-old supplement company, and I'll certainly be calling them on Monday. This is really unfortunate and it makes me wonder how people can endure for years without being tainted by these kinds of events.

This is where the marching orders were first consolidated. THE WEDGE STRATEGY CENTER FOR THE RENEWAL OF SCIENCE & CULTURE INTRODUCTION The proposition that human beings are created in the image of God is one of the bedrock principles on which Western civilization was built. Its influence can be detected in most, if not all, of the West's greatest achievements, including representative democracy, human rights, free enterprise, and progress in the arts and sciences. Yet a little over a century ago, this cardinal idea came under wholesale attack by intellectuals drawing on the discoveries of modern science. Debunking the traditional conceptions of both God and man, thinkers such as Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, and Sigmund Freud portrayed humans not as moral and spiritual beings, but as animals or machines who inhabited a universe ruled by purely impersonal forces and whose behavior and very thoughts were dictated by the unbending forces of biology, chemistry, and environment. This materialistic conception of reality eventually infected virtually every area of our culture, from politics and economics to literature and art The cultural consequences of this triumph of materialism were devastating. Materialists denied the existence of objective moral standards, claiming that environment dictates our behavior and beliefs. Such moral relativism was uncritically adopted by much of the social sciences, and it still undergirds much of modern economics, political science, psychology and sociology. Materialists also undermined personal responsibility by asserting that human thoughts and behaviors are dictated by our biology and environment. The results can be seen in modern approaches to criminal justice, product liability, and welfare. In the materialist scheme of things, everyone is a victim and no one can be held accountable for his or her actions. Finally, materialism spawned a virulent strain of utopianism. Thinking they could engineer the perfect society through the application of scientific knowledge, materialist reformers advocated coercive government programs that falsely promised to create heaven on earth. Discovery Institute's Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture seeks nothing less than the overthrow of materialism and its cultural legacies. Bringing together leading scholars from the natural sciences and those from the humanities and social sciences, the Center explores how new developments in biology, physics and cognitive science raise serious doubts about scientific materialism and have re-opened the case for a broadly theistic understanding of nature. The Center awards fellowships for original research, holds conferences, and briefs policymakers about the opportunities for life after materialism. The Center is directed by Discovery Senior Fellow Dr. Stephen Meyer. An Associate Professor of Philosophy at Whitworth College, Dr. Meyer holds a Ph.D. in the History and Philosophy of Science from Cambridge University. He formerly worked as a geophysicist for the Atlantic Richfield Company. THE WEDGE STRATEGY Phase I. Scientific Research, Writing & Publicity Phase II. Publicity & Opinion-making Phase III. Cultural Confrontation & Renewal THE WEDGE PROJECTS Phase I. Scientific Research, Writing & Publication Individual Research Fellowship Program Paleontology Research program (Dr. Paul Chien et al.) Molecular Biology Research Program (Dr. Douglas Axe et al.) Phase II. Publicity & Opinion-making Book Publicity Opinion-Maker Conferences Apologetics Seminars Teacher Training Program Op-ed Fellow PBS (or other TV) Co-production Publicity Materials / Publications Phase III. Cultural Confrontation & Renewal Academic and Scientific Challenge Conferences Potential Legal Action for Teacher Training Research Fellowship Program: shift to social sciences and humanities FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN SUMMARY The social consequences of materialism have been devastating. As symptoms, those consequences are certainly worth treating. However, we are convinced that in order to defeat materialism, we must cut it off at its source. That source is scientific materialism. This is precisely our strategy. If we view the predominant materialistic science as a giant tree, our strategy is intended to function as a "wedge" that, while relatively small, can split the trunk when applied at its weakest points. The very beginning of this strategy, the "thin edge of the wedge," was Phillip ]ohnson's critique of Darwinism begun in 1991 in Darwinism on Trial, and continued in Reason in the Balance and Defeatng Darwinism by Opening Minds. Michael Behe's highly successful Darwin's Black Box followed Johnson's work. We are building on this momentum, broadening the wedge with a positive scientific alternative to materialistic scientific theories, which has come to be called the theory of intelligent design (ID). Design theory promises to reverse the stifling dominance of the materialist worldview, and to replace it with a science consonant with Christian and theistic convictions. The Wedge strategy can be divided into three distinct but interdependent phases, which are roughly but not strictly chronological. We believe that, with adequate support, we can accomplish many of the objectives of Phases I and II in the next five