(September 30, 2015 at 6:44 pm)Alex K Wrote: I would definitely recommend reading Origin because I have enjoyed it a lot myself, but I still would not recommend it as the first contact with Evolution. Darwin in hindsight had a very diffuse idea and misconceptions about inheritance that are needlessly confusing, and I therefore think one should first get a rough idea about the modern perspective before reading him.
An excellent point. Not a good starter-manual. Great for its day, and got a shocking amount of stuff right, given what he didn't know (Mendelian genetics, for instance), but some of the guesses are off and some of the explanations are needlessly convoluted because of this factor. Great for 1859, not so great for 2015. No matter how much I enjoy Newton's book about physics, I'm not going to use it as a guide to understanding quantum mechanics.
Still, both are worth reading, after you've got the basics down.
A Christian told me: if you were saved you cant lose your salvation. you're sealed with the Holy Ghost
I replied: Can I refuse? Because I find the entire concept of vicarious blood sacrifice atonement to be morally abhorrent, the concept of holding flawed creatures permanently accountable for social misbehaviors and thought crimes to be morally abhorrent, and the concept of calling something "free" when it comes with the strings of subjugation and obedience perhaps the most morally abhorrent of all... and that's without even going into the history of justifying genocide, slavery, rape, misogyny, religious intolerance, and suppression of free speech which has been attributed by your own scriptures to your deity. I want a refund. I would burn happily rather than serve the monster you profess to love.
I replied: Can I refuse? Because I find the entire concept of vicarious blood sacrifice atonement to be morally abhorrent, the concept of holding flawed creatures permanently accountable for social misbehaviors and thought crimes to be morally abhorrent, and the concept of calling something "free" when it comes with the strings of subjugation and obedience perhaps the most morally abhorrent of all... and that's without even going into the history of justifying genocide, slavery, rape, misogyny, religious intolerance, and suppression of free speech which has been attributed by your own scriptures to your deity. I want a refund. I would burn happily rather than serve the monster you profess to love.
