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religion-is-a-mental-illness · 1 year

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By: Hugh Tomlinson

Published: Mar 1, 2023

The evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins has hit out at the New Zealand government for proposing to teach traditional Maori mythology as equal to modern science.

The government of the former prime minister Jacinda Ardern proposed adding Matauranga Maori, or “Ways of Knowing” to the science curriculum, provoking a furious row. The proposal was put forward by the ministry of education, led at the time by Chris Hipkins, who succeeded Ardern after her shock resignation in January.

In a letter to The Spectator, Dawkins, who has recently returned from a speaking tour of New Zealand, attacked the policy of equating Maori knowledge and religious beliefs, which date back to the 13th century and include creationism, with modern science.

Dawkins defended New Zealand scientists who had opposed the plan and faced censure and allegations of racism. A number of fellows at the New Zealand Royal Society, including Garth Cooper, a medal-winning biochemistry professor at the University of Auckland who is of Maori descent, resigned from the society last year.

Seven professors, including Cooper, wrote a letter titled “In defence of science” to the New Zealand Listener in 2021, acknowledging that Matauranga Maori should be taught in schools but should not be equated with modern science. The letter said that indigenous knowledge and beliefs were “critical for the preservation and perpetuation of culture and local practices” but that “in the discovery of empirical, universal truths, it falls far short of what we can define as science itself”.

Five Royal Society members reportedly complained that the letter had caused them “untold harm and hurt”.

“Perhaps the most disagreeable aspect of this sorry affair is the climate of fear,” Dawkins wrote, attacking the New Zealand government for “self-righteous virtue signalling”.

“New Zealand children will be taught the true wonder of DNA, while being simultaneously confused by the doctrine that all life throbs with a vital force conferred by the Earth Mother and the Sky Father,” he wrote. “Origin myths are haunting and poetic, but they belong elsewhere in the curriculum.”

The government has taken several steps to incorporate indigenous beliefs into government policy over recent years. In 2017, the Ardern administration granted legal personhood to the Whanganui River, closing one of New Zealand’s longest-running court battles. The Maori had campaigned for more than a century to secure legal protection for the river, and the ruling prompted other countries to grant legal rights to natural treasures.

Dawkins is a long-term critic of Matauranga Maori. In a 2021 letter to the Royal Society of New Zealand, he wrote: “Science classes are emphatically not the right place to teach scientific falsehoods. Creationism is still bollocks even if it is indigenous bollocks.”

[ Via: https://archive.is/TjzrP ]

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The argument being made here is that it's "unfair" or even "bigoted" to not grant indigenous myths and legends "equality" in the science classroom, to be given equal time and equal consideration with actual science. That they are entitled to access to the science classroom as a form of "inclusion," despite never being subject to - and indeed, declared immune from - the process of scientific checking.

It does this through manipulation and exploitation of egalitarian instincts. This is the same tactic the creationists adopted.

Thus the creationists began to portray themselves as an oppressed minority. “Under the present system . . . the student is being indoctrinated in a philosophy of secular humanism,” one typical creationist complained. “The authoritarianism of the medieval church has been replaced by the authoritarianism of rational materialism. Constitutional guarantees are violated and free scientific inquiry is stifled under this blanket of dogmatism.” That is what a fundamentalist Christian state education official in Arizona was getting at when he said that if parents tell their children that the earth is flat, teachers have no right to contradict them. No one has a right to impose his opinion on others—and the idea that humans evolved from earlier species is, the Christians said, ultimately just some people’s opinion.

-- Jonathan Rauch, "Kindly Inquisitors"

But neither creationism nor indigenous myths are entitled to inclusion in the science classroom. Because neither has been subjected to rigorous testing or disconfirmation, and are therefore not science. No matter what sort of emotional exploitation creationists and activists try to pull. The only thing any idea is entitled to inclusion in is submitting itself to the competitive and contentious process of scientific checking.

Unfortunately, while the former is being kept at bay, the latter has made significant inroads at corrupting scientific education and inquiry.

