alwyn!
raffles junior college
08 08 '89
leo
star wars fan
Judoka





wishlist :

Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion by David Hume
The Road to Reality by Roger Penrose
The Fabric of Reality by David Deutsch
Matter and Consciousness by Paul Churchland
Consciousness Explained by Daniel Dennett
Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn
The Life of the Cosmos by Lee Smolin
Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan
The Sacred Balance by David Suzuki
Star Wars Legacy of the Force: Betrayal
Star Wars Legacy of the Force: Bloodlines
Star Wars Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice

Games:
Age of Wonders 2: The Wizard's Throne by Triumph Studios
Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic by Triumph Studios
Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood by Spellbound
Myth III: The Wolf Age by MumboJumbo
The Bard's Tale by InXile Entertainment
Dragon Age by Bioware
Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir by Obsidian Entertainment
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II

Places I'd Like to Visit:
Sweden
Switzerland
Italy
France
Thailand
Brazil
South Korea
Japan (again!)
Norway
Costa Rica

click for more =)

"When I became convinced that the Universe is natural that all the ghosts and gods are myths, there entered into my brain, into my soul, into every drop of my blood, the sense, the feeling, the joy of freedom. The walls of my prison crumbled and fell, the dungeon was flooded with light and all the bolts, and bars, and manacles became dust. I was no longer a servant, a serf, or a slave. There was for me no master in all the wide world, not even in infinite space. I was free.
free to think, to express my thoughts
free to live to my own ideal
free to live for myself and those I loved
free to use all my faculties, all my senses
free to spread imagination's wings
free to investigate, to guess and dream and hope
free to judge and determine for myself
free to reject all ignorant and cruel creeds, all the "inspired" books that savages have produced, and all the barbarous legends of the past
free from popes and priests
free from all the "called" and "set apart"
free from sanctified mistakes and holy lies
free from the fear of eternal pain
free from the winged monsters of night
free from devils, ghosts, and gods
For the first time I was free. There were no prohibited places in all the realms of my thought, no air, no space, where fancy could not spread her painted wings
no chains for my limbs
no lashes for my back
no fires for my flesh
no master's frown or threat
no following another's steps
no need to bow, or cringe, or crawl, or utter lying words.
I was free. I stood erect and fearlessly, joyously, faced all worlds. And then my heart was filled with gratitude, with thankfulness, and went out in love to all the heroes, the thinkers who gave their lives for the liberty of hand and brain for the freedom of labor and thought
to those who fell on the fierce fields of war
to those who died in dungeons bound with chains
to those who proudly mounted scaffold's stairs
to those whose bones were crushed, whose flesh was scarred and torn
to those by fire consumed
to all the wise, the good, the brave of every land, whose thoughts and deeds have given freedom to the sons of men.
And I vowed to grasp the torch that they had held, and hold it high, that light might conquer darkness still."
-Robert G. Ingersoll (1833-1899), "Why Am I An Agnostic?", 1896

Click to join Atheisthaven

We are part of the universe. Our earth was created from the universe and will one day be reabsorbed into the universe. We are made of the same matter as the universe. We are not in exile here: we are at home. It is here and nowhere else that we can see the divine face to face. If we erect barriers in our imagination - if we believe our real home is not here but in a land that lies beyond death - if we believe that the divine is found only in old books, or old buildings, or inside our head - then we will see this real, vibrant, luminous world as if through a glass darkly. The universe creates us, preserves us, destroys us. We are part of nature. Nature made us and at our death we will be reabsorbed into nature. We are at home in nature and in our bodies. This is where we belong; this is where we must find and make our paradise, not in some spirit world on the other side of the grave. If nature is the only paradise, then separation from nature is the only hell. When we destroy nature, we create hell on earth for other species and for ourselves. Nature is our mother, our home, our security, our peace, our past and our future. Science is inherently materialist. It always seek material explanations. It never accepts as an explanation that some spiritual force was at work - if it did, then science and technology would come to an end. Disease was once thought to be caused by witchcraft. Science gave it a material explanation which allowed us to control it. Magnetism at one time seemed like a spiritual force - Thales of Miletus thought that magnets were full of spirits. But then science provided a material explanation. In the same way scientific pantheism believes that everything that exists is matter or energy in one form or another. Nothing can exist, be perceived, or act on other things if it is not matter or energy. That does not mean that spiritual phenomena or forces cannot exist. It means that, if they do, they must in fact be material. In scientific pantheism, science becomes a part of the religious quest: the pursuit of deeper understanding of the Reality of which we are all part, deeper knowledge about the awe-inspiring cosmos in which we live, deeper knowledge of nature and the environment, so that we can better preserve the earth's wealth of natural diversity. In scientific pantheism, cognitive openness - listening to reality, to new evidence, to all the evidence, to other people's needs and feelings - becomes a sacred duty in all aspects of life from science to politics to domestic life. Of course, we cannot say that science endorses pantheism. Many religions today state their beliefs in ways that no-one can disprove, so they can and do co-exist with science. But scientific pantheism positively thrives on science. scientific discoveries continually underline the wonder and the mystery of Being, the immensity of the universe, and the complexity of nature.

