Logical Positivism

Logical positivism is a philosophical standpoint, whereby you agree that there are two - and only two – ways of determining whether a statement is correct.

“You can verify them by empirical observation, the way that scientists do. Or you can verify them by logical analysis, the way that mathematicians do. Statements that can’t be verified either way are neither true nor false. They’re meaningless” – Gary Hayden in ‘You Kant make it up!’

This does appear to make sense, after all if you can’t prove something because you have no real evidence for it, and it can’t be empirically observed or logically analysed then you’ve made it up. There is no alternative.

According to the English philosopher A. J. Ayer (1910 – 1989), these statements merely express emotion and this is known as emotivism or, colloquially, as Boo-Hooray theory.

“If someone says ‘you ought to tell the truth’ she is not making a factual statement. She is merely expressing an emotional response to the idea of telling the truth, and perhaps trying to elicit a similar emotional response in her listeners. She is, in effect, saying ‘Truth telling – hooray!” – Gary Hayden in ‘You Kant make it up!’

All this basically means that moral judgements and ethical statements are meaningless. Are they all based around an evolved, working view imposed externally by society and only appear to be moral because that is what we’ve learnt growing up? Feel free to debate Logical Positivism in the comments below.

What is the biggest star in the universe?

I don't know actualy, since I haven't had the time to see them all. No-one has. But in case you were wondering, here is a scale animation of the largest star we have ever discovered. Hope you found it as amazing as I did :)

Philosophy is awkward

Don't get me wrong, I love philosophy because it's full of the most interesting and probably unaswerable questions that man kind has ever asked. But I find that the content of philosophy has a direct positive correlation with being REALLY awkward. For example this conversation with a teacher in RS:

"How do you know this room won't dissapear when you leave?"

"Because I can see it on CCTV at the office?"

"Yes, but that may just be an image created by your mind. Or it really could be this room, which reappears so that you can see it on CCTV"

"What if I took a picture of this room, then left... that way I would have physical proof that this room has existed"

"Yes, but it doesn't exist when you look away"

"Well if, as shown by fundamental laws of physics, matter and energy can neither be created nor destroyed; how can this room dissappear?" - Thought I'd sussed it.

"Because it's not made of matter, it's a figment of your imagination. You could be in a deep sleep, creating this entire universe and its laws subconciously"

By the way, this is how I remember it, but these aren't exact quotes (does it matter?)
So, as revenge for your well-planned and mind numbing point, I have an awkward question of my own!

"How do you know this question even exists?"

The AstroNetwork

So far, there are only four sites in the AstroNetwork, but it's growing and each site has lots of good content.

It inlcudes this site (my first blog), my weebly Astrosteve site, AstroSteve on Facebook, and TheAstroSteve on Youtube.

The list of links is under 'AstroNetwork' on my weebly site. Check it out!

http://astrosteve.weebly.com/index.html#/

STS-135 The final voyage

As everyone who's interested in this blog (and a lot of people who aren't) will know, Space shuttle Atlantis was the last ever manned shuttle, launched from pad 39A on the 8th of July, 2011. It reached a maximum altitude of 226km and provided the ISS with Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) Rafaello before landing for the final time on the 21st of July, 2011.

The crew consisted of Commander Christopher Feguson, Pilot Douglas Hurley, Mission Specialist Sandra Magnus and Mission Specialist Rex Walheim - the smallest crew since STS-6.

The mission marked:

• 166th (and the final currently planned) NASA manned space flight
• 135th shuttle mission since STS-1
• 33rd flight of Atlantis
• 3rd shuttle flight in 2011
• 37th shuttle mission to the ISS
• 110th post-Challenger mission
• 22nd post-Columbia mission
• 100th day launch
• 133rd landing overall, 78th at KSC, 26th night landing, 20th night landing at KSC

Find me on Youtube!

I have a Youtube channel now, called TheAstroSteve, and it's mainly about my opinions on atheism and theism at the moment, but I'll definitely make some videos about physics and general science soon. For example, this one about Gravity, the Big Bang and Genes http://www.youtube.com/user/TheAstroSteve?#p/u/11/DyydFDWOf-U

If you want some video content, from my usual personal lecture style videos to animations and slideshows about science, religion and philosophy then my channel's perfect for that.