#Richard Dawkins #creationism #science #Maori mythology #New Zealand #corruption of science #corruption of knowledge #other ways of knowing #indigenous ways of knowing #not science vs science #Matauranga Maori #indigenous creationism #corruption of education #religion #religion is a mental illness

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lovely-v · 2 years

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I do genuinely believe that the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (and arguably the Zelda franchise as a whole, though i myself have played literally none of these games) is closer to fitting the description of ‘Tolkien-esque Fantasy’ than most other movies/shows/games/books etc that claim that label

Like, compare this post by tumblr user wufflesvetinari, which makes an important point about Tolkien’s worldbuilding, and also lives in my head rent free:

and then these quotes from Jacob Geller’s “Every Zelda is the Darkest Zelda”

and his conclusions about the messages in Zelda games are thematically very similar to the through-lines about friendship and love in LOTR, and what a lot of authors miss about what makes a fantasy story personal and memorable:

“A world without joy and humor isn’t a compelling world to fight for” is exactly why there are so many pieces of fantasy media out there that just feel like carbon copies of each other (i’ve seen many posts that explain this better than I can though I can’t find any specific ones at the moment, just know that I didn’t invent this thesis). You’ve got the cool swords, you’ve got the wizards and the spells and the battles, but first and foremost you need the LOVE.

#veesaysthings #thanks for attending my ted talk on this day #lord of the rings #tolkien #the legend of zelda #breath of the wild #again i've never played a zelda game in my life but Jacob Geller's video stuck with my like nothing else #i was hoping he'd draw parallels bc I was like omg! this is literally tolkien-esque! in the most literal non-corrupted sense of that phrase!#but he didn't bring it up (to my knowledge) so i'm doing it right here right now #long post

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reality-detective · 6 days

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🔥 Fire Forensic expert confirms what we already know... Like many recent fires around the world, the devastating Maui and California fires were intentionally ignited by direct energy weapons⚡️

These are courtesy of the WEF and our corrupt governments, that's City, State and Federal 🤔

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awesomecooperlove · 5 months

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tradingjack · 2 months

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how bout them apples

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ambrosiagourmet · 2 months

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Marcille didn’t use illegal magic to resurrect Falin bc she just loves Falin that much, she was able to resurrect Falin bc she already knew illegal magic bc she doesn’t respect elf cops.

#she literally majored in illegal magic #what Falin’s death pulled out of her was the willingness to reveal this to the group. imo.#it’s a very similar arc to Laios it’s about vulnerability. she doesn’t corrupt herself she reveals herself #not that it’s nothing that she does this for Falin. esp since a running theme in the early chapters for Marcille is knowledge vs action #she KNOWS how to do a lot of things but she hasn’t taken action on many of them. and she has already started to confront that #by the time they reach the dragon. her character arc doesn’t start there it starts w like. the mandrake #ANYWAY Falin is important I just think that framing it as like ‘look how far she’ll go this is FORBIDDEN’ kind of misses the point #that the elves and gnomes and dwarves have suppressed this knowledge. THEY have failed Marcille. they set her up for failure #don’t by into their lies!!! burying the truth isn’t helping! rah rah!

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constantly-deactivated · 1 year

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americankimchi · 2 months

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some days i think to myself about the wasted potential that was essek criticalrole and feel a headache form behind my eyes.

#personal #what do you MEAN that this EXTREMELY SHADY EXTREMELY AMORAL character turned into THAT #he committed TREASON to further his experimentation #he was the PRIME example of a wizard corrupted by his thirst for knowledge #he was on track to become such an interesting villain and he NEVER GOT THAT CHANCE #i'm not upset about his redemption arc. i enjoy a happy ending.#i just feel like he never got the chance to be anything else other than your friendly neighborhood uber driver #imagine his cover being blown and him deciding to put his foot down on the side of evil #how interesting that would've been #SIGHS......

