Making time

Hmm... Haven't managed to post as much as I would like. I guess I'm being too conscientious with my PhD work! Or maybe it's just less effort to read other people's blogs...

Stay tuned for some musings on feminism, scepticism and Calvinism, hopefully coming soon!

Counterfactuals

Would the 'Galileo Affair' have happened if:

• Galileo hadn't offended the Pope?
• Cardinal Bellarmine had died before 1616?
• Cardinal Bellarmine had been around for the 1633 trial?

Revisiting the Book Meme

It's amazing how much time some people have. At this blog here, a guy called Kevin has gone through the answers 275 people gave to the book meme, and has come up with a list of the books that received the most positive comments. He also looked at which books were mentioned by a number of people as books they wish hadn't been written. This list included Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life, though at least two people had rated that positively...

Oh, and he also lists all the people whose answers he looked at, including me! (Hurrah! I'm famous in the blogosphere!) Wonder how he found them all?

Baby Got Book

Who remembers Sir Mix-A-Lot's 'Baby Got Back' from some time back in the 90s? Well, here is a hilarious Christian remake, performed at the Narwee Baptist Church Young Adults Christmas in July dinner, which unfortunately I missed because I was in Cambridge. Poor me.

Anyway, check out the Narwee version here.

Then check out the original version here. And the lyrics are here.

Enjoy!!

Creation and Evolution

If you happen to be a 'creation scientist' (or something of that kind) and have read this far, may I politely suggest that you put this book back on the shelf. It will do you no good. Evolution is true, it happens, it is the way the world it, and we too are one of its products. This does not mean that evolution does not have metaphysical implications; I remain convinced that this is the case. To deny, however, the reality of evolution and more seriously to distort deliberately the scientific evidence of fundamentalist tenets is inadmissible.

Simon Conway Morris, Life's Solution: Inevitable Humans in a Lonely Universe, p. xv.

Galileo

Everything you believe about Galileo is false!

David C. Lindberg, Faraday Summer Course, 2006

Creation or Multiverses?

Surely the conjecture that there is just one universe and its Creator is infinitely simpler and easier to believe than that there are countless billions upon billions of worlds, constantly increasing in number and created by nobody. I can only marvel at the low state to which today's philosophy of science has fallen.

Martin Gardner, Are Universes Thicker than Blackberries? p. 9.

Science as apologetics?

"We don't proclaim our faith on the basis of the evolution of the sabre-tooth cat."

Simon Conway Morris, Faraday Summer Course, July 2006

Oops!

I went down the the UNSW bookshop to buy two books... but ended up with four. Those stands of new books facing the door are a very sneaky strategy to boost sales. Must learn to resist temptation...

These are the four books:

1. Boris Akunin, Pelagia and the White Bulldog.

Akunin's last Erast Fandorin mystery was rather disappointing, so I'm hoping that this 'Sister Pelagia' series will be better. I like a good crime novel, but John Grisham now seems to be writing moral fables, Kathy Reich's keeps copying Patricia Cornwell's plots, and I wonder about some crime authors - what kind of minds can come up with that kind of evil and brutality? And Patricia Cornwell is just too mean to poor Kay Scarpetta.

2. Andrew Drummond, A Handbook of Volapuk.

Battles over universal languages. I wonder if John Wilkins will get a mention? Speaking of universal languages, I saw a book on Amazon which looks interesting - Philosophical Languages in the Seventeenth Century: Dalgarno, Wilkins, Leibniz. Unfortunately, it's US$164.00, so I won't be buying it. Not today, anyway...

3. Marisha Pessl, Special Topics in Calamity Physics.

A coming-of-age murder mystery set around a Great Books course.

4. Simon Conway Morris, Life's Solution: Inevitable Humans in a Lonely Universe.

I heard Simon Conway Morris speak at Cambridge, and apart from being very entertaining to watch and listen to, he had some fascinating ideas that I'd never come across before. To put it simply, Conway Morris is suggesting that evolution has direction and a destination - intelligent, human-like creatures. So, even if the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs had missed the earth, something like us would still have evolved. And if there is life elsewhere in the universe, it is more likely to be similar to us than different. More on this once I've read the book. Don't hold your breath, though. I've got piles of unread books at home!

