Just want to say Happy Birthday to my good friend Alan and my younger brother Wasim, who are both celebrating their birthdays today!
Category Archives: Personal
Harry Potter, St. Augustine and the Confrontation with Evil
I was intrigued when I came across this talk by Jean Bethke Elshtain. Right at the beginning of the talk she argues that the language of evil, sin, horror and the like have been banished from the vocabulary of many elites in the west and particularly amongst the clergy. She goes on to suggest that its easier to talk about syndromes than about sin, or easier to talk about maladjustments than about evil, because evil seems archaic and elemental and too judgemental. Whilst some might find these assertions provocative they certainly piqued my interest.
During her talk Jean refers often to the works of Andrew Delbanco, and in particular to his book “The Death of Satan:How Americans have lost the sense of evil“. I haven’t read the book yet but from her talk it’s certainly one that I want to read. Jean states that Delbanco makes the assertion that:
Without evil we will abandon any notion of the sacred of that which should not be violated. Without evil it is difficult to articulate what is good … the repertoire of evil has never been richer but never have our responses been so weak. We have no language for connecting our inner lives with the horrors that pass before our eyes in the outer world.
We have no language for connecting our inner lives with the horrors that pass before our eyes … that’s quite profound and it’s a statement I’ve been pondering since first listening to this talk. Jean’s premise, if I’m interpreting it correctly, is that as a society or even culturally we are no longer able to talk about evil. It’s something that she maintains even children’s literature has shied away from, that it is perhaps too frightening for the young, or too judgemental. Evil, though, plays a central role in the Harry Potter books; it’s given a name, personified and confronted – I wonder if she considers this to be a more traditional view? She certainly uses the Harry Potter books as a vehicle to illustrate her points, and she does it very well. Now, whilst I have read the books and seen the movies, that isn’t the reason I found this talk so captivating. I found it interesting because of the theological questions and cultural issues she touches on. Of them all this is the most interesting …
If a good God created the earth, then how did evil enter into it.
It’s a question that theologians and philosophers have been fretting over since the likes of Irenaeus and St Augustine presented their theodicies on the subject. Theodicy is a specific branch of theology and philosophy that attempts to reconcile the existence of evil or suffering in the world with the assumption of a benevolent God. To try and understand the nature of the problem Augustine in his Confessions expressed the dilemma as such:
Either God cannot abolish evil, or he will not. If he cannot then he is not all-powerful. If he will not then he is not all-good
One way to view this is that a good God would eliminate evil as far as it is possible. If he is omnipotent then all evil should be eliminated. However, evil exists. So, why does God allow evil to continue?
I debated the issue with Amanda I think they’re was a difference of opinion I wont put words in her mouth but I struggled with the notion of Original Sin and I’m going to leave it to her to offer her views on this topic. From my point of view if Evil entered this world it’s because of our free will. I think that for man to respond freely to God, he must be able to make his own decisions. This means that ultimately, a man may choose to do good or commit moral evil. The reality is that no one is entirely good or entirely evil. To take this logically further this means that God cannot intervene to stop suffering because this would jeopardise human freedom and take away the need for responsibility and development.
From my limited reading on Theodicies I get the impression that my standpoint is more in line with Irenaeus view – he argued that Evil was the result of our free will – which I believe is also the Islamic view ( taken from here ):
the angels protested to God against man’s creation, but lost in a competition of knowledge against Adam, who was taught the names of all things. The Qur`an declares man to be the finest of all creatures and he willingly bore the trust which the heavens and the earth refused to bear. All of creation was subjected to man, who by virtue of the rational faculty with which he was endowed, was enjoined to, and entrusted with, the development of civilization. In such endeavor he may be, either righteous or corrupt, a monotheist or an unbeliever. As the Qur`an affirms, there is no compulsion in faith and religion; in other words, faith belongs to the domain of individual freedom and choice. Moreover, life and existence were not created in vain, but were brought into being so that God is obeyed and worshipped. Thus, Islam is profoundly teleological while affirming theodicy in creation.
It must be noted that Islam views human nature as fallible and faltering- that man is oppressive and prone to ignorance- despite his lofty station in the universe. By contrast to angels who are instinctively obedient to God, man is inclined to error. Pride is the cardinal sin of man- a sin which detracts man from submission to a unique God, and which makes him ascribe partners to Him. In Islam, the most heinous of transgressions is shirk or polytheism
As such it is at odds with St Augustine’s view which was that God created the world and at that time it was Good, and that Evil is a “privation of good”, in other words it isn’t an entity in itself – like blindness could be viewed as a privation of sight … that seems to resonate with something Amanda was saying that Evil “was a lack of something”.
Anyway this whole discussion has given me something to think about … and I do enjoy these philosophical debates with Amanda.
Are we still evolving … biologically?
