It is Man's intelligence that sets the species apart from the other animals and gives him power to change the environment, yet most of Man's actions are prompted by emotion rather than intelligence; sadly, this is greatly to the detriment of the planet.
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This world could be a good world, a sane world, fair, just, moral. Why is it not? Apathy, selfishness and ignorance: lust for power and money are forms of selfishness, the short-sightedness that stops the world dealing with the climate change problem and causes governments to make decisions that make no sense in the long-term is a form of ignorance. The belief that one is absolutely right or has access to infallible knowledge – whether it be in the Bible, Koran, Mein Kampf, or anywhere else – is a very dangerous thing, and such people can do, and have done, great harm; the belief in infallibility is perhaps the worst form of ignorance.
The most important word in my philosophy is doubt. I have developed many ideas and opinions on these pages since I started writing them in 2001, but all are open to change. I'm pretty sure that the Earth is round, about equally sure that there is no God and that we do not have immortal souls, but I admit that I may be wrong.
Truth, ethics, ethical government, and care for our environment are fundamental needs. The alternative to developing an entirely sustainable way of interacting with our environment is a collapse such as those that history has recorded in civilisations that have disappeared – because their peoples didn't live sustainably.
If you want justice – not just for yourself, but big justice – you have to fight for it continuously. If you chose the alternative, apathy, don't complain about injustice; and remember that it is often those who govern, whether legally and constitutionally, or by default, through the power they wield over the govenors, who are the greatest enemies of the common man. Those who govern like to cast outsiders as the enemy, this is often a smoke-screen, xenophobia diverts the attention of the plebs from the real problems, which are often much closer to home.
This site was written in Australia from an Australian perspective.
(For US citizens – Australia is not to be
confused with Austria; it is a predominantly English speaking [well, a
form of English anyway] large island nation [almost as big as your own
country!] on the bottom side of the world.
I am not an admirer of the USA.)
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A nation pays for a war a long time A sign of the times? Abkhazia and South Ossetia Abortion: ethics of Addicted to cheap energy Algae powered transport Alliances or neutrality Alternative energy: can it compete Altruism Ambur Palace, Jaipur Anger and hatred Arms business Assassinations Australian population Balancing the grid with car batteries Bali and Islamic intolerance Bentham on the rights of animals Best interests Better government Bible: who wrote it? Building for a longer life CFCs CGSim CO2 abatement calculation CO2 calculated from distance travelled CO2 calculated from electricity used CO2 calculated from fuel used CO2 production calculation CO2 released per kWh Calculate the efficiency of your cooler Calling God Allah Camel and needle Capitalism Cattle feed lots China Chinese Government Christian intolerance Christian values and virtues City and country Climate change denial Climate change deniers Coal gasification Coal liquefaction Combined cycle Commuting by bicycle Compartmentalised minds Compressed air car Concepts Consumption and the cars we drive Contras Corporate greed Corruption of government Cost of a house Creation science Death Democracy Democratic UN Diesel powered generators Dioxin in Vietnam Divining history Divining success rate Does Islam export misery? Doubt Drive a smaller car Drive more slowly Eating meat Either God or rationality Electric car Electric ships Electricity from firewood End of petroleum meets greenhouse End of war Energy content of fuels Energy costs Energy density Energy density of some batteries Energy from wood Energy return on investment Ethanol and sugar Ethical government Ethics from Christian history Ethics in the Bible Extraordinary rendition Fasting Feed people or SUVs? Firewood-overpopulation-greenhouse-air pollution Firewood: Environmental disadvantages Firewood and destruction of habitat Firewood and destruction of live trees Firewood and exercise Firewood and greenhouse Firewood and overpopulation Firewood and smoke Firewood into liquid fuel Firewood power station? First Gulf War Flying Spaghetti Monster Flywheel energy storage Fossil fuels Fossil fuels Fukushima Gardening in our genes? Genocide Geosequestration Geothermal Giving your life for a cause Global citizenship Global dimming God and the Christmas ham Golden Rule Good and bad people Good deed debt Green electricity Greener coal Greenhouse emissions by transport type Greenhouse intensity Greenhouse table: nations Growing trees Land required Guantanamo Bay Gulf of Tonkin incident Honesty Hot dry rock Hot dry rock How do we define good? How should we live our lives? Humanity and Fossil Fuels Hydrogen powered transport If fewer people drive Ignorance in Australian Parliament Ignorance versus science Immortal soul International aid and the USA Introduction Introduction Iraq: war crimes Iraq War: Failure to keep order Iraq War continues Iraq war: Chemical weapons Iraq war: Comments from prominent people Iraq war: Effect on terrorism Iraq war: Opposition in Australia Iraq war: Recruiting Is God real? Is terrorism convenient for government? Islam and art Islam and rights Islam and women's rights Islamic nations are backward Jaipur Observatory Jared Diamond - environmental disasters Kulu Valley Land mines Land ownership Less aggression between nations Loss of mangroves Manali Means justified by end? Meme Metric system multipliers Micro hydro Mining Mount Abu Mulesing sheep Muslim dress code and vitamin D My Lai Massacre Need for a World Government No evidence for god No level playing field Nuclear, conventional Nuclear, fast Nuclear fusion Nuclear terrorism Nuclear test deaths Nuclear weapon accident Ocean acidification Oil from mallee Oil shale Oil wars or solar? One child policy One god, or more? Our civilisation is unsustainable Our gardens Our houses Overpopulation Overpopulation: Australia Payload ratio Peak oil Pedigree dogs Perpetuation of war Petrol powered generators Pollution from cars Population: How to limit it? Power generating costs, comparative Precautionary principle Prisons in the USA Proper disposal of rubbish Psychology of climate change Publication Rebuilding Iraq Recycle or reuse References References Refutation of arguments for God Reliance on technology Religion and other false beliefs Religion compared to a virus Religion is a superstition Religions have caused great harm Responsibilities of voters Responsibility of wealth Reva electric car Reward and punishment in religion Right of a child to behave like a child Road to Rohtang Pass Rohtang Pass Rubbishing Gallipoli SA EPA Saudi Arabia becoming unstable School of the Americas Science and climate change Science in practice Scientific method Sexism and Racism Shade for livestock Shale oil Shipping container house Simla Simla airport Simla train Small capitalism Small petroleum-powered generators Solar chimney Solar photovoltaic Solar powered evaporative air cooling Solar thermal Solar water heating Storing electricity Storing solar energy; A method Suppose we have a soul Taiwan Independence Tar sands Teach ethics in schools Ten Commandments and rape Terrorism: causes Terrorism: cures Terrorism and nuclear waste Terrorism and religion Terrorism defined Terrorism in Australia in perspective Terrorism in perspective The need to own our gardens Thermodynamics, first law Thermodynamics, second law Tibet Torture: should it be used? Torture in US prisons Torture in the USA Tragedy of the Commons Trespass? USA misleads its own people USSR-End of Cold War US supporting terrorism in Iran US use of torture USians Ugly American Use of daylight Uzbekistan Variable price electricity Vehicles of the future Voluntary euthanasia Water and home heating: wood-fired Water heater: solar Water heater: wood-fired Water heater: wood-fired drum Water heating: solar ponds Water in coal Weapons of mass destruction Weight-to-power ratio What if everybody did that? What is the answer? What standard of ethics? Where is God? Who are the worst thieves? Who sold Saddam his weapons? Why I do not believe in God Why a war with Iraq? Why do I write these pages? Why isn't God good? Wood fired heating Wood powered transport World government |
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