blogger
violation**

the image was not made by violation**.

Monday, May 29, 2006

x-men 3 was so, so good. i can't remember when was the last time i watched a film that had such an effect on me. my goodness, the complimentary cathay ticket was definitely well spent.

and guys, if you're watching the movie, do remember to catch the part after the credits... i didn't. argh!

spacetime rip! by agent quantum , quite possibly at 5/29/2006 01:19:00 am :)



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Sunday, May 28, 2006

spacetime rip! by agent quantum , quite possibly at 5/28/2006 01:49:00 am :)



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Saturday, May 27, 2006

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion: You have medium extroversion. You're not the life of the party, but you do show up for the party. Sometimes you are full of energy and open to new social experiences. But you also need to hibernate and enjoy your "down time." Conscientiousness: You have medium conscientiousness. You're generally good at balancing work and play. When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done. But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it. Agreeableness: You have high agreeableness. You are easy to get along with, and you value harmony highly. Helpful and generous, you are willing to compromise with almost anyone. You give people the benefit of the doubt and don't mind giving someone a second chance. Neuroticism: You have low neuroticism. You are very emotionally stable and mentally together. Only the greatest setbacks upset you, and you bounce back quickly. Overall, you are typically calm and relaxed - making others feel secure. Openness to experience: Your openness to new experiences is high. In life, you tend to be an early adopter of all new things and ideas. You'll try almost anything interesting, and you're constantly pushing your own limits. A great connoisseir of art and beauty, you can find the positive side of almost anything.

spacetime rip! by agent quantum , quite possibly at 5/27/2006 10:40:00 pm :)



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Friday, May 26, 2006

And if, I should ever go away
Well then close your eyes, and try
To feel the way we do today
And then if you can remember

Keep smiling, keep shining
Knowing you can always count on me, for sure
That's what friends are for
For good times, and bad times
I'll be on your side forever more
That's what friends are for

Well, you came and opened me
And now there's so much more I see
And so by the way, I thank you

Oh and then, for the times when we're apart
Well then close your eyes and know
These words are coming from my heart
And then if you can remember

Keep smiling, keep shining
Knowing you can always count on me, for sure
'Cause I tell you that's what friends are for
For good times, and bad times
I'll be on your side forever more
That's what friends are for

On me, for sure
That's what friends are for
Keep smiling, keep shining..

spacetime rip! by agent quantum , quite possibly at 5/26/2006 04:57:00 pm :)



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Thursday, May 25, 2006

I too can see the stars on a desert night, and feel them. But do I see less or more? The vastness of the heavens stretches my imagination -- stuck on this carousel my little eye can catch one million year old light... What is the pattern, or the meaning, or the why? It does not do harm to the mystery to know a little about it. For far more marvelous is the truth than any artists of the past imagined! Why do the poets of the present not speak of it? What men are poets who can
speak of Jupiter as if he were like a man, but if he is an immense spinning sphere of methane and ammonia must be silent?

spacetime rip! by agent quantum , quite possibly at 5/25/2006 10:47:00 pm :)



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Friday, May 19, 2006

You packed in the morning, and I
Stared out the window, and I
Struggled for something to say
You left in the rain without closing the door
I didn't stand in your way

spacetime rip! by agent quantum , quite possibly at 5/19/2006 12:52:00 am :)



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Tuesday, May 16, 2006

It's pretty amazing how this book sypnosis is able to encapsulate the strongest of arguments against Intelligent Design in just one simple paragraph.

