This is an aggregation of all of the recent blog posts of the Case Blog system. The entries are in reverse chronological order according to each entry's last modified date. Persons with questions regarding Planet Case or the Blog system can check the FAQ or email us at blog-admin@case.edu.
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March 25, 2008
Case Western Reserve University selects honorary doctorates awardees
Four distinguished individuals will receive honorary doctorate degrees in the areas of law, science and humanities during commencement ceremonies at Case Western Reserve University on Sunday, May 18.
The recipients will be David M. Crane, professor of practice at Syracuse University College of Law; Margaret J. Giannini, M.D., director of the Department of Health and Human Services Office on Disability; Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist.org; and Raymond K. Shepardson, leader of the efforts to preserve Playhouse Square.
Continue reading "Case Western Reserve University selects honorary doctorates awardees"
Posted on NEWS CENTER by Heidi Cool at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)
Entry is tagged: Alumni | Commencement | Events | HeadlinesMain | Provost Initiatives | features
May 09, 2008
Neighborhood Progress, Inc
As referenced in our first dialogue of Regionally Speaking 2008, Neighborhood Progress, Inc is strategically investing in six historic neighborhoods of Cleveland.
Watch their introduction video to provide a visual connection with the next six weeks of community conversations that will highlight the livable city and its neighborhoods.
Neighborhood Progress Introduction Video
Posted on Western Reserve Studies Symposium by Jeffrey Verespej at 02:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Entry is tagged: Cleveland | Northeast Ohio | Regionalism | arts and culture | community outreach | economic development | history | neighborhoods | neighborhoods | podcasts
January 19, 2007
The Bible as history-7: The danger of too much information
(For the earlier posts in this series, see part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, and part 6.)
In the series of posts regarding the issue of how reliable the Bible was as history, the conclusion that was reached was that almost all the information before about 650 BCE was probably false. In other words, there was almost no evidence for the existence Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, the exodus, etc. And as the film The God Who Wasn't There points out, the evidence for a historical Jesus is also very weak.
The interesting question is why this lack of historicity of much of the stories in the Bible is not told to people. It must surely be the case that religious scholars are aware of the lack of archeological and other reliable sources of evidence for the major events that are described in the Bible. Religious leaders seem to be treating the relationship of Biblical events to history differently from its relationship to science.
The topic of the impact of science on religious doctrines has not been avoided. This may be partly because science has an unavoidable impact on daily life and its implications for all other areas of knowledge cannot be avoided even if one wished to. But as a result of being forced to deal with science, religious scholars and apologists have managed to finesse the fact that modern science has cast doubt on the miraculous events described in the Bible, so that nowadays a religious person with a scientific perspective can avoid giving any credence to stories about seas being parted, sun being kept still, people rising from the dead, water being turned into wine, and so forth, without being considered an apostate. The success of these efforts can be seen in the fact that the wealth of scientific counter-evidence to the miracles of the Bible has not stopped even many scientists from continuing to be religious. So why have theologians not taken the same attitude with the archeological counterevidence to Biblical history and found similar ways to confront the lack of historical evidence?
Perhaps it is because the actual story of how the Bible came about tells people too much for comfort. As I pointed out earlier, the present day Bible was the codification of documents produced by priests around 650 BCE, long after almost all the events it purportedly claims to record. It was seemingly produced with the goal of convincing King Josiah to enforce strict monotheism on his people, and the strategy worked. But in order to have this effect, the documents created a narrative that emphasized god's obsession with stamping out the worship of other gods. In order to achieve people's compliance, the priests created an image of a god who was fierce and authoritarian, demanded total obedience, and had no scruples whatsoever in committing genocide on people who happened to disobey in any way. It also shows a god who was extraordinarily vain and thin-skinned, needing constant praise and using any slight as an excuse to indulge in wholesale massacres. It is not a pleasant picture of god but as a literary device to scare the daylights out of people and get them to fall in line, it was pretty effective.
If you tell people the real story of how the Bible came about, you would take away much of its power. Take for example the ten commandments, that pillar of modern-day religious fundamentalists who would like nothing better than to have it displayed in every classroom, courthouse and other public places. They are venerated by a great number of people (even if they are less than conscientious about actually following them). For people of my generation, much of its impact comes from the visual image of Charlton Heston as Moses in the film The Ten Commandments going up a mountain and seeing god in the form of lightning etch those words on two stone tablets.
That image gives the commandments an authority that would disappear if people were told that these commandments were hatched in some back room by a group of priests who had a specific political agenda. People could argue that they might be still good ideas and should be observed but there is no question that the story of Charlton Heston Moses getting them directly from god on a mountain gives the commandments a certain heft they would lose if replaced by a more realistic story of them being scribbled in a backroom somewhere by people trying to advance their cause.
The actual history of how they came about, however, explains something that always puzzled me about the ten commandments and that was its curious mixture of grand but vague requirements, combined with quite petty and even impossible requests. (Note: there are different versions (.pdf) of the ten commandments and I'll use the King James' version.)
The first four commandments (roughly "Don’t have any other gods, don't make or worship any images, don't take god's name in vain, keep the Sabbath holy") seem a little excessively self-focused for a presumably omnipotent being, as if god was suffering from an inferiority complex and needed constant reassurance that he was numero uno. But if your main goal in writing the commandments was to enforce monotheism on the population and get people to dump their dependence on other gods, it makes sense to make the list of commandments top heavy with obedience to one god.
Only the sixth through ninth commandments ("Don't kill, commit adultery, steal, or lie") can be considered universal rules or morality and all are easily understood.
The fifth and tenth commandments are vague and not operationally clear. The fifth ("Honor your father and mother") is one that I can enthusiastically support now that I am a parent, while the last ("Don't covet your neighbor’s house, wife, servants, ox, ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s") seems unusually wordy. The wife-coveting thing seems like it could have been subsumed under the adultery commandment, while the rest could have simply been listed as "Don't covet other people's stuff." Envy seems like a pretty minor sin, too, hardly worthy of inclusion in such a major-league list.
One gets the sense that the priests had agreed initially that ten was a nice round number for commandments and that by the time they got to the final one they, like any committee, had got exhausted by trying to get consensus on the other nine, and so just slapped together a laundry list of items just to get it over with so that they could go home and have a beer.
One notable omission from this list is the absence of any prohibition against homosexuality, something that causes present-day anti-gay activists some anguish since they have to go digging in obscure Biblical passages to find support for their cause. Why would the priests leave it out, since condemnations do occur in other passages (such as Leviticus 18:22) that outline detailed rules of behavior? It must be quite irritating to anti-gay zealots that the prohibition against simple envy makes the top ten list while homosexuality does not. My guess is that homosexuality was not uncommon then and existed among the priests as well (just like it does now), and they did not want to come down too hard on a practice that they themselves their colleagues indulged in.
Understanding the history of how the Bible actually came about makes its content much more intelligible to me. But I can see how this knowledge can be quite unsettling to believers and thus why religions that depend on the Bible as the basis for their organization are not too keen on trumpeting this information.
POST SCRIPT: Gary Larson
I can never think of the scene where Charlton Heston as Moses parts the Red Sea in the film The Ten Commandments without remembering and laughing again at the cartoon by the amazingly imaginative Gary Larson, which shows Moses parting his hair by standing in front of a mirror and stretching his arms wide, exactly the way Heston does.
Posted on Mano Singham's Web Journal by Mano Singham at 07:53 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
Entry is tagged: Religion
May 09, 2008
Case Daily
Case Western Reserve University's Fulbright Winners Going Green with Overseas Research
Case Western Reserve University's 2008 Fulbright Scholars, Olivia Corey and Michael Davidson, will each take "green" research to Europe and Asia, respectively.
Corey, of Lakewood, plans to study sustainable building materials at the Technical University of Munich in Germany. Davidson, of Eugene, Ore., is heading to Tsinghau University in Beijing, China, where a new initiative involves installing and tracking the use of renewable energy sources.
The two students followed similar paths to Fulbright Scholarships. Each has majored in a language and while undergraduates, spent a year abroad in the regions they will return to next year for research. Both seniors will graduate with their bachelor's degrees from Case Western Reserve during Commencement ceremonies on May 18.
Corey and Davidson also have crossed paths during their years at the university due to the nature of their research. "I envision that Michael and I will someday be sitting on some international committee discussing green issues," Corey said. "Our lives seem to run in parallel directions." Read more.
Center Director Unveils First Details of Inamori Ethics Prize Events
Francis S. Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)—and recipient of the Inamori Ethics Prize, conferred by the Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence at Case Western Reserve University—is expected to give a public lecture and participate in a symposium as part of the Inamori Prize celebration.
Collins, known for his consistent emphasis on the importance of ethical and legal issues in genetics, will receive the inaugural Inamori Ethics Prize at a ticketed ceremony September 4 in Severance Hall.
In the May 2008 "Message from the Director" of the Inamori Center, Gregory L. Eastwood, M.D., unveils the first details about the public lecture and symposium and discussion, which also are expected to take place September 4, at 1 and 2 p.m., respectively, in Severance Hall. Information on how to register is forthcoming.
In addition, in the May issue of the Inamori Center newsletter, Eastwood discusses the importance of understanding self, recognizing how others see things and the advantage to leaders of being able to behave in non-preferential ways.
University Seeks Input on New Web Site Designs, Survey Extended Through May 19
Case Western Reserve University is seeking input from students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends on rough design concepts for a new university Web site.
Members of the university community can provide their feedback regarding three case.edu homepage design concepts by completing an online survey, which has been extended through May 19. The survey will take less than 10 minutes.
The rough concepts for the new homepage—created by the in-house University Marketing and Communications Web design team—have been developed based on input collected from the university community through forums, focus groups and other surveys conducted last summer and fall.
The designs are only rough concepts and likely will be reorganized, rewritten and redesigned into a working prototype based on responses to this new survey. Reports on survey results will forthcoming in Case Daily.
Campus News
The Department of Orthodontics at Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine is recruiting 250 youth between the ages of 11 and 16 and who qualify to participate as patients in the dental school's discounted braces program that begins in July 2008. Normally, braces cost $5,000 or more, but Case will treat youth for $2,500. Each youth will have a team that includes both a faculty and a resident orthodontist in the dental school's graduate programs that trains licensed dentists as specialists in orthodontics. Read more.
WVIZ/ideastream, Channel 25, plans to rebroadcast the Feagler & Friends show featuring Case Western Reserve University President Barbara R. Snyder at 11:30 a.m., May 11. The broadcast introduces the Cleveland community to Snyder, along with two other new local college presidents: Michael Victor of Lake Erie College and Marvin Krislov of Oberlin College.
For Faculty and Staff
The Office of Foreign Faculty and Scholars (OFFS) will soon offer a new service to families of the university's international employees. Beginning this June, OFFS will offer assistance with the preparation of I-539 Applications to extend/and or change non-immigrant status on behalf of these family members. OFFS will provide explanations of the form and questions asked on the form, required supporting documents and filing information. Cost of the service is $100. The service will be offered by appointment only. For complete details, contact Richard Friedman via e-mail or by phone at 368-4289.
For Students
The Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences is offering its award-winning International Short-Term Immersion Courses for graduate and undergraduate students to Bangladesh and El Salvador in December. Students can earn three credit hours. The Bangladesh program will take place December 27 through January 11, 2009, and the El Salvador experience will take place December 6-13. In addition, plans are being made for spring break 2009 to Israel, Guatemala and the Netherlands. Learn more.