Had a rather impassioned debate with Amanda this evening on the subject of whether we, humans as a species, are still evolving biologically. Or even whether or not we need to. I was arguing that the human race might very well be stagnating or reaching ( or have even reached ) an evolutionary impasse due to the fact that we aren’t being forced to adapt to our environment anymore. Humans are unique as a species in that we are able to change the environment around us (even destroy it) … critically though we are no longer forced, at a biological level, to adapt to it. I was also suggesting that we are evolving culturally and technologically and that we can see that certain pockets of humanity suffer more than others because of the rate at which they can absorb or adapt to cultural and especially technological advances.
Amanda was making the point that the advent of agriculture, arguably our first and most important technological advancement, might very well have been the point at which we no longer needed to adapt to survive in our environment. I’m no anthropologist but it certainly sounds reasonable. I said I was going to read a bit around the topic and try and rationalise my thoughts into a blog posting … as part of that I came cross this short piece by Marc West. I’m probably biased because, as Amanda will no doubt suggest, Marc makes almost exactly the same points I was except he does it much better than I did – even the notion that our biological evolution may very well be defined by some convergence between our biological bodies and technological enhancements – or as I put it to Amanda … the cyberisation of the human species.
It’s well worth reading Marc’s posting and the podcast and panel discussion he links to … it’s amusing because some of the ideas do seem far fetched but it’s still interesting and insightful.
Semantic web and other ramblings with some fellow Talisians over a curry …
Had a wonderful evening tonight, Ian invited us all out for a curry with Danny and his lovely wife Caroline. Unfortunately due to the short notice fewer of us were able to attend than I suspect Ian had hoped for. In fact it was only Danny, Caroline, Ian, Amanda and myself.
Danny and Caroline are both wonderful people – both are self confessed geeks and each has a diverse range of interests. I’ve been looking forward to being able to catch up with Danny; the last time we had a chat was at the Talis Summer Ball but that evening was full of frolics and not really the forum for any meaningful conversations about the future of the semantic web, the flexibility of RDF or FOAF and it’s value.
Danny’s a tinkerer – he likes to play with things, he likes to experiment with ideas and create things, which means he looks for new ways of thinking about old problems and in doing so I think he comes up with equally novel ideas on how to solve those problems. I really like that. Some of his ideas are fascinating, some just scary and others are simply beyond my grasp (but I im not worried about that as Danny said I’m still just a bloody youngster!) . Of course all this could just mean that he’s a total nutter … but guess what? if he is… then he’s come to the right place! 😉
I think I learnt a lot this evening about Danny, and a great deal from talking to him. He certainly has that infectious enthusiasm we’ve come to kind of expect from everyone in our team. But to top it all off he’s a great guy and I’m really looking forward to working more closely with him and hopefully learning a lot more from him now that he’s part of our team at Talis.
It’s been a great evening and I had a wonderful time! 🙂
Talis Summer Party
Had a wonderful evening last night at the Talis Summer Ball. The theme was a seventies, carribbean disco and there were some amazing costumes. I wish I had taken my camera with me, fortunatly plenty of others did and I’ll try to link through to some of their pictures when they are available.
It was a really wonderful evening!
A Note On The Word ‘Nigger’
Here’s an interesting essay by Randall Kennedy, Professor of Law at Harvard:
The term has been put to other uses. Some blacks, for instance, use “nigger” among themselves as a term of endearment. But that is typically done with a sense of irony that is predicated upon an understanding of the term’s racist origins and a close relationship with the person to whom the term is uttered. As Clarence Major observed in his Dictionary of Afro-American Slang (1970), “used by black people among themselves, [nigger] is a racial term with undertones of warmth and goodwill – reflecting…a tragicomic sensibility that is aware of black history.” Many blacks object, however, to using the term even in that context for fear that such usage will be misunderstood and imitated by persons insufficiently attuned to the volatility of this singularly complex and dangerous word.
It’s the final sentence of that passage, the one I have highlighted in bold, that has me wondering whether a young lady who uttered the word and at the time seemed to be motivated more by alcohol and adolescent stupidity rather than any malicious intent, should have been ejected from a television show.
Kennedy’s words are particularly poignant because we are, increasingly, living in a society where black performers in the music industry are using the word “nigger” so increasingly, it seems to permeate rap and hip hop music to the point that it is used so frequently in lyrics it’s become totally ubiquitous. It no longer seems to matter what the etymology of the word actually is … it’s become part of popular culture.
For example …
I love the artist Sissel, I think she has one of the most amazing voices I have ever heard. I remember not too long ago my younger brother was listening to a song in his car, he’s into rap and hip hop music – I’m not. The song had a good beat but there was nothing particularly great about it, unti Sissel starts singing the chorus in this glorious operatic voice that works so well with the beat. I listen to the song a lot, it has a permanent fixture in my On-The-Go play list on my iPod. So what’s the point I’m making? Here’s the video for the song … I want you to count the number of times Warren G uses the word “nigger” and also count the number of times the word “fuck” is bleeped out – and explain to me why one is censored but the other is perfectly acceptable?
