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Yesterday afternoon I allowed myself an hour off from my usual routine to view an hour-long YouTube video wherein Professor Richard Dawkins reveals how he came to write his explosive first book The Selfish Gene, a work that was to divide the scientific community and make him the most influential evolutionary biologist of his generation. He also explores how this set him on the path to becoming an outspoken spokesman for atheism.
I found this BBC presentation to be both entertaining and informative, a combination of personal pleasures not often granted me. I enjoyed it immensely.
The Selfish Gene
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WORD FOR TODAY
spiritual
adj.
1. Of, relating to, consisting of, or having the nature of spirit; not tangible or material.
2. Of, concerned with, or affecting the soul.
3. Of, from, or relating to God; deific.
4. Of or belonging to a church or religion; sacred.
5. Relating to or having the nature of spirits or a spirit; supernatural.
The word 'spiritual' denotes a concept I am unable to comprehend. Whenever I read its definition or hear it described the idea will not take concrete form within the sphere of my understanding. I cannot separate some imaginary mental-only me from the solid mas of the physical me. All is one.
At Wikipedia I am told:
Most Christians understand the soul as an ontological reality distinct from, yet integrally connected with, the body. Its characteristics are described in moral, spiritual, and philosophical terms. According to a common Christian eschatology, when people die, their souls will be judged by God and determined to spend an eternity in Heaven or in Hell.
Nonsense.
To me, my spirit, my soul, are merely synonyms for my self.
Simple as that.
Wikipedia also tells me: When modern scientists speak of the soul outside of this cultural and psychological context, they generally treat soul as a poetic synonym for mind.
Well, hurrah for the scientist.
"What then is human life?" I ask.
And I answer:
"Life is an accumulation of chemical elements and compounds that combine and react together in a natural manner for a specific duration and then disperse."
Simple as that.
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At what exact moment does death occur? When the heart stops beating? When brain waves go flat? When breathing stops?
An intriguing article in Salon addresses the question.
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BORN ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Born April 28, 1926
Author of To Kill A Mockingbird
ALSO
Born April 28, 1948
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre.
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There is nothing so ridiculous but some philosopher has said it.
--Cicero
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