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catgirlriya · 21 days

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thinks abt cassandra being brought back to find their wife is dead, being told that their death is what led to hers, and that they cant even talk about it. their singular saint ignores them while they grieve a partner they cannot speak of and has no idea. they found out their wife died and couldn't do or say anything about it.

#ri speaks #fhjy #fhjy spoilers #feeling crazy about them #NOT ONLY. does cassandra find out about their wife being dead #they have to sit and exist in the knowledge that she not only died but corrupted after losing cass

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omegaphilosophia · 7 months

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Unmasking the Actions of Corrupt Politicians: A Closer Look at Political Malpractice

Corrupt politicians engage in a wide range of unethical and illegal activities to maintain and expand their power, often at the expense of the public interest. Some common actions and behaviors associated with corrupt politicians include:

Bribery: Accepting money, gifts, or favors in exchange for political favors, such as favorable legislation or government contracts.

Embezzlement: Misappropriating public funds for personal use or diverting money intended for public programs.

Nepotism: Appointing or promoting family members and close associates to government positions, often without regard for their qualifications.

Cronyism: Favoring friends and allies in political appointments, regardless of their competence or suitability for the role.

Kickbacks: Receiving a portion of the funds from government contracts awarded to certain businesses or individuals.

Extortion: Using threats or coercion to obtain money or support for personal or political gain.

Money Laundering: Funneling ill-gotten gains through legitimate financial channels to conceal their origin.

Corrupt Campaign Financing: Accepting illegal campaign contributions or using campaign funds for personal expenses.

Obstruction of Justice: Interfering with investigations, destroying evidence, or intimidating witnesses to avoid accountability.

Vote Rigging: Manipulating election results through voter suppression, ballot stuffing, or other fraudulent means.

Abuse of Power: Using one's political position to harass, intimidate, or retaliate against perceived enemies or whistleblowers.

Influence Peddling: Selling access to government officials or decision-makers to private interests seeking favorable outcomes.

Gerrymandering: Manipulating electoral district boundaries to favor one's political party and ensure re-election.

Lobbying Malpractice: Engaging in unethical lobbying practices, such as misrepresenting facts or exerting undue influence on legislators.

Conflict of Interest: Failing to disclose or address personal financial interests that may compromise one's ability to make impartial decisions.

Corrupt politicians undermine the principles of democracy, erode public trust in government, and divert resources away from essential public services. It's crucial to combat corruption through transparency, accountability, and legal mechanisms to uphold the integrity of political systems.

#philosophy #knowledge #learning #education #chatgpt #ethics #politics #economics #Corruption #Political Ethics #Government Accountability #Bribery #Abuse of Power #Transparency #Democracy #Political Scandals #Public Trust #Accountability Measures

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philosophybits · 9 months

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So long as power alone is on one side, and knowledge and understanding alone on the other, the learned will seldom make great objects their study... and people will continue to be, as they are, mean, corrupt, and miserable.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on the Arts and Sciences

#philosophy #quotes #Jean-Jacques Rousseau #Discourse on the Arts and Sciences #power #knowledge #understanding #corruption #misery

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reality-detective · 30 days

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An alternate angle on the Francis Scott Key Bridge shows what appears to be a large explosion, which you can see 👀 from the other angles I posted. Something reeks like a possible Black Swan Event?

Does it seem like a barge bumping into a pillar would cause the whole bridge to collapse? 🤔

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awesomecooperlove · 6 months

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🇺🇸⚠️🇺🇸

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just-late-roman-republic-things · 3 months

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Graffiti and underage drinking are one thing, but if you really want to stick it to the authorities, read history books about the issues and conflicts your school doesn't cover.

#knowledge is power. power corrupts. study hard. be evil!#jlrrt speaks

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constantly-deactivated · 1 year

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Oops! Listen closely - You can hear her earpiece... picked up on the LiveStream.

Who is REALLY in charge here?? Who is feeding her lines at the podium??🤔

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andreai04 · 8 months

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“Everyone wants a purpose, but there is no purpose. There is only alive and not alive.”

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