What are you going to do when you grow up?

This morning when I was waiting for my bagel to be toasted, the girl in the shop asked if I was heading to class. I told her that I'm doing a PhD, so I do research.

"PhD? What does that mean?"

"Doctor of Philosophy... but I'm doing it in the history of science."

"History of science? That sounds exciting."

"Well, I think it is."

"So what are you going to do when you grow up?"

"I'm hoping to stay in universities - be an academic."

"So you love learning?"

"Yes... and teaching."

"Oh, that's beautiful!"

I know I look young, but I'm sure that she couldn't have been any older. And I'd like to think that I'm already grown up! At least a little bit... But being asked questions like this is one of the downsides of being a PhD student. Usually the question is "What does that qualify you to do?" I find that a bit hard to answer. I think it comes from a rather vocational view of education, which I don't necessarily subscribe to. I'm all in favour of education for its own sake - learning for the sheer joy of learning. It's not just about learning 'facts' (if indeed there are such things). Education teaches people how to reason and think critically.

So what will my PhD qualify me to do? Think. And reason. And rip illogical or unfounded arguments to shreds.

With the teaching experience I'm gaining at the moment, and the publications that will hopefully happen sometime in the near future, I might one day be qualified for a real ('tenure track', if I leave Oz) academic position! And then I can continue researching and publishing in order to keep my position, and supervise more students to perpetuate the cycle!

Cracking up

While I had a wonderful time in Paris, I did feel that Dan Brown had ruined my experience, just a bit. Everywhere I went, I saw pyramids, and chalices, and rose windows. I barely saw anything that didn't make me think of The Da Vinci Code.

On our second day in Paris, Katrina and I visited the Louvre. We got there early, and made a beeline for the Mona Lisa so we could see it without too much of a crowd. It's not a very big painting, but I already knew that, so it wasn't a disappointment. Her eyes really do follow you around, too. Fortunately for Katrina, I managed to resist the urge to scream "I've cracked the code!" I was careful to notice that the perspective was painted differently on either side, which is supposed to make one side of her appear larger, thus emphasising the sacred feminine. Or so Dan Brown says. But he's an expert on these things, right?

The Louvre is a massive museum. I get museum fatigue rather quickly, and just looking at the size of the building made me feel tired! Katrina and I split up and wandered for about 3 hours before meeting for lunch. That would have been enough for me, but Katrina seemed determined to at least walk through every room in the museum. Unfortunately, I managed to misplace my ticket after lunch, so I couldn't get back in. I wasn't prepared to pay another 8 euros to buy another ticket, so I went for a wander in the Jardin de Tuileries.

The Louvre was certainly worth visiting, but I think that if I ever go back to Paris, I'll go at a time when there are less tourists, like the middle of winter. And I'll make sure I'm over my jet lag, so I can appreciate it more.

One book (to rule them all?)

Tagged by my brother Tim.

1. One book that changed your life:
Unnatural Enemies by Kirsten Birkett was quite influential in my decision to switch from Medical Science to History and Philosophy of Science, so I guess without it I would be an unhappy, failing medical student!

2. One book that you’ve read more than once:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

3. One book you’d want on a desert island:
SAS Survival Handbook: How to Survive in the Wild, in Any Climate, on Land or at Sea by John 'Lofty' Wiseman

4. One book that made you laugh:
How to Create a Flawless Universe In Just Eight Days by Godfather Publications

5. One book that made you cry:
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Shouldn't have been surprised, I guess.

6. One book that you wish had been written:
The Princess Bride by S. Morgenstern. As mentioned in The Princess Bride by William Goldman.

7. One book that you wish had never been written:
Wish by Peter Goldsworthy

8. One book you’re currently reading:
An Instance of the Fingerpost by Ian Pears. History of Science fiction set in Restoration Oxford. How fantastic is that?!

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read:
Prophets Facing Backward: Postmodern Critiques of Science and Hindu Nationalism in India
by Meera Nanda

10. Now tag five people:
Hmm... Not too many people with blogs who read this. Nick, Tim G, Karen (but she's probably already done this...)