Life is wonderful—in the sense that, it's a wonder we're here. According to Leonard Susskind, if any one of the laws of physics were just a tad off, life as we understand it would be impossible. Like his colleagues, the eminent string theorist once believed that the theory would uniquely describe our Universe's physical values. But recent developments have led him to subscribe to the idea of a mathematical “Landscape” comprising 10⁵⁰⁰ different universes, each with its own physical laws. The slightest variation, he says, and no life could arise. But rather than pointing to a universal Designer, it seems to show that we just happen to have evolved in one of those 10⁵⁰⁰ universes that support life. For science readers and thinkers eager to be challenged by a new paradigm, The Cosmic Landscape offers a controversial new perspective on modern physics. Illustrations. (Approx. 320 pp.) 2005.

spacetime rip! by agent quantum , quite possibly at 5/16/2006 08:50:00 pm :)



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Friday, May 12, 2006

Everybody's looking for that something
One thing that makes it all complete
You'll find it in the strangest places
Places you never knew it could be
Some find it in the face of their children
Some find it in their lover's eyes
Who can deny the joy it brings
When you've found that special thing
You're flying without wings

Some find it sharing every morning
Some in their solitary lives
You'll find it in the words of others
a simple line can make you laugh or cry
You'll find it in the deepest friendship
The kind you cherish all your life
and when you know how much that means
You've found that special thing
You're flying without wings

So impossible
as they may seem
You've got to fight
for every dream
'cause who's to know
which one you let go
would've made you complete

Well, for me it's waking up beside you
To watch the sunrise on your face
To know that I can say I love you
At any given time or place
It's the little things that only I know

Those are the things that make you mine
And it's like flying without wings
'Cause you're my special thing
I'm flying without wings

And you're the place my life begins
and you'll be where it ends
I'm flying without wings
And that's the joy you bring

I'm flying without wings

spacetime rip! by agent quantum , quite possibly at 5/12/2006 08:10:00 pm :)



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Wednesday, May 10, 2006

i seem to be very adept at losing things.
or forgetting where i put them.
can't find my (incomplete) physics mock spa report.
bah.

spacetime rip! by agent quantum , quite possibly at 5/10/2006 11:49:00 pm :)



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Monday, May 08, 2006

In reading page 10 of The Republic of Plato, I seem to have become hopelessly confused over Socrates' and Polemarchus' interpretation of Simonides' definition of "justice", and as such I have decided to take a departure from the reading of their as-yet senseless ramblings, simply adopt the definition provided by Simonides based on what I already know, and see if I can come up with my own understanding of what he actually meant.

Firstly, let us start off with definitions.

Good: That which does no harm in any conceivable form, for it is not possible to know whether something can be truly harmless or truly "good". However, according to what has transpired amongst Cephalus, Socrates and Polemarchus, justice is something to be upheld, and is necessarily good. I shall have to assume that this implies that the execution of justice does no net harm; when body A exerts harm onto body B, body B should exert an equal and opposite harm onto body A. No net harm results that can be transferred unequally onto each and other bodies. As such, justice shall be considered as a proper subset of Good.
Bad: That which does net harm in any conceivable form.

Friend: A person who, at the time of reference, has not done bad things unto oneself.
Enemy: A person who, at the time of reference, has done bad things unto oneself.

Simonides' definition of Justice: To give back whatever is owed, encompassing good or bad acts, just or unjust acts.

To be Just:
-to give back to friends what is owed; what is in your possession that is theirs-- the friend which has bestowed one with good acts shall be bestowed with good acts in turn.
-to give back to enemies what is owed, what is in your possession that is theirs-- the enemy which has bestowed one with bad acts shall be bestowed with bad acts in turn.
Generic form-- the person which has bestowed one with acts good or bad, just or unjust, shall be equally bestowed in return.

To be Unjust:
-to NOT give back a friend or enemy the good/bad/just/unjust things that they have hitherto bestowed upon you. Whether this has to be necessarily good or bad remains to be seen.