The Observer is looking to fill several undergraduate staff positions for the 2008-09 academic year. If interested in being an illustrations editor or business assistant, send an e-mail to the newspaper's staff.
Events
Refer to the Web event calendar for a list of events and activities on campus and in the community today and in the days ahead.
The views and opinions of those invited to speak on campus do not necessarily reflect the views of the university administration or any other segment of the university community.
Et al
Robert Clarke Brown, treasurer of Case Western Reserve University, was recently appointed to the Ohio 21st Century Transportation Priorities Task Force. He will serve on the Maximizing Public Investment committee. The task force will prioritize how the state balances the movement of people and freight, promotes safety and reduces congestion, helps to build sustainable communities, and links all modes of transportation. In addition, the group also will identify the fairest ways to finance Ohio's future transportation system.
Susan Griffith, senior media relations representative in the Office of Marketing and Communications, has been selected to receive a Merit Award from B&W magazine for her photography. Her work will be featured as part of a two-page spread in a special portfolio edition that should be published in June. There were 837 photographers from around the world and 12,000 images entered, and only 68 photographers were picked to be featured in the special issue. In addition, two of her photos are being featured in the Mandel JCC Photography Show, which runs through June 8. The show is considered one of the largest and most prestigious open photo shows in Northeast Ohio.
Linda Ehrlich, associate professor of Japanese and associate director of the College Scholars program, recently spoke at a film showing at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in conjunction with the first U.S. retrospective of the paintings and sculpture of noted Spanish artist Antonio López García.
May 9, 2008
A daily newsletter published by the Office of Marketing & Communications, Case Western Reserve University. Submit items for inclusion to: case-daily@case.edu.
Case in the News
Blogs and wikis and 3D, oh my!
Inside Higher Ed, May 9, 2008
The Volokh Conspiracy is one of the most widely read legal blogs. It has been cited in court rulings. Its readership stands at over 700,000 unique visitors a month, many from academe and some from within the Supreme Court itself. Jonathan Adler, a professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law and a contributor to Volokh, joined several other bloggers in a discussion held on the Cleveland campus about academe's adoption of the online publishing format and how it has contributed to — or hindered — scholarly work in the real world. Note: this blog was recently ranked third by law professors based upon visits and page views over the last year. Related article.
Co-Founder of SecondLife says academics are biggest trailblazers in virtual worlds
Chronicle of Higher Education, May 8, 2008
Cory Ondrejka, the co-founder of the virtual world SecondLife who is now a visiting professor at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California, said in a speech that virtual worlds are here to stay, and that professors are among the most active pioneers. He spoke at Case Western Reserve University's Collaboration Technology and Engaging the Campus 2008. Related article.
UH Case Medical Center, Dutch firm team up
Crain's Cleveland Business, May 8, 2008
Note: Register now for a free yearlong digital subscription to Crain's Cleveland Business.
Case Medical Center, a partnership between Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals, has teamed up with Cardialysis BV, one of the world's best-known contract research organizations, to open a location here to collaborate on research in interventional cardiology. Daniel Simon, Herman K. Hellerstein Professor of Cardiovascular Research at Case Western Reserve, comments.
Higher Ed News
Top colleges dig deeper in wait lists for students
New York Times, May 9, 2008
In what may be a happy surprise for thousands of high school seniors, Harvard plans to offer admission to 150 to 175 students on its waiting list, and Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania each expect to take 90, creating ripples that will send other highly selective colleges deeper into their waiting lists as well.
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Posted on CASE DAILY by Kimyette Finley at 01:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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May 09, 2008
Case Western Reserve University's Fulbright winners going green with overseas research
Students Olivia Corey and Michael Davidson combine research with cultural experiences
Case Western Reserve University's 2008 Fulbright Scholars, Olivia Corey and Michael Davidson, are taking their "green" research projects to study in Europe and Asia next year.
Corey, of Lakewood, plans to study sustainable building materials at the Technical University of Munich in Germany with her Fulbright. Davidson, of Eugene, Ore., is heading to Tsinghau University in Beijing, China, where a new initiative involves installing and tracking the use of renewable energy sources.
The road to the Fulbright Scholarships followed similar paths for the two students where each has majored in a language and also spent a year abroad as undergraduates to regions they will return to next year for research. Both seniors will graduate with their bachelor's degrees from Case Western Reserve during Commencement ceremonies on May 18.
Both also have known each other over their years at the university. "I envision that Michael and I will someday be sitting on some international committee discussing green issues," Corey said. "Our lives seem to run in parallel directions."
Posted on NEWS CENTER by Kimyette Finley at 11:15 AM | Comments (0)
Entry is tagged: Awards | Case School of Engineering | College of Arts and Sciences | Environment | HeadlinesMain | Physics | Provost Initiatives | Students
April 12, 2008
An Ordinary Citizen's Questions and Answers
Photo by David Leeson 2003 © (Copyrighted)
1. Why is the U.S. in Iraq?
We are not in Iraq to find and destroy weapons of mass destruction (there are none) or to fight terrorism (al-Qaeda is located primarily in Afghanistan and Pakistan). We are in Iraq because President Bush wanted to demonstrate U.S. military power and to establish a pro-American government to protect our interests in the region.
2. Can the U.S. achieve victory?
That depends on how victory is defined. If we define victory as toppling Saddam Hussein's authoritarian regime and showing that Iraq does not have weapons of mass destruction, we can declare victory now. If we define victory as establishing a stable democratic government that can stop the horrific level of violence, we have had little or no success and will probably never succeed.
