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In praise of idleness by Bertrand Russell

Is it Ok to think? is on Instagram. Here are some of the best posts so far. If you are on Instagram be sure to follow because when inspiration strikes, it is highly likely that something will be published there first, simply because I might feel that it’s too small a thought to warrant a full blog post. You’ll notice that some have very few likes. This is because at the beginning you don’t have so many followers, but they are still included because I feel they are essentially good.

Below each post is a small comment about it. Also, while I’m here I want to tank some of the people who are following since the beginning.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Kill all Normies by Angela Nagle. We absolutely must understand what drives the alt-right, which factors have enabled their rise and how to drive them back to their caves and under their rocks. I still believe that we should not give in to panic and that keeping a cool and analytical head is the way to do that. I believe that reason and rationality will prevail over what they have to offer - return to the age of intolerance and fear of those who are different. We might or might not be playing catch up but people who cherish liberal values have won over the far right many times and we will win again. I believe the answer is still politics and democratic process because humans might be emotional creatures, quick to react but we are also intelligent beings who if properly motivated can see that cooperation is the only way to ensure continued survival of our species. We can do this. #photooftheday #library #booklover #plot #kindle #paper #climax #booknerd #bookme #page #booknow #pages #instaread #imagine #reader #bookporn #instabook #bookstore #bookstagram #reading #bookaholic #instagood #nook #story #book #bookshelf #literature #read #spirituality

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I recently read this book. The rise of the far and alt-Right is a big problem in our world so it makes sense for us all to try to understand where do they come from and try to decide how to best counter their ideas. This book explains that really good so if you're interested in this topic - and you should be as it doesn't look like they are going away - you should read it.

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Bertