Got formula?

This is a little late for any Londoners out there, but Edge had a collaboration with the Serpentine Gallery that debuted last weekend. It’s a collection of scientists’ and technologists’ and artists’ answers to the question, “What is your formula? Your equation? Your algorithm?” All of the answers are on display at the site now, so have a browse. There’s a little bit of everything, from obvious truisms (like mine) to detailed, specific formulae, to weird guesses, to stuff that is outright crazy, but nobody said exactly the same thing (which is probably a reasonable outcome from Pinker’s equation, if nothing else).

So…what’s your formula, equation, algorithm?

Atheism as grand oedipal symbolic act

I’ve read a lot of wacky reviews of Dawkins’ book, but this is so absurd I nearly choked on my coke. How about a Freudian psychoanalysis of Dawkins?

The analysis? Dawkins’ atheism is grounded in a psychological murder of the God/Father…For Dawkins, the Oedipal counter-current manifests itself not in hearing divine voices but in an unquestioning commitment to a new paternal figure/institution, namely modern science (note the element of trust in science that is necessary to make this commitment, since science alone does not disprove God/murder the Father, only makes God’s existence/Father’s survival improbable). Science is Dawkin’s adoptive Father figure now that he has done away with the old one.

Dawkins needs to write more about squid to give these fellows more fun.

Devil’s Breath? Moi?

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People often complain that I’m too mild-mannered in my personal appearances — that they want a real fire-breather. Well, my solution arrived as a gift in the mail today: a selection of fine fire-breathing aids from
Chilestuff.com, including a spectacularly vivid t-shirt with that appropriate logo on it. Next talk I give, you should sit in the back row.

Alas, this might make Skatje cry. She likes her food bland, but I’m going to have to sneak a little of the chile relish or the hot sauce into pale, tasteless, limp food — and then she’ll look like the picture!

DonorsChoose reminder

Hey, the freethinkers are doing well with the DonorsChoose challenge to support school teachers. We’re still a bit shy of our final goal, so if you want to help show that we godless folk can be charitable, loosen those wallets and kick in a few bucks.

And if you don’t like my chosen proposals, or you’d rather not back an openly and proudly god-free endorsement, browse the leaderboard and pick one of those other sciencebloggers’choices. They’re all good. Maybe not as good as mine, but they’re trying.