The Bigelow Essays

All 29 essays that won a prize are now published here.  I've only read the top essay, although I am not particularly impressed by it.   I'll be reviewing it in the near future in my other blog.  I'll probably end up reviewing one or two of the others too, but I'll pick and choose the best.  But it's going to take an eternity to read them all.

On that note, Keith Augustine and Michael Sudduth are going to have their work cut out finding time to read them all and then castigating them all!  😁

Apple aims to launch self-driving electric car in 2025

Just read the following article:

Apple aims to launch self-driving electric car in 2025, says report

Article says:

Bloomberg reported that the ambitious targets have been set by Field’s replacement, the Apple Watch software executive Kevin Lynch. He is aiming for a fully self-driving car within four years// He can aim, but it will be a spectacular miss.

He can aim, but it'll be a spectacular miss.

Slagging off world-renowned physicists.

I get people antagonistic towards me as I apparently "slate and slag off" world-renowned physicists. I guess when they say "slate and slag off" they mean my impartial assessment of their pontifications on various philosophical issues. And why do they get angry? Because these world-renowned physicists have achieved vastly more than me. Peculiar that we live in a world where certain individuals, due to their fame, are allowed to spout arrant nonsense and one isn't allowed to draw attention to this.

Competition for the best essay on the evidence for an afterlife

The results of a competition for the best essay on the evidence for the existence of an afterlife.

 Announcement BICS EssayContest November 1, 2021

1st Prize	Jeffrey Mishlove Ph.D.	$500,000
2nd Prize	Pim van Lommel M.D.	$300,000
3rd Prize	Leo Ruickbie Ph.D.	$150,000
	Michael Tymn	$  50,000
	Stephen Braude Ph.D.	$  50,000
	Nicolas Rouleau Ph.D.	$  50,000
	Bernardo Kastrup Ph.D.	$  50,000
	Elizabeth Krohn	$  50,000
	Sharon Rawlette Ph.D.	$  50,000
	Jeffrey Long M.D.	$  50,000
	Michael Nahm Ph.D.	$  50,000
	Julie Beischel Ph.D.	$  50,000
	Alexandre Rocha Ph.D. et al.	$  50,000
	David Rousseau Ph.D. et al.	$  50,000
	Robert Mays et al	$  20,000
	Chris Carter	$  20,000
	Steve Taylor Ph.D.	$  20,000
	Christopher Kerr M.D., Ph.D.	$  20,000
	Bruce Leininger	$  20,000
	Vernon Neppe M.D., Ph.D.	$  20,000
	Helane Wahbeh N.D. et al.	$  20,000
	Chris Roe Ph.D. et al	$  20,000
	Peter Fenwick M.D. et al	$  20,000
	Walter Meyer zu Erpen	$  20,000
	Akila Weerasekera Ph.D.	$  20,000
	Greg Taylor	$  20,000
	Nick Cook	$  20,000
	Andreas Sommer Ph.D.	$  20,000
	Sam Parnia M.D. Ph.D. et al	$  20,000

I don't know why in our culture there is this obsessive focus on evidence.  We live in a science obsessed culture that doesn't seem to understand that evidence is often viewed through the lens of certain metaphysical suppositions about the world, and certainly this is the case with the question of whether there is an afterlife.

The sticking point for acceptance of an afterlife is the widespread belief that an afterlife is an extraordinary claim. Just looking at the evidence does nothing to address this.  In particular, people are convinced that the fact a damaged brain leads to a damaged mind entails that the brain must somehow produce the mind. So the philosophical considerations are crucial. It doesn't seem that these people understand this though.  

I also note that most of these people that have won a prize I've heard of, and most have a  Ph.D after their name. If they really were looking for the best essay, it seems kind of coincidental that all these people are already renowned for writing about this sort of stuff. Which suggests that whether or not you win a prize is more dependent on who you are than how impressive the essay is.

My other blog has many essays addressing the philosophical issues.