Specter of Reason

There are different ways of being an atheist or an agnostic. A person can be agnostic in the sense that they don’t believe in the supernatural, but think that it might really exist. Or, a person can be an agnostic in the sense that they believe in some kind of supernatural realm, just not any described by the world’s religions. Most atheists say they just don't believe in God. These atheists can also be called agnostics. For example, well-known atheists Daniel Dennett and Richard Dawkins say they are “teapot agnostics,” which is a reference to one of Bertrand Russell's ideas (found in his essay, " Is There a God? "). The idea is that we cannot prove that there isn’t a teapot revolving around the sun in an elliptical orbit somewhere between Earth and Mars--a teapot so small it could not "be revealed even by our most powerful telescopes." Russell continues: " But if I were to go on to say that, since my assertion cannot be disproved, it is intolera...

I liked a few things about the latest Batman movie, but I have some serious issues with it. The best part of the movie was Heath Ledger. He was brilliant and chilling, and brought a memorable level of intensity to the film. I commented on a friend's blog about how Ledger topped Nicholson's Joker. I should qualify that. This was a totally different film, not nearly as cartoonish as Tim Burton's vision. Nicholson was absolutely perfect in his role, and Ledger was perfect in his. Neither one's performance would have worked in the other's film. Anyway, the Joker wasn't the scariest character in this film. That honor goes to Gotham's mayor, played by Nestor Carbonell (a.k.a. Bat Manuel). What was with all that eyeliner? I was half-expecting him to come out as a Rocky Horror fanatic halfway through the movie. Okay, seriously, I have some major qualms with The Dark Knight . It could have been a profoundly unsettling and challenging movie. Instead, it pan...