3. How many casualties is the U.S. willing to accept?
That depends on how long we pursue a victory that is unlikely to be successful. The longer we fruitlessly pursue our current objectives, the less acceptable will be our casualties. If we recognize that Bush's war has not reduced the threat of terrorism and has not been successful in establishing a democratic government, then it is morally unacceptable to allow American deaths to climb above the more than 4,000 men and women who have already died.
4. Can U.S. troops leave safely?
It is unlikely that U.S. casualties will increase during a reasonable period of withdrawal. It is more likely that casualties will be reduced as we move our troops out of harm's way.
5. Will civil war break out after the U.S. has withdrawn?
Civil war already exists between Shiite Muslims and Sunni Muslims, between Shiite militias and Iraqi forces, and among the various Shiite militias themselves. It is only made worse by our presence, which is perceived as an occupation by all groups.
6. Will Iraq become a safe haven for al-Qaeda?
Al-Qaeda is a terrorist group run by Sunnis. The Shiite majority in Iraq is unlikely to tolerate their presence after the U.S. leaves. Iraq would not be as safe a haven for al-Qaeda as their present camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
7. Will the Shiite majority commit genocide against the Sunnis?
Shiites are already killing Sunnis now that the Shiites are in power, just as Sunnis killed Shiites when Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq. It is unclear whether ethnic cleansing will increase or decrease after we leave, but our presence has not been successful in reducing that violence.
8. Can our strategic interests in the Middle East be protected if we leave Iraq?
Our supply of oil has decreased and its cost has increased because of our presence in Iraq. The situation is unlikely to worsen due to our departure. It is also widely acknowledged that we need to become much less dependent on oil whether we stay in Iraq or leave. As for our interest in protecting ourselves from terrorism, that fight can be carried out more effectively in Afghanistan where the most extreme anti-American terrorists are located.
9. Can we leave Iraq now with honor?
Admitting our mistake and withdrawing from Iraq is more honorable than continuing the war with the attendant unconscionable loss of thousands of more lives. Just as people can, countries can gain respect by honestly admitting their mistakes and correcting their course of action. We should do the right thing instead of trying to save face by pressing on.
Posted on On Leaving Iraq by McKee McClendon at 10:40 PM | Comments (6)
Entry is tagged: Home
May 08, 2008
Private Hicks was killed in Iraq on Friday
Pvt. Corey L. Hicks, 22, of Glendale, Ariz., was killed Friday May 2, 2008 in Baghdad by a roadside bomb, the Defense Department has announced. His death was the latest of at least 4,071 who have died since the war began in March 2003. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/casualties
Private Hicks sacrificed half a century of his potential life on earth to help win the war in Iraq. We should all recognize his sacrifice and commemorate his service to the U.S., just as all the other dead should be recognized and commemorated.
We salute you Pvt. Hicks.
Posted on On Leaving Iraq by McKee McClendon at 01:46 PM | Comments (0)
Entry is tagged: Home
May 09, 2008
Senior Award
Congratulations to Lauren Skaggs who has been awarded the Philip Banks Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement and the Carol Wien Walker Senior Project Award by the Department of Geological Sciences.
Posted on Department of Geological Sciences by Linda Day at 10:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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May 09, 2008
Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge
The following post was created from information recently received by the CSO from the Pro Bono Institute.
Since 1993, the Law Firm Pro Bono ChallengeSM, an initiative of the Pro Bono Institute’s Law Firm Pro Bono Project, has served as a guidepost to assist major law firms in increasing their commitment to pro bono legal services. As you begin to research prospective employers, the Institute’s list of Challenge Signatories will provide you valuable insight regarding the pro bono commitment of Signatory firms.
The ChallengeSM principles are designed to offer institutional support and to maximize the efficacy of law firm pro bono programs. Most notably, firms that sign on to the ChallengeSM agree to devote either three or five percent of their total billable hours or 60 or 100 hours annually, per attorney, to do pro bono work – a majority of which must be in the service of persons of limited means. Firms that currently participate in the Pro Bono ChallengeSM make a substantial commitment to pro bono service, a commitment that is making a real difference in their communities.
Students interested in obtaining as much information as possible about various law firms will find the Pro Bono ChallengeSM a useful tool in determining the scope and nature of Signatory firms’ pro bono activities. Pro bono service becomes an increasingly important factor in evaluating prospective law firm employers as students weigh careers in public interest law against the financial demands of loan repayment programs.
Visit www.probonoinst.org for a complete listing of all Challenge Signatory firms, with links to the firms’ websites. Additionally, the website provides the full text of the Law Firm Pro Bono ChallengeSM and Commentary. You can contact the Law Firm Pro Bono Project at probono@probonoinst.org.
A listing of the Signatory firms can be found on the CSO bulletin board.
Posted on CSO Blog by Kelli Curtis at 10:27 AM
Entry is tagged:
May 09, 2008
A word for James Wilding
I spent my drive in the AM getting to know the music of James Wilding from the University of Akron, and well worth knowing it is. You could call it "neo-impressionist" but not in a Gallic way; it's maybe more akin to Szymanowski or Griffes, but doesn't really sound like either (unsurprisingly, given it's 80 years later). Nice sounds, clear but not simple-minded construction, subtly dramatic.
I don't talk much about local composers because they're mostly Guild members and politically it's risky, especially if I don't like them. But we haven't voted James in yet (that's WHY I was listening).
One thing though: I HATE HATE HATE composer websites that blare music at you when you open them up. I often listen to Naxos in the morning before we open and forget to turn my sound off, and suddenly in the library the staff needs shushing. You have been warned.
Posted on Jeffrey Quick's Blog by Jeffrey Quick at 09:10 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Entry is tagged: Music
May 09, 2008
The end of god-8: Why even 'good' religion is not worth saving
(For previous posts in this series, see here.)
When all else fails, religious people sometimes resort to utilitarian arguments in favor of god, such as that some people would act worse if they did not believe in a god who would punish them for doing bad things. Other alleged benefits of 'good' religion are that it helps people cope with the stresses of life and deal with the fear of death, that it encourages people to do good acts, and to summon up courage in the face of adversity.
While some of these things may be true, they seem rather a weak foundation on which to base one's support for religion. The basic problem is that every one of these benefits is not unique to religion. As I have written before, every benefit claimed for religion can just as well be provided by other institutions.
Provides a sense of community? So do many other social groups. Do charitable works? So do secular charities. Work for social justice? So do political groups. Provide comfort and reassurance? So do friendships and even therapy. Provide a sense of personal meaning? So does science and philosophy. Provide a basis of morality and values? It has long been established that morals and values are antecedent to and independent of religion. (Does anyone seriously think that it was considered acceptable to murder before the Ten Commandments appeared?)
So by getting rid of religion we can still have all the benefits claimed for it while getting rid of the evils that are unique to it. Some try to argue for retaining religion by pointing out, correctly, that science also has been used for massively evil ends so why not call for the end of science? But the fact is that if we get rid of science, there are no alternative ways to obtain all the social benefits it provides, so the only alternative is to try to learn how to use it wisely. This is not the case with religion. It provides no social benefits that cannot be duplicated by purely secular institutions.
Christopher Hitchens says something similar in his introduction to The Portable Atheist (2007), p. xiii-xiv):
One is continually told, as an unbeliever, that it is old-fashioned to rail against the primitive stupidities and cruelties of religion because after all, in these enlightened times, the old superstitions have died away. Nine times out of ten, in debate with a cleric, one will be told not of some dogma of religious certitude but of some instance of charitable or humanitarian work undertaken by a religious person . . . My own response has been to issue a challenge: name me an ethical statement made or an action performed by a believer that could not have been made or performed by a non-believer. As yet, I have had no takers. (Whereas, oddly enough, if you ask an audience to name a wicked statement or action directly attributable to religious faith, nobody has any difficulty in finding an example.)
If the foundations of religion are false, then the alleged benefits it provides are merely placebos, devices to make people feel good in the short-run, to allay their fears about death, and to provide facile answers to deep questions of existence and meaning. It is not clear to me why making people feel good on the basis of a falsehood is better than them being able to see the truth clearly. Of course, this does not mean that one should go about destroying people's beliefs indiscriminately. I would not argue with someone in grief who finds consolation in some religious dogma. But that leave-well-alone policy does not extend to public discussions of religion, and the new atheists are perfectly justified and even to be commended in pointing out that religions are based on false foundations.
Religion also results in people being required to suspend rational thought and judgment and encourages passivity and tolerance for injustice since provides people with the dubious option of putting their faith in a higher power to redress injustices and looking towards justice in heaven rather than fighting for those goals here and now.
In the past I have shown clips of exorcists, mind readers, and people who claim the ability read the thoughts of animals. I argued that such charlatans (and others like faith healers) would not be able to ply their trade without the cover that religion gives them to persuade people that supernatural forces exist. For atheists to not attack religion in order to preserve some façade of coexistence with 'good' religion is to permanently leave ajar the door that enables those who use religion as weapons for evil ends or to exploit the gullible for profit to enter and ply their trade. As Christopher Hitchens says in God Is Not Great, (2007, p. 160):
It is not snobbish to notice the way in which people show their gullibility and their herd instinct, and their wish, or perhaps their need, to be credulous and to be fooled. This is an ancient problem. Credulity may be a form of innocence, and even innocuous in itself, but it provides a standing invitation for the wicked and the clever to exploit their brothers and sisters, and is thus one of humanity's great vulnerabilities. No honest account of the growth and persistence of religion, or the reception of miracles and revelations, is possible without reference to this stubborn fact.
I believe that it is futile to try and separate bad religion from good religion and to try and eliminate the former while preserving the latter. In my interview in Machines Like Us, I say:
[W]hen one decides to not criticize the thinking of 'moderates', one has shut off the most powerful critiques one can make of extremists, which is that the whole edifice of thinking they adhere to has no evidentiary foundation and simply makes no sense. Trying to counter extremists without hurting the feelings of the 'moderates' is like agreeing to play chess while giving up the right to capture the opponent's queen. You are bound to lose, except against the most incompetent player.
Good religion and bad religion are two sides of the same coin. The only way to end bad religion is to end religion altogether, and the way to do that is to advance as publicly as possible all the powerful arguments and evidence we now have that there is no reason whatsoever to assume that god exists in any form or that any of the supernatural doctrines of any religion have any validity.
This is the 'new atheism' and I am proud to be a part of that movement.
POST SCRIPT: Baxter again
Because you can never have too many photos of a terrific dog. . .
Posted on Mano Singham's Web Journal by Mano Singham at 08:25 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Entry is tagged: Atheism and philosophy | Religion
May 09, 2008
Cultural and Linguistic Competency - Implications for Reseach
On May 19th there will be a half-day symposium looking at techniques for designing research projects sensitive to cultural dynamics of patient population.
The guest speaker and facilitator will be Tawara D. Goode, M.A. Ms. Goode is an Assistant Professor and Director of the National Center for Cultural Competence at the Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development.
Date: May 19th, 2008
Time 8:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Location: Wolstein Research Building, Room 1413, Case Western Reserve
You can download a pdf version of the flyer for the event here.
Please RSVP to Michele Abraham at 216-778-3858 or mabraham@metrohealth.org no later than May 12, 2008.
This symposium is sponsored in part by Case Western Reserve University, the Francis Payne Bolton School of Nursing, and the Clinical & Translational Science Collaborative.