To illustrate,
Consider Case 1: When a friend repays you money that you have given to him, he is being just and therefore good, and it is just to repay his just and good act with something equally just and good.
Consider Case 2: When a person repays you hurt that you have given to him, he is being just and therefore good, and it is just to repay his just and good act with something equally just and good.

Now let us consider the resultant good and bad implications of exercising justice on these two cases.
In Case 1, you have first done something neither just nor unjust, but good, in giving your friend money, and your friend, in performing an act of justice, repays you the good by returning you the money. His act of justice is necessarily good.
In Case 2, you have first done something neither just nor unjust, but bad, in giving your victim (for he cannot be your enemy if he has not done bad things to you first) hurt, and your victim, in performing an act of justice, repays you the bad by returning you the hurt. His act of justice is necessarily good, and it can be said to remedy the hurt that you have caused to him in the first place, bringing about no net gain or loss in goodness.

We can see that at this stage, the exercise of justice brings about goodness if we are to accept that justice is good. Now let us consider the further implications the exercise of justice has on these two cases.
In Case 1, your friend doing a good act of justice to you should make you repay the goodness by doing something good back to him in turn.
In Case 2, your enemy doing a good act of justice to you should make you repay the goodness by doing something good back to him in turn. of course, if one commits another act of justice whereby one returns whatever unreturned hurt that he might have caused to you in the past, that could be considered as good as well, since it is just. but in the case described, you were the one who started it, so "returning the hurt" cannot apply here.

We can see that at this stage, the exercise of justice brings about further goodness when one gives back something good to the person who has treated one justly. As such, it is safe to conclude that when justice is upheld, goodness is a necessary result.

Now let us consider unjust acts.
In Case 1, if your friend does not repay the good that you have given him, then he is unjust. Even in this unjust situation, however, goodness is still obtained, as your friend benefits and you are not harmed anyway. However, if he does justly return the good back to you and you do not return the goodness of his just act back to him in turn, then you are unjust. In this situation, goodness again still results regardless of whether or not you are just, because you benefit and no harm comes to your friend. We can see that in the absence of justice, even if your friend, or you, are unjust in not returning the good imparted upon him by the other, goodness still results. Justice in this case is irrelevant to the bringing about of goodness.
In Case 2, if your victim does not repay the hurt that you have given him, then he is unjust. However, if he does justly return the hurt back to you and you do not return the goodness of his just act back to him in turn, then you are unjust. We can see that in the absence of justice; i.e. your victim does not return the hurt, then at that stage no goodness results, for the victim has suffered hurt, which is a bad thing and indicates a loss in goodness. At the second stage, if you do not repay your victim's just act of retribution with an act of goodness, then once again, no goodness can result, and you might still go on to cause hurt to others, having no need to perform the acts of good necessitated by the exercise of justice, which would further increase this loss in goodness.

From the above two cases, we can understand that even if justice were to not exist, it is still possible for good to happen if people were to just give others goodness, receiving nothing in return. However, if people were to cause hurt to others in the absence of justice, then a loss in goodness would result if nothing were there to stop the hurters from causing hurt, or to stop the hurt from hurting. Without justice, and in the absence of any other external factors, this appears to me to be the one reason for justice to exist-- to make sure that the one who causes hurt to the victim must end up being hurt in return, and must also erase the damage initially done by doing good to the victim, such that there is ultimately still a gain in goodness.

We can readily see how justice carries out this function of "stopping the hurters from causing hurt, and stopping the hurt from hurting" in our modern day system of justice-- the legal system. Person A hurts Person B, Person B returns the favour by suing Person A, Person A is forced to do good by compensating Person B in damages. Person B's hurt is remedied both by his suing of Person A as well as the compensation received from Person A, whereas Person A is hurt in turn both by being sued as well as by having to compensate for the hurt that he has caused.

Ah! Now I think I understand Simonides... however, I still do not think that justice is absolutely necessary, or that it is the best safeguard in stopping the hurters from causing hurt, or in stopping the hurt from hurting. Perhaps there could exist an alternative method.. a nicer method, preferably one that does not involve the hurter being hurt in turn. This would of course, drastically reduce the amount of hurt that has to necessarily occur as a by-product of the preservation of goodness. But that would be another topic for another time.. we'll see.

spacetime rip! by agent quantum , quite possibly at 5/08/2006 09:59:00 pm :)



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