Jen Phillips's Page

Greetings, Jen! I notice you haven't been active at Atheist Nexus lately. <sigh> Sometimes it can seem a bit fragmented, with different groups for every interest. Please consider a group for socializing, where we talk about whatever's on our minds, Hang With Friends. :D You might feel more at home.

Hi again. Hope you are having fun. I just made a post on my blog about evolution. It is called Life part I. Actually it was a philosophical rambling about the nature of intelligence but it relates. I would love it if you could take a look and tell me if A. I am the genius I think I am and should have studied biology(or philosophy). B. I am just saying things everyone knows, duh. or C. I am completely wrong and should hang my head in shame.

Thanks
unless it is C
then OK but not thanks.

Hi Jen. I was reading God is not great today and I came upon a piece of information that it was a study at the University of Oregon that debunked irreducible complexity. I immediately felt a completely unwarranted sense of pride in this information. Obviously I had nothing to do with it but still civic pride gave me a lift. Out of gratitude I want to bestow praise on those responsible.

If you were a participant in this research then good for you, great job, and thank you. If you were not would you please pass on my praise and good wishes to those who were.

It is a very fun coincidence about our kids being so well matched. especially with us being so close in age as well. I normally feel and act young but when I really think about the fact that I am the father of a nine year old it makes me wonder where all the time has went.

I have recently read some articles on antivacinationists. They are scary. I think they are far more dangerous than creationists. It is just so silly. I had heard something about a supposed autism link about the time my daughter was due for her shots. It took me a half hour to find and review the evidence on both sides, decide it was a myth and move on. I am not a biologist or medical doctor, just a guy with a brain. I don't understand how people can psyche themselves up to believe things for which there is no real evidence.

I know exactly what you mean about science being humbling. I have been educating myself lately and there is just so much. I start studying physics then that takes me to astronomy, and then math then back to physics and etc. This is fun for me but it does bring home how little I know and how little anyone can know. It makes me wonder at how some of the creationists I talk to can be so confident in their "science".

I am no scientist, I am a dabbler but a devoted one. What I am is a philosopher who philosophizes about science. I think how things should work and then apply logic to the problem. I am not trying to prove anything to anyone except myself, but I insist that whatever I conclude can not conflict with science. It doesn't have to be proven or provable necessarily but I try to make sure it is consistent with what is known. This requires a lot of knowledge on my part. Which I often lack.

Lately I have been playing with a solution for the problem of infinite regression in an eternal universe. I have a nice piece about it on my blog. I am unsatisfied with the idea that space/time began along with the universe. I know that is the popular speculation with real physicists but it is unsatisfying. It is one thing to say there was nothing before the beginning of the universe, it is entirely another to make the brain accept it. Such ideas work out fine mathematically but intellectually it is just a dodge. You still wonder what came before.

I also have some offbeat ideas about evolution and mutation that I am going to play with eventually but I have some study to do first. I am much more confident with physics than biology right now.

The nice thing about philosophy over science is that I don't have to be cautious about my arguments. I can just dash things off and dare people to refute them. :) I get to indulge my arrogance just like the religious types. I don't get the certainty though. I am never certain, as soon as I think I have something figured out I start tearing down my own theories.

Well I should go before this comment fills up a few gigabytes.

Have fun with your vacation.
Be safe.
Derrick

Good to hear from you too. Have fun with the mouse. We missed our trip this year, we are feeling the economy a bit. Hopefully we will get to go next year. Hope your daughter is well glad she enjoys telling her story my kids are like that too. My son is also six but he isn't my accident prone one, my nine year old is the one who gets the bumps and bruises.

This time she tripped on a shoelace and broke her wrist. poor kid. fortunately her cast will be off before summer. She has camp, horseback riding, swimming lessons, and a dance recital that would all be tough in a cast. Usually her accidents are less drastic, but she is always skinning knees and bonking her head.

Hi Jen I haven't been checking Atheist Nexus much. I have been busy with a variety of stuff. Especially now that the weather is good I've been enjoying the good parts of Eugene and walking the trails with the kids. How are you?

I started a Blog a while back. If you are interested it is here Dead Ryks Underground It is a little random. I've been talking mostly atheism lately because that is where my brain has been but I talk a little science and some stuff I just want to say. I hope it is fun for someone besides me. A few people follow it.

Sounds great. I sent them an Email with my info. I'm not sure how I could help but I would like to. I have some Atheist friends on myspace as well and will spread the word.

Next birthday bumps me up an age category. I just turned 40. The old reference is more about how I feel than my years. At 39 I had a physical and my Dr. told me I was in great health, had the heart of a thirty year old etc. This year I got cholesterol/blood pressure meds. So I am a little self pitying.
Not much though, this is track town USA and my daughter and I have started running together, so that should fix me right up.

Not being a biologist helps on comforts blog. I know my evolution well enough to defend any position I take there, but not so much that I will suffer a fatal overdose from the ambient stupidity.

....I'm speechless.

To think she was once on birth control, she needs to start taking those daily little pills again. If god really wants them to have more babies then birth control won't really matter.