Posted on HEALTH DISPARITIES BLOG by David Porter at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
Entry is tagged: Cultural competency | Cultural competency | Linguistic Competency | Research
May 08, 2008
Clinton rejects latest Michigan Delegate Plan
Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday rejected a compromise plan to seat Michigan's delegates to the national convention that would give 69 delegates to Clinton and 59 to Barack Obama.
"This proposal does not honor the 600,000 votes that were cast in Michigan's January primary. Those votes must be counted," Clinton spokesman Isaac Baker said.
The Michigan Democratic Party had approved the plan and intended to submit it to the Democratic National Committee meeting on May 31. Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer said in a statement that the plan was a "good step toward a solution that unites Democrats and ensures that our state will not face a McCain presidency."
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) had stripped Michigan of its delegation to the Democratic National Convention because the state party scheduled its Jan. 15 primary in violation of national party rules. Several plans have been proposed to find a way to seat Michigan's delegation.
Clinton's campaign has maintained that the delegation should be allocated according to the vote in the Jan. 15 primary (73/55) but Obama's campaign had argued the delegation should be split between the two candidates (64/64) because he was not on the ballot. Clinton won that contest with 55 percent of the vote but most of the other major party candidates, including Obama, had removed their names from the ballot because the state violated national party rules.
Since any plan must be approved by all the players -- the state and national parties and both candidates -- it is unclear what will happen now.
* * * * * * * * * * *
This goes to show that the Clinton campaign is desperate. They do not really care about voters being disenfranchised. All they care about are the original results giving Clinton the win. She got 55 percent, but since she was the only candidate left on the state ballot, her supporters are demanding that she should get all the Michigan delegates.
What a pity.
Posted on Through the Magnifying Glass by James Chang at 11:43 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Entry is tagged: Politics
May 08, 2008
test entry 1
testing one
Posted on 493 Feasibility Analysis by Ed Caner at 11:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Entry is tagged: Category 1
May 05, 2008
SaraJean's Gov Doc of the Week for May 5, 2008
The IRS has released several documents related to the Economic Stimulus Payments:
- Economic Stimulus Payments Information Center
(Dated April 29, 2008)
- Economic Stimulus Payments on the Way; Some People Will See Direct Deposit Payments Today (Dated April 28, 2008)
- FAQ
- Payment Schedule
Posted on The Judge Ben C. Green Law Library Blog by Sarajean Petite at 10:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Entry is tagged: Gov Doc of the Week
May 08, 2008
Case Daily
Case Western Reserve University to Host Ohio Energy Education Conference
Case Western Reserve University is hosting the Fourth Annual Ohio Energy Education Conference, which will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., May 9 at the Millis Science Center.
Mark R. Shanahan, energy adviser to Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland and executive director of the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority, will deliver the keynote address at noon. In his role as Strickland's energy adviser, Shanahan, who earned his doctorate from Case Western Reserve, is responsible for coordinating state agencies' efforts to develop a comprehensive Ohio energy policy and to implement the governor's order to significantly reduce state agency energy consumption. Read more.
First Relay for Life Nets Doubles its Goal for Funds Raised
More than 700 participants on 50 different teams representing students, faculty, staff and community members participated in Case Western Reserve University's first Relay For Life—raising more than twice the funds the university targeted.
During the 18-hour event at Case Field, teams collectively raised more than $60,000 in support of the American Cancer Society. The university's goal was $30,000.
Case Western Reserve's Zeta Psi/Phi Mu team raised the most money of any group with a total of more than $4,000, while Amy Willson Delfosse, from the Case Western Reserve medical faculty and staff team, was the top individual fundraiser.
Preparations for the university's 2009 Relay For Life are already underway. Members of the university community interested in participating in the planning process can e-mail relay@case.edu.
The campus community is invited to view portions of the race on YouTube and CaseTV.
Campus News
The Free Medical Clinic of Greater Cleveland and the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women at Case Western Reserve are joining the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health in celebrating National Women's Health Week May 11-17. From 1-5 p.m., May 12, the Free Clinic will hold a Women's Health Fair, where women in the community will be able to attend free workshops on nutrition and get tips for dealing with stress. Learn more.
Nabil Bissada, chair of the Department of Periodontics at Case Western Reserve University's School of Dental Medicine, will present a free continuing education course during the school's Reunion Weekend. His talk, "The Oral-Systemic Connection: A State of the Clinical Science and Dental Practice," will begin at 9 a.m., May 17 in the Plaza Room at the Ritz Carlton in downtown Cleveland. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. The talk is free, open to the public. Registration is due May 9 via e-mail or by phone at 368-3480.
For Faculty and Staff
What's new in human resources? Visit the HR Web site to learn more about benefits, Ease@Work programs, wellness opportunities, new jobs on campus and a host of professional development training programs for supervisors and staff.
For Students
The Office of Undergraduate Admission is seeking current undergraduate students to help with campus tours for six summer open houses to be held on the following Fridays: June 27, July 11 and 25, and August 1, 8 and 15. Tour guides work a full day on these dates and wages start at $10.50 per hour. In addition, there may be opportunities for working at additional admission events on several Saturdays throughout the summer. Enthusiasm for Case is a must. Previous experience in public speaking is preferred but not required. Training will be provided. Contact Judy Weiss for additional information.
Events
The next Science Café Cleveland, sponsored by the university's Sigma Xi chapter, will feature Dan Scherson, Charles F. Mabery Professor of Research in the Department of Chemistry at Case Western Reserve and George Blomgren from Blomgren Consulting Services Ltd. on the topic of What Do Batteries Run On? The Amazing Well-hidden Devices That Power the Portable Electronics Evolution," beginning at 6:30 p.m., May 12 at the Great Lakes Brewing Company's Tasting Room, 2701 Carroll Ave.