I noticed that a spokesman for the Commission for Racial Equality commented on the Big Brother incident by stating: “whichever way you look at it using the ‘n’ word is offensive”. Well to that spokesman I would say if its that offensive shouldn’t we all stop using it? ( personally I think the most racist organisation in Great Britain is The Commission for Racial Equality, but that’s a whole different rant!).
I think that when words, not matter how offensive, are hijacked by popular culture, their meaning becomes skewed and this results in confusion. When is it ok to use the word nigger? Is it only black’s who should be allowed to use it? If its not ok then why should I have to hear it every time I listen to a rap song, or a hip hop song? Why should I have to see it on the screen when I play Grand Theft Auto?
If the meaning of a word has become confused then surely the context and the intent with which the word is used should be what is used to determine whether we label the one using it as racist.
We listen but will we ever understand?
“The ink of the scholars is worth more than the blood of the martyrs”
The Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)
I wonder if the prophet would have imagined a time when Islamic scholars would, themselves, put an end to scholarly exploration, investigation, innovation, or even criticism? Have elements both within the Islamic faith and outside of it succeeded, so completely, in polarising opinions and distorting our faith to the extent where we no longer recognise who we are or what we are becoming … as we, all of us muslim and non muslim, are forced to march inexorably to our doom.
The Hollow Men
I
We are the hollow men
We are the stuffed men
Leaning together
Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!
Our dried voices, when
We whisper together
Are quiet and meaningless
As wind in dry grass
Or rats’ feet over broken glass
In our dry cellarShape without form, shade without colour,
Paralysed force, gesture without motion;Those who have crossed
With direct eyes, to death’s other Kingdom
Remember us — if at all — not as lost
Violent souls, but only
As the hollow men
The stuffed men.II
Eyes I dare not meet in dreams
In death’s dream kingdom
These do not appear:
There, the eyes are
Sunlight on a broken column
There, is a tree swinging
And voices are
In the wind’s singing
More distant and more solemn
Than a fading star.Let me be no nearer
In death’s dream kingdom
Let me also wear
Such deliberate disguises
Rat’s coat, crowskin, crossed staves
In a field
Behaving as the wind behaves
No nearer —Not that final meeting
In the twilight kingdomIII
This is the dead land
This is cactus land
Here the stone images
Are raised, here they receive
The supplication of a dead man’s hand
Under the twinkle of a fading star.Is it like this
In death’s other kingdom
Waking alone
At the hour when we are
Trembling with tenderness
Lips that would kiss
Form prayers to broken stone.IV
The eyes are not here
There are no eyes here
In this valley of dying stars
In this hollow valley
This broken jaw of our lost kingdomsIn this last of meeting places
We grope together
And avoid speech
Gathered on this beach of the tumid riverSightless, unless
The eyes reappear
As the perpetual star
Multifoliate rose
Of death’s twilight kingdom
The hope only
Of empty men.V
Here we go round the prickly pear
Prickly pear prickly pear
Here we go round the prickly pear
At five o’clock in the morning.Between the idea
And the reality
Between the motion
And the act
Falls the ShadowFor Thine is the Kingdom
Between the conception
And the creation
Between the emotion
And the response
Falls the ShadowLife is very long
Between the desire
And the spasm
Between the potency
And the existence
Between the essence
And the descent
Falls the Shadow
For Thine is the KingdomFor Thine is
Life is
For Thine is theThis is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.by T.S. Eliot
Stop Child Executions
http://www.stopchildexecutions.com
I can’t say that I entirely oppose the death penalty, but I firmly believe there can be no justification for the execution of children. I understand that some of these children have committed crimes that are abhorrent but I’m forced to question whether it’s right to impose the death penalty upon youngsters who are by definition immature and not necessarily able to fully comprehend the consequences of their actions.
Jumpcut: Creating a photo flip book online
Jumpcut is a really cool online service that allows you to create movies with a soundtrack comprised of images that you either upload or import from an existing flickr account. It’s really simple to use, in fact I learnt about it on PhotoJojo who provide a very simple tutorial that steps you through what you need to do.
Below is an example I created really quickly by importing my photos of kashmir from my flickr account. The background music is my bamboo flute, ive overlayed the same track twice ( it didnt run the entire duration of the movie, so you’ll hear two flutes playing about half way through – sounds beautiful tho!). It took about 3 minutes to create this, I used one of the built in transitions but I could have easily spent time varying the transitions between each picture as well as the duration that each picture is show. It’s an incredibly simple tool to use, and has the immediate effect of bringing your photo’s to life.
Have a play around on jumpcut.com and try it for yourself, I think it’s a great way of sharing your photos.