years (1999-2003), and begin Phase III (See "Goals/ Five Year Objectives/Activities"). Phase I: Research, Writing and Publication Phase II: Publicity and Opinion-making Phase III: Cultural Confrontation and Renewal Phase I is the essential component of everything that comes afterward. Without solid scholarship, research and argument, the project would be just another attempt to indoctrinate instead of persuade. A lesson we have learned from the history of science is that it is unnecessary to outnumber the opposing establishment. Scientific revolutions are usually staged by an initially small and relatively young group of scientists who are not blinded by the prevailing prejudices and who are able to do creative work at the pressure points, that is, on those critical issues upon which whole systems of thought hinge. So, in Phase I we are supporting vital witting and research at the sites most likely to crack the materialist edifice. Phase II. The pnmary purpose of Phase II is to prepare the popular reception of our ideas. The best and truest research can languish unread and unused unless it is properly publicized. For this reason we seek to cultivate and convince influential individuals in pnnt and broadcast media, as well as think tank leaders, scientists and academics, congressional staff, talk show hosts, college and seminary presidents and faculty, future talent and potential academic allies. Because of his long tenure in politics, journalism and public policy, Discovery President Bruce Chapman brings to the project rare knowledge and acquaintance of key op-ed writers, journalists, and political leaders. This combination of scientific and scholarly expertise and media and political connections makes the Wedge unique, and also prevents it from being "merely academic." Other activities include production of a PBS documentary on intelligent design and its implications, and popular op-ed publishing. Alongside a focus on influential opinion-makers, we also seek to build up a popular base of support among our natural constituency, namely, Chnstians. We will do this primarily through apologetics seminars. We intend these to encourage and equip believers with new scientific evidence's that support the faith, as well as to "popularize" our ideas in the broader culture. Phase III. Once our research and writing have had time to mature, and the public prepared for the reception of design theory, we will move toward direct confrontation with the advocates of materialist science through challenge conferences in significant academic settings. We will also pursue possible legal assistance in response to resistance to the integration of design theory into public school science curricula. The attention, publicity, and influence of design theory should draw scientific materialists into open debate with design theorists, and we will be ready. With an added emphasis to the social sciences and humanities, we will begin to address the specific social consequences of materialism and the Darwinist theory that supports it in the sciences. GOALS Governing Goals To defeat scientific materialism and its destructive moral, cultural and political legacies. To replace materialistic explanations with the theistic understanding that nature and hurnan beings are created by God. Five Year Goals To see intelligent design theory as an accepted alternative in the sciences and scientific research being done from the perspective of design theory. To see the beginning of the influence of design theory in spheres other than natural science. To see major new debates in education, life issues, legal and personal responsibility pushed to the front of the national agenda. Twenty Year Goals To see intelligent design theory as the dominant perspective in science. To see design theory application in specific fields, including molecular biology, biochemistry, paleontology, physics and cosmology in the natural sciences, psychology, ethics, politics, theology and philosophy in the humanities; to see its innuence in the fine arts. To see design theory permeate our religious, cultural, moral and political life. FIVE YEAR OBJECTIVES 1. A major public debate between design theorists and Darwinists (by 2003) 2. Thirty published books on design and its cultural implications (sex, gender issues, medicine, law, and religion) 3. One hundred scientific, academic and technical articles by our fellows 4. Significant coverage in national media: Cover story on major news magazine such as Time or Newsweek PBS show such as Nova treating design theory fairly Regular press coverage on developments in design theory Favorable op-ed pieces and columns on the design movement by 3rd party media 5. Spiritual & cultural renewal: Mainline renewal movements begin to appropriate insights from design theory, and to repudiate theologies influenced by materialism Major Christian denomination(s) defend(s) traditional doctrine of creation & repudiate(s) Darwinism Seminaries increasingly recognize & repudiate naturalistic presuppositions Positive uptake in public opinion polls on issues such as sexuality, abortion and belief in God 6. Ten states begin to rectify ideological imbalance in their science curricula & include design theory 7. Scientific achievements: An active design movement in Israel, the UK and other influential countries outside the US Ten CRSC Fellows teaching at major universities Two universities where design theory has become the dominant view Design becomes a key concept in the social sciences Legal reform