Refer to the Web event calendar for a list of events and activities on campus and in the community today and in the days ahead.
The views and opinions of those invited to speak on campus do not necessarily reflect the views of the university administration or any other segment of the university community.
May 8, 2008
A daily newsletter published by the Office of Marketing & Communications, Case Western Reserve University. Submit items for inclusion to: case-daily@case.edu.
Case in the News
Iron 'snow' helps maintain Mercury's magnetic field
Spaceflight Now, May 7, 2008
New scientific evidence suggests that deep inside the planet Mercury, iron "snow" forms and falls toward the center of the planet. In a paper published in the April issue of the journal Geophysical Research Letters, Steven Hauck, assistant professor of planetary geodynamics at Case Western Reserve University, along with scientists from the University of Illinois, describe laboratory measurements and models that mimic conditions believed to exist within Mercury's core.
Science Debate 2008 Web site urges candidates to talk about issues
The Plain Dealer, May 8, 2008
Science Debate 2008 is an effort to get candidates to debate science and technology issues before the election. So far, none of the candidates has agreed to it. Physicist Lawrence Krauss of Case Western Reserve University was among six founders of the effort.
A medical school dental manual -- in Wiki form
The Plain Dealer, May 8, 2008
Case Western Reserve University's School of Dental Medicine is in the latter stages of a project to build a Wiki version of the school manual. Benjamin Schechter, an assistant professor, started the project and will be discussing it today at Case's Collaboration Technology conference.
Higher Ed News
When FERPA affects IT
Inside Higher Ed, May 8, 2008
In late March, when the U.S. Department of Education released its proposed changes to regulations that govern the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, most of the attention focused on the latitude granted to college officials for determining in what circumstances and to whom students' information could be disclosed. Since then, both offline and in online list discussions, information technology and network security officers have debated the impact of the rules on more mundane — but potentially just as relevant — functions of colleges' day-to-day operations.
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Posted on CASE DAILY by Kimyette Finley at 02:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Entry is tagged:
May 08, 2008
Seeker Variations
Here is the premiere of my new cello and piano piece, played by Eden Raiz (age 16) with Elizabeth Johnson on piano.
Posted on Jeffrey Quick's Blog by Jeffrey Quick at 01:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Entry is tagged: Podcasts
May 08, 2008
Governor's energy adviser to deliver keynote address at Fourth Annual Ohio Energy Education Conference
Mark R. Shanahan will speak to conference participants at May 9 event at Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is hosting the Fourth Annual Ohio Energy Education Conference, which will be held Friday, May 9, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Millis Science Center, 2074 Adelbert Road.
Mark R. Shanahan, energy adviser to Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland and executive director of the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority, will deliver the lunchtime keynote address at noon. In his role as Strickland's energy adviser, Shanahan, who earned his doctorate from Case Western Reserve, is responsible for coordinating state agencies' efforts to develop a comprehensive Ohio energy policy and to implement the governor's order to significantly reduce state agency energy consumption.
Shanahan also oversees the work of the Ohio Coal Development Office, one of the nation's leading clean coal technology research, development and deployment programs. He has served as Ohio's Clean Air Ombudsman for small business since 1994.
Posted on NEWS CENTER by Kimyette Finley at 09:30 AM | Comments (0)
Entry is tagged: Alumni | Collaborations/Partnerships | Energy | Environment | HeadlinesMain | Lectures/Speakers | Provost Initiatives
May 08, 2008
The end of god-7: How 'good religion' corrupts people
(For previous posts in this series, see here.)
One major problem with religion is that it tends to dull the moral sensibilities of otherwise decent people, causing them to justify acts by 'their' people that they would unhesitatingly condemn if done by anyone else. The process starts in childhood. Take for example the study of Israeli children done by George Tamarin. When told the Biblical story of how Joshua and the Israelites ruthlessly massacred every living thing (men, women, young, old, animals) in a battle against their enemies, the children justified this atrocity using appallingly racist reasoning. When the same story was modified to make the perpetrator of the outrages be an obscure ancient Chinese warlord, the children responded the way that one would hope they would do, saying that the massacre was wrong.
As Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion, p. 255) says:
[W]hen their loyalty to Judaism was removed from the calculation, the majority of the children agreed with the moral judgments that most modern humans would share. Joshua's action was a deed of barbaric genocide. But it all looks different from a religious point of view. And the difference starts early in life. It was religion that made the difference between children condemning genocide and condoning it.
Another example can be seen in the PBS Frontline documentary on the Mormons, available online. Episode #9 deals with the 1857 massacre by Mormons of 120 men, women and children from Arkansas who were passing through Mormon territory in southern Utah, at a place called Mountain Meadows, on their way to California.
Judith Freeman (who is a descendent of the Mormons) says that she is sympathetic to the 75 Mormon men who committed the massacre. "I think I became more sympathetic to their plight because of this idea, this Mormon principle of perfect obedience. These men were ordered to appear at Mountain Meadows, so in a way they were victims of their own devotion and obedience."
This highlights perfectly the danger of religion. It causes people to sympathize with and even excuse appalling actions simply because the people who committ them sincerely believe they are doing god's work. The idea that one should view the perpetrators of atrocities as somehow victims of their own upbringing and conditioning is not, in principle, an unreasonable proposition. The problem is that people tend to extend this charitable view only to people who share their own faith, and refuse to consider this for actions done by others against them, thus leading to an endless downward spiral of self-righteous justifications of actions done by one's own tribe and condemnations of the actions of the perceived enemy, even though both actions are objectively the same.