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheAstroSteve

Science is not a religion

Unfortunately, I recently came across one the dumbest, most backwards minded theist I have ever seen on Youtube. This content may be intended to be satirical but it can fool alot of people and compelled me to rewrite his entire speech titled "Science is the dumbest religion" and here it is.

And here's my reply:

We don’t need a war on atheism, we need a war on theism! You are very badly misinformed and I can disprove any religious statement in this video. First of all, science is not a religion and I’m insulted that you think it is. Christianity is based on a single book, thousands of years old, scribbled by desert dwelling men, slightly misinterpreted by every generation after that and everything was written many years after the event occurred. Science is only science when it can be proven.

I’ve never seen anyone as backward in their opinions as you. “out-dated”, “irrelevant” and “deluded” are but a few of the words I could use to describe religion as a whole. Science does everything for you.

You wouldn’t have this computer if it weren’t for science. Or the satellites that maintain the internet. Or crisps with bags that are filled with hydrogen to prolong edible life as it was found to be an inert gas by science. And religion meanwhile has remained as stubborn and as useless as an old mule.

Do you assume that atheists worship  “so called fossils” Mr current? You obviously have a “blind worship” in that story book in your hands, after all that’s what faith is about. In addition this animal doesn’t seem to be run over, all the bones are intact. You keep making unjustifiable assumptions.

 You also call us “pathetic followers of the science cult”. WE have actual physical and provable evidence and YOU have an ancient misinterpreted literature, so don’t pass off this missing link as rubbish just because you don’t want to learn the truth.

Now why have you clung to the idea that it was run over? If humans are so intelligent why do many people get run over every day? Because its FASTER you deluded man. Faster beats slower you see or do you dismiss this because it makes sense as well? Checkmate Edward.

Those ‘opposable thumbs’ and ‘five fingers’ are there in the picture next to you. You can’t deny it and they contain traits of early primates and of humans. If you try to deny it, it shows how backward you really are.

I’ll tell you how a fossil with bones of a real long dead animal is different to someone wanting to see a figure of Jesus Christ up a dogs arse. Because those are real, physical, indisputable bones and the figure of Jesus is a coincidental and requires imagination.

So “totally proved” by your “infallible document of eternal truth” isn’t looking so likely now is it. How is that truth anyway? Would you like to put some physical evidence forward now or let science and common sense do all you work while religion moves the goalposts still further. Evolution is a myth? God is a myth.

That is the transitional form. Next to you in the video. So stop dismissing it you theist jerk. Long ago there were four elements because people were stupid. Too stupid to know everything instantly obviously, so in their in omniscience they made stories about gods all over the world. That’s why there are so many because they’re all made up.

 Ever wondered why all Hindu gods wear traditional Hindu dress but look nothing like other worldly inhabitants? Because they were made at a time when we didn’t even know how to travel around our own planet. Now we know about all chemical elements because we are smarter than that and earth, air, fire and water aren’t the same type of element.

There were always as many astral bodies as there are now in our solar system as we thought there were thousands of years ago. Telescopes weren’t very powerful when Galileo invented them, but since then (thanks to science and not religion) telescopes have become powerful enough to see very very deep into space. Pluto is still there it’s just not big enough to be classified as a planet.

Yes we can answer questions with absolute certainty, we just think them through and only say we know when we can prove it. Unlike religion. Science is not a religion for the last time, religion lies with faith and science uses facts and proof. Science should never pick a ‘story’ and stick to it because it isn’t a story, it’s our ever expanding and evolving knowledge of literally everything.

Look. Us scientists don’t really want to have to keep giving proof to you Christians (especially blind religious slaves like you) when you keep dismissing it because it may not fit with the bible. Well it doesn’t need to, religion needs to conform with what we have learned through science. And there won’t be “a fossil verifying that a rib turned into the world’s first mom” because that’s absurd. It doesn’t have all the right elements or enough mass to even form the body let alone operate as one.

So while you use that collection of fables as toilet paper to wipe your mouth, I hope you’ll come to realise that you must be living in a deluded theist bubble to believe all of this magical and romantical nonsense your spewing over youtube. Reminding YOU that religion is the dumbest lifestyle choice ever, this has been Astrosteve and I hope this was just a convincing parody because otherwise I’ve just burst that metaphorical bubble of insanity that your living in. Science is not a religion.