movements base legislative proposals on design theory ACTVITIES (1) Research Fellowship Program (for writing and publishing) (2) Front line research funding at the "pressure points" (e.g., Daul Chien's Chengjiang Cambrian Fossil Find in paleontology, and Doug Axe's research laboratory in molecular biology) (3) Teacher training (4) Academic Conferences (5) Opinion-maker Events & Conferences (6) Alliance-building, recruitment of future scientists and leaders, and strategic partnerships with think tanks, social advocacy groups, educational organizations and institutions, churches, religious groups, foundations and media outlets (7) Apologetics seminars and public speaking (8) Op-ed and popular writing (9) Documentaries and other media productions (10) Academic debates (11) Fund Raising and Development (12) General Administrative support THE WEDGE STRATEGY PROGRESS SUMMARY Books William Dembski and Paul Nelson, two CRSC Fellows, will very soon have books published by major secular university publishers, Cambridge University Press and The University of Chicago Press, respectively. (One critiques Darwinian materialism; the other offers a powerful altenative.) Nelson's book, On Common Descent, is the seventeenth book in the prestigious University of Chicago "Evolutionary Monographs" series and the first to critique neo-Dacwinism. Dembski's book, The Design Inference, was back-ordered in June, two months prior to its release date. These books follow hard on the heals of Michael Behe's Darwin's Black Box (The Free Press) which is now in paperback after nine print runs in hard cover. So far it has been translated into six foreign languages. The success of his book has led to other secular publishers such as McGraw Hill requesting future titles from us. This is a breakthrough. InterVarsity will publish our large anthology, Mere Creation (based upon the Mere Creation conference) this fall, and Zondervan is publishing Maker of Heaven and Earth: Three Views of the Creation-Evolution Contoversy, edited by fellows John Mark Reynolds and J.P. Moreland. McGraw Hill solicited an expedited proposal from Meyer, Dembski and Nelson on their book Uncommmon Descent. Finally, Discovery Fellow Ed Larson has won the Pulitzer Prize for Summer for the Gods, his retelling of the Scopes Trial, and InterVarsity has just published his co-authored attack on assisted suicide, A Different Death. Academic Articles Our fellows recently have been featured or published articles in major sciendfic and academic journals in The Proceedings to the National Academy of Sciences, Nature, The Scientist, The American Biology Teacher, Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Biochemirtry, Philosophy and Biology, Faith & Philosophy, American Philosophical Quarterly, Rhetoric & Public Affairs, Analysis, Book & Culture, Ethics & Medicine, Zygon, Perspectives on Science and the Christian Faith, Relgious Studies, Christian Scholars' Review, The Southern Journal ofPhilosophy, and the Journal of Psychalogy and Theology. Many more such articles are now in press or awaiting review at major secular journals as a result of our first round of research fellowships. Our own journal, Origins & Design, continues to feature scholarly contribudons from CRSC Fellows and other scientists. Television and Radio Appearances During 1997 our fellows appeared on numerous radio programs (both Christian and secular) and five nationally televised programs, TechnoPolitics, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Inside the Law, Freedom Speaks, and Firing Line. The special edition of TechnoPolitics that we produced with PBS in November elicited such an unprecedented audience response that the producer Neil Freeman decided to air a second episode from the "out takes." His enthusiasm for our intellectual agenda helped stimulate a special edition of William F. Buckley's Firing Line, featuring Phillip Johnson and two of our fellows, Michael Behe and David Berlinski. At Ed Atsinger's invitation, Phil Johnson and Steve Meyer addressed Salem Communications' Talk Show Host conference in Dallas last November. As a result, Phil and Steve have been interviewed several times on Salem talk shows across the country. For example, in ]uly Steve Meyer and Mike Behe were interviewed for two hours on the nationally broadcast radio show ]anet Parshall's America. Canadian Public Radio (CBC) recently featured Steve Meyer on their Tapestry program. The episode, "God & the Scientists," has aired all across Canada. And in April, William Craig debated Oxford atheist Peter Atkins in Atlanta before a large audience (moderated by William F. Buckley), which was broadcast live via satellite link, local radio, and intenet "webcast." Newspaper and Magazine Articles The Firing Line debate generated positive press coverage for our movement in, of all places, The New York Times, as well as a column by Bill Buckley. In addition, our fellows have published recent articles & op-eds in both the secular and Christian press, including, for example, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Times, National Review, Commentary, Touchstone, The Detroit News, The Boston Review, The Seattle Post-lntelligenter, Christianity Toady, Cosmic Pursuits and World. An op-ed piece by Jonathan Wells and Steve Meyer is awaiting publication in the Washington Post. Their article criticizes the National Academy of Science book Teaching about Evolution for its selective and ideological presentation of scientific evidence. Similar articles are in the works.