As Richard Dawkins says:
Religion changes, for people, the definition of good. Atheists and humanists tend to define good and bad deeds in terms of the welfare and suffering of others. Murder, torture, and cruelty are bad because they cause people to suffer. Most religious people think them bad, too, but some religions (for example the religion of the Taliban) sanction all of them under some circumstances. For non-religious people, the behavior of consenting adults in a private bedroom is the business of nobody else, and is not bad unless it causes suffering – for example by breaking up a happy family. But many religions arrogate to themselves the right to decide that certain kinds of sexual behavior, even if they do no harm to anyone, are wrong.
The actions of the Taliban, their vile bullying of women, their sanctimonious hatred of all that might lead to enjoyment, their violence, their ignorant bigotry, their hatred of education, their cruelty, seem to me to be as close to pure evil as anything I can imagine. Yet, by the lights of their own religion they are supremely righteous – really good people.
. . .
It is easy for religious faith, even if it is irrational in itself, to lead a sane and decent person, by rational, logical steps, to do terrible things. There is a logical path from religious faith to evil deeds. There is no logical path from atheism to evil deeds.
While Dawkins gives the example of Islam and the Taliban, the same kinds of examples can be multiplied many times over for any of the other religions. The problem is not any particular religion, or version of religion, it is belief in god that is the problem. The danger is, as Freeman says, "If you can get people to believe they are doing god's will, you can get them to do anything."
The sad truth that emerges from the rise of religious extremism is that once you have got people to accept the existence of god, it seems all too easy to convince them that they should do evil actions as part of god's mandate. Or as Voltaire put it, "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."
I think it is time for the so-called 'moderate' religious people to abandon their belief in god and join the atheists. That would be the best way to combat the negative effects of religion.
POST SCRIPT: Pat Condell on the curse of faith
He talks about the evil of indoctrinating children in religious faith when they are too young to realize what is going on.
Posted on Mano Singham's Web Journal by Mano Singham at 08:24 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)
Entry is tagged: Atheism and philosophy | Religion
May 08, 2008
Thursday Photovoice - Photo 1
This is the first in a series of entries that will highlight photographs taken as part of the photovoice component of Project HYPE.
Project HYPE is a community-based research project aimed at identifying the social context of hypertension management. The photovoice aspect of the project is designed to have community members photograph those things which positively and negatively affect their hypertension. Participants told the story behind each photo which stimulated dialogue about the issues related to hypertension management.
Check back next Thursday when we will highlight another photograph.
BONUS: I will be attending Case's Collaboration Technology and Engaging the Campus today. I'm looking forward to meeting many of the best and brightest of the Case digital community.
Posted on HEALTH DISPARITIES BLOG by David Porter at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
Entry is tagged: Photo Voice | Research | cbpr | community | hypertension | photovoice
May 07, 2008
Phish Kits Impact .edu
An increasing number of phishing events are being propagated at university users around the country.
Case has received several in the past few weeks. As usual, keep in mind the modus operandi is to collect your credentials (userID and password). These items are Tier III information and should not be disclosed to anybody.
Case will never ask you for such information, especially via email. Email is like a postcard. You should never send sensitive information via email.
Posted on ITS Information Security Bulletins by Thomas Siu at 07:31 PM | Comments (0)
Entry is tagged: Information Security Alerts
December 21, 2007
Case Western Reserve University planetary geologist part of NASA's Messenger mission to Mercury
Assistant professor in geological sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences to help lead collection, analysis of data
NASA has selected Case Western Reserve University geophysicist Steven A. Hauck II as one of 23 "participating scientists" to join a team collecting and analyzing data from the MESSENGER mission to Mercury. MESSENGER, an autonomous spacecraft, is expected to reach the innermost planet in January.
Hauck, an assistant professor in geological sciences in the university's College of Arts and Sciences, is leading the six-year, $560,000 NASA-funded project. His research will use data from MESSENGER to refine information about Mercury's interior and how the planet has evolved. Andreas Ritzer, a doctoral graduate student, will also be involved in the project with Hauck.
"It's exciting to be involved in this project," Hauck said. "Data collected by MESSENGER will be critical to understanding how Mercury and terrestrial planets in general formed and evolved, and scientists will be studying these data for many years ahead."
As part of the project, Hauck has joined the mission science team that will guide the MESSENGER spacecraft's collection, calibration, initial analysis and archiving of data aimed at addressing major unanswered questions about Mercury's origin and history.
Posted on NEWS CENTER by Marsha Bragg at 10:05 AM | Comments (0)
Entry is tagged: Collaborations/Partnerships | College of Arts and Sciences | Environment | Faculty | Faculty | Grants | HeadlinesMain | Provost Initiatives | Research | Science
May 07, 2008
The Chronicle of Higher Education and the Cleveland Plain Dealer TechCollab 08 in SecondLife
A new and temporary media 'spin room' has been constructed on the lawn between Adelbert Hall and the Kelvin Smith Library on the Case Western Reserve University campus in beautiful Cleveland, Ohio. While the forecast is for rain tomorrow, the sun will be shining in SecondLife as more than 300 registered attendees will make their way through the construction sites on Euclid Avenue to the Thwing Center to participate in Technology Collaboration and Campus Engagement '08.
Not only will the sunshine be shining in SL with no construction sites and no hassle parking, we hope you will consider joining us for the day and take time to visit the press spin rooms that have been set up. Jeffrey R. Young from Chronicle will be in the Chronicle spin room and a number of different avatar/journalists from the Plain Dealer may 'drop in'.
In addition, we're pleased that NPR, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and Inside Higher Education will be taking time to navigate the construction sites and parking hassles and make their way into the grand ballroom to cover the summit.
See you inworld and/or in person tomorrow.
Lev Gonick
May 7, 2008
Case Western Reserve University
Posted on Bytes From Lev by Lev Gonick at 04:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
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