La Tour Eiffel

22 Eiffel Tower, originally uploaded by Larakate.

Here's a picture of the Eiffel Tower that I took on my first night in Paris. Katrina and I were staying in a hotel quite close to the Eiffel Tower, which was very convenient. I had quite a long nap in the afternoon, after flying into Paris at 6am that morning and going on a 3-hour walking tour. We managed to climb the tower though, as far as we were able to. We stayed to watch the sunset, although it was a little too hazy. After this we found a restaurant with snails and a very rude waiter. I guess that's something that needs to be experienced once in Paris!

Leaving the blogsphere

Dear all,

Sadly, the time has come for me to sign off from here for good. I have many things on my plate this year - church, PhD, work, study, CASE - and I need to carefully prioritise my time. While I've enjoyed writing this blog and meeting some interesting people in the blogosphere, I don't have enough time to keep it up. My posts have been few and far-between lately, though I have kept this up longer than any other traditional journals I've tried keeping!

Anyway, I'm sure I'll see people around. It's a very small world in Christian circles!

Lara

Pieces of me

I hope that no one minds me quoting from someone who is related to Jessica Simpson, but sometimes the words that describe how we feel come from the most unlikely sources. Well, in this case, it's not actually how I feel, but something I would love to have.

On a Monday I am waiting
Tuesday, I am fading
And by Wednesday, I can't sleep
Then the phone rings, I hear you
And the darkness is a clear view
Cause you’ve come to rescue me

Fall, with you I fall so fast
I can hardly catch my breath
I hope it lasts

Oh, it seems like I can finally
Rest my head on something real
I like the way that feels
Oh, it's as if you know me better
Than I ever knew myself
I love how you can tell
All the pieces, pieces, pieces of me
All the pieces, pieces, pieces of me

I am moody and messy
I get restless and it's senseless
How you never seem to care
When I'm angry, you listen
Make me happy, it's your mission
And you won't stop till I'm there

Fall, sometimes I fall so fast
When I hit that bottom crash
You're all I have

How do you know
Everything I'm about to say
Am I that obvious?
And if it's written on my face
I hope it never goes away
Yeah!

On a Monday I am waiting
And by Tuesday I am fading
Into your arms
So I can breathe

Oh, it seems like I can finally
Rest my head on something real
I like the way that feels
Oh, it's as if you know me better
Than I ever knew myself
I love how you can tell
All the pieces, pieces, pieces of me
All the Pieces, pieces, pieces of me
- Ashlee Simpson

This is very cool...

A plush version of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is up for sale on eBay!

A question...

How on earth do non-coffee drinkers survive Monday mornings?

Welcome!

If you are particularly observant, you may have noticed a new entry in the list of blogs I read: Indiana Nick and the Philosophy Degree.

Nick is my HPS buddy from way back. He recently moved to Indiana (yes, that's in the USA) to begin graduate school in HPS. He's a lot braver than I am, but I'll still be a doctor before he is!

Australian Politics Test

I've apparently already been quite personal on this blog, so I guess I may as well reveal my political tendencies as well...

According to the Australian Politics Test on the OzPolitics Blog, the political party whose policy outlook aligns most closely with my views is the Labor Party, followed closely by Family First, which is kind of strange...

You can see the rest of my results here.

Mawwage, that bwessed awwangement; that dweam wivin a dweam...

I had the strangest dream last night. I dreamed that I was getting married at a church that was kind of a cross between the Goulburn and Narwee Baptist churches. The congregation hadn't arrived yet; it might have been the rehearsal, except that I was already in my wedding dress. I saw the guy that I was getting married to, but I couldn't recognise him as anyone I know in real life. The strange part was that I didn't seem to know him very well - it seemed almost like an arranged marriage - so I was a bit nervous and kind of shy, but still happy to be getting married to him.

Tres bizarre!!

