September notes

Some notes of the day.

Do I believe evil exists? Sure.

Am I a hypocrite because I believe evil exists but don’t believe in God? Not hardly.

I believe evil exists because there is plenty of evidence. I also believe good exists for the same reason. The key is in the definition of terms. I don’t believe evil or good possess supernatural qualities, which makes the existence of God (or the Devil) unnecessary.

Therefore, I can stand shoulder to shoulder with religious believers who condemn the shooting of Catholic school children by a mental transexual (is there any other kind?), the callous and brutal killing of Iryna Zarutska by a savage knife-wielding criminal on a North Carolina train, and today’s senseless assassination of Charlie Kirk. We can both claim these acts as evidence of evil.

They may include a spiritual aspect in the definition, but I need not do the same.

So I Married An Axe Murderer - a very funny movie.

Have you heard of Euthyphro’s Dilemma? It is one of Plato’s dialogues in which a question is posed (I will paraphrase the question to relate to the quality of “Good”):

Is good loved by God because it is good, or is it good because God loves it?

If one accepts the first proposition, that God loves good because it is good, then good is a quality independent of God. But if one accepts the second proposition, that good is good because God loves it, then good is arbitrary and dependent on God’s authority.

Me? I accept the first proposition, that Good exists apart from any God one may worship.

We may find a corollary in Pedro’s Axiom: “Burritos are good because they are burritos, and the plate is hot because Pedro says so!”

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We’ve been camping out in the wilderness of northeast Washington state for the last week, enjoying an internet-free life, thin vault-toilet paper, brats, steaks over an open fire, a couple brews, and our two large dogs.

It was a great week away from everything, but it’s nice to be home where there's no need to use toilet paper by the yard.

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The updated personal bio on this page for yours truly is up. It’s mildly amusing, and a very short read.

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I’ve toiled away for the last month or so, waist-deep in code, and now can finally announce that my SIGMADOG shop is live. You can use the link to peruse original artwork; T-shirt designs; and Christmas cards for sale. I’ll add more in time, but that’s a good eighteen items to start.