Fair enough. Caffeine is psychotropic.

Thanks for resurrecting this thread, fellas. I thought it was going to die on the vine! Even though I'm ready to move back to the Bay Area, I'm actually kind of glad that all the grandparents are up there because the high-pitched baby talk extravaganza would be non-stop! I'm sure I'll find myself talking to her the same way I talk to my cat as long as she doesn't crap in the litter box, but in the wide open vistas of SoCal, I'd really like to keep the narration to a minimum. Any hot baby spots in LA, Otis? I'm just grateful that I can still have this for a back yard and still live in LA. (Ignore that toxic layer in the background.)

Don't forget about the "fact" that gods borrow each other's lawn furniture.

But seriously... that would have to be The Water Method of dissolving the energy gates, as taught by BK Frantzis.

Masturbation... the mental kind!

"Where are we taking this?"

Mucho gassho!

I completely relate, and your second sentence nails it. It's all about balance. I dealt with the same issues for most of my life. When I realized I needed another means of income, I got certified as a personal trainer and took a job in a gym. Only later did I realize that I was really in the beginning of my midlife crisis and just wanted a free gym membership and the opportunity to finally get the body I wanted. There is nothing more unbalancing, or destabilizing, as the feeling that your body has betrayed you, or can't support the aspirations of your soul. I would heartily encourage you to start working out. Since you're not going to get any bigger well after you get a lot stronger, you might as well learn everything you can about strength training first. "Power to the People" by Pavel Tsatsouline is your best bet, one of Men's Fitness' Mag's top ten fitness books of all time. Getting on a first name basis with deadlifts will do more for you than any other single lift. As you get stronger, your mind/muscle connection will grow. This will afford great advantages as you start to acquire your ability to feel your chi. The only stipulation is that you MUST maintain equilibrium between strength and flexibility. Strength training will only serve your mental and spiritual goals if you maintain the ability to RELAX. Another thing strength training does, well before you get that "magic look" is to lower your center of gravity. Most of us skinny folks, and certainly the bulk of westerners, live in our heads, because we're so disembodied. Once you start getting stronger, your center of gravity will descend into your belly and glutes. It's difficult to quantify but there is an incontrovertible difference between a man who lives in his head and a man who lives from his center. They move differently, even stand differently, and it will change your world and your entire life. "Relax Into Stretch" is another great resource by Pavel, and will teach you more about flexibility than most personal trainers ever know. A good yoga class on non-training days helps too. If you stick with this for 18 months you'll be a completely different person, and if you're still in the mood for body of your dreams, buy a copy of either "From Scrawny to Brawny" or "The New Rules of Lifting" and master the art of compound lifts. There was once a great deal of advice here in this forum against weight-training, for all kinds of reasons. I usually disagreed with most of it because you won't be working out hard-core for the rest of your life to incur all the alarming side effects. If your doing any nei kung or zhan zhuang, be sure to get a good four hours between routines. Remember, you have to have a healthy ego before you can learn to put it in its place. If you feel as disembodied as I once felt, you owe it to yourself to summon the power of your ego to get through this phase. Muscles are the badges of the soul, and no one can take that away from you. But don't be surprised if you center of gravity changes you well before you notice bulking muscles! All the best.

Ya know, that's a really good point. There will be Bums snorting lines off the tailgate, but I've posted a video on precisely how to make it and how much to drink. Whew! Thanks.

Non and bodyoflight, separated at birth!! Dude, I feel yer pain, but it's obvious to anyone over 30 that you couldn't get laid to save your life. I had my dry spell in my early 20s too, right after I quit drinking, and as soon as I got healthier, the sex flowed like beer. I did try to rationalize this era as a "spiritual" period, but when I got sucked in by a gorgeous 40 yr-old kindergarten teacher in Denver, the no-sex spirituality lost its appeal. Quickly.

Perhaps you've already purchased your copy, but since I haven't even seen it mentioned... The Second Brain: A Groundbreaking New Understanding of Nervous Disorders of the Stomach and Intestine by Michael Gershon - http://www.amazon.com/Second-Brain-Groundbreaking-Understanding-Disorders/dp/0060930721/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1304744092&sr=1-1-spell Anyone with IBS or just a chi junkie seeking out more anatomical insight into the function of the lower dantien will find this invaluable. Hope this helps.

Awe, shucks. Now I'm gonna hafta go out and find other sources of pretentiousness and spiritual egocentrism. Don't forget to send us a postcard from Atlantis!

Sheet for Brenz, my frenz. Sheet for Brenz!