A number of years back, I went to a Chris Isaak concert (and no, I'm not embarrassed to admit that I like Chris Isaak!), and Kasey Chambers, who was just starting out in the 'mainstream' at that time, was the support act. She mentioned that her song, 'The Captain', had been described as the least feminist song ever written. This is not very surprising, given the lyrics of the song:

Well I don't have as many friends because
I'm not as pretty as I was
I've kicked myself at times because I've lied
So I will have to learn to stand my ground
I'll tell 'em I won't be around
I'll move on over to your town and hide

Well I have handed all my efforts in
I searched here for my second wind
Is there somewhere here to let me in I asked
So I slammed the doors they slammed at me
I found the place I'm meant to be
I figured out my destiny at last

You be the Captain
And I'll be no-one
And you can carry me away if you want to
And you can lay low
Just like your father and if
I tread upon your feet you just say so
'Cos you're The Captain, I am no-one,
I tend to feel as though I owe one to you

Now, this might surprise those of you who are familiar with my feminist tendencies, but there is something about the picture this song portrays that appeals to me. Not the 'I am no one' part, but the more general idea of taking refuge in a relationship with someone else. Perhaps I'm being weak or lazy, or just pessimistic, when I think that I can't make it through life on my own, but I like the idea of having someone to look after me - someone to watch over me!

I know that I already have someone watching over me, and I know that a relationship with God is more perfect and more satisfying than a human relationship could ever be, but I still long for that special relationship in this life. Again, this might be surprising coming from someone who claims to be some kind of feminist, but I love the way the Bible portrays marriage.

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
- Ephesians 5:25-33 (ESV)

That is such a beautiful picture of marriage. Imagine someone loving you as Christ loved the church. Would it be difficult for a woman to submit to a man who loved her like this? Well, yes, I guess it would be. It's hard enough to submit fully to God, let alone to another human with all his flaws.

Last night at church, Mike Frost spoke on the theme of 'Is this as good as it gets?' Obviously, his answer was 'no'. He talked about this passage:

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.
- John 14:1-4 (ESV)

I've heard that passage many times. When I was little, I used to picture heaven as some kind of huge mansion, with lots and lots of rooms. My grandfather died when I was 5, and I remember saying that when I got to heaven, I would knock on all the doors until I found him. (When I was in year 7, though, my scripture teacher ruined my childhood fantasy by telling us that people don't go straight to heaven - they're just kind of asleep until judgement day.)

Mike Frost explained this passage in terms of marriage - something I'd never thought about before, but it makes sense, particularly given all the marriage illustrations used to describe the church's relationship with Christ. It's an incredible thought. Jesus is preparing a place for us in his Father's house - not as siblings or friends, but as his bride. It's just amazing to think about. One day, when the time is right, Jesus will return and take us to be with him; to live with him in that special and exclusive marraige relationship. How awesome is that?! And I love the passage from Isaiah that Mike also quoted:

"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth,and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy,and her people to be a gladness.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress.
No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.
They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the LORD, and their descendants with them.
Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain," says the LORD.
- Isaiah 65:17-25 (ESV)

I think that the main reason the biblical picture of marriage seems so beautiful is because it is an illustration of the church's relationship with Christ. Sure, it might be a great thing on earth, but it's only a shadow of the true marriage to come.

It's tempting to view the biblical picture of marriage as an ideal - something that sounds good in theory, but doesn't work out in reality. Sure, if the husband is fulfilling his responsibility to love his wife as Christ loved the church, submission wouldn't be a bad thing, but I guess that's not the right way to look at it. As Christians, we're called to live as God wants us to, regardless of the way others around us live. That's what freaks me out about marriage, but I think I've been rambling long enough for one post!

So why was I dreaming about getting married? Perhaps it's just on my mind lately. Mike Frost's talk at church last night; the fact that so many of my friends are pairing off into couples, getting engaged, and getting married... I'm still single, so I have to keep hoping that this will happen to me in the future!

And why was I dreaming about marrying someone I didn't really know? Perhaps because Mike Frost was talking about arranged marriages (that was the usual procedure in the 1st century, after all!) Perhaps because I don't yet know who I'll end up married to.

Anyway, it doesn't really matter. I don't believe that dreams have a definite meaning. That's fortunate too, because I don't even want to think about what the weird little echidna-cross-daddy long legs spider was supposed to represent!!