Books... Of The Present!

Here's another endorsement of a great series of sci-fi books.

The Hyperion Cantos, which is made up of four books, Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, and The Rise of Endymion.

I haven't read them for a while, but I'm rereading them.  All I remember is that it is the most epic sci-fi story ever told.  It'd be like if John Keat's poetry, Canterbury Tales, Lord of the Rings, and Isaac Asimov had a baby.  Then that baby became god and created a perfect universe.  That would be the Hyperion Cantos.

Books... Of The Future!

I've decided to get an ebook reader for my birthday. I read far too much for paper books to be efficient anymore. Now the only problem is, I can't choose between the Kindle, and the Sony Ebook Reader. The Kindle is incredibly convenient and has way more features... doesn't really seem like a huge problem, eh? Well it is, because the Sony is so much prettier.

Meh... I guess I'll just get the Kindle and deal with the ugly. I just wish it didn't have that stupid keyboard. It's a f*cking ebook reader... what do I need to type on it?!?

Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes?

Watchmen... Quite possibly the greatest graphic novel... no, the greatest thing ever written. I've said it before and I'll say it again, absolutely brilliant, poetic... necessary. If you haven't read it, you need to. Seriously... I can't stress it enough. Read it, then read it again. Read it until you can recite every line from every page, until you can pick out the symbolism from a mile away. I honestly can't explain how incredible it is. Please... just read it? It's got some heavy atheistic overtones... but beyond that it's pure awesomeness...

Philosophy Time!

By reader request, I will be doing a philosophy post! (I have to please my reader(s?)) For those of you who don't know much about philosophy, it's basically the art of making yourself look like a jackass. So, here it goes.

I'm not sure if the argument is becoming more popular or if I'm just seeing it more often, but people really like using this one: "What is the meaning of life if you're an atheist?" Most people don't even dignify this with a response, but it's one of my favorite questions to answer!

First of all, atheism doesn't give you a reason to live. It is merely the belief that there is no god. So asking what the meaning of life is for an atheist is a purely personal question. Second of all, the question implies that believing in god gives you a reason to live. Let's examine this claim, shall we?

This is the part where I need to be incredibly wary of strawmen. If I do happen to make such a grievous logical fallacy, please tell me.

If you think that god gives your life meaning, you can answer the question of "What is god's meaning?" in two ways,

1. God is the ultimate meaning, he has and needs no meaning above and beyond himself.
I'm almost tempted to overlook this answer, since it seems obviously contradictory, but in the spirit of philosophical discussion, I'll explain. Objective meaning is a false concept. There is nothing that is "ultimate," be it morality, physicality, or meaning. Everything is relative. Perhaps god has the most meaning out of anything we know, but that's nothing special. Without the concept of ultimate meaning you may as well worship your T.V. remote, because god is just as meaningless as you.
or
2. God's purpose is higher than 'himself' and we can't comprehend it.
It almost seems like no one would use this argument; it's so self-refuting, but they do. If god has a higher purpose, said higher purpose must also have a higher purpose, or it would bring us back to option 1. It's an infinite regression.

That was a much shorter post than I was expecting... If anyone is confused, please speak up! I'll gladly elaborate.
Also, any suggestions for future philosophy posts (or any posts for that matter) would be greatly appreciated!

More Atheism In Cyanide and Happiness!

If you don't think this comic is funny, it only means you're still human.

(It's not called depressing comic week for nothing).

And if you do think this comic is funny, well, join the club.

Some Personal Poetry

I guess I'm going to start posting some poems on here... You don't have to read them, they're really more for me.


Forever

It wasn't even close to 'forever,'
Not even close to a lifetime.

A part of me was always afraid of this,
But I choked him to death,
Unnecessarily it seems,
(You were right, you SOB).
It was uttered so much,
With so much passion,
It felt sincere.

Truth is infinitely more painful,
Especially when it isn't true.

Faith Based Foolery

"...the inability to believe in God and to live by faith is the greatest of evils."

Or so says Archbishop Vincent Nichols. I disagree wholeheartedly, in fact, I think it's the exact opposite. Living by faith is the greatest evil. Maybe he should take a leap of faith... of a cliff.

Happiness, Your Name Is Cyanide... And Happiness

Cyanide and Happiness is a hilarious, politically incorrect comic with a cynical outlook on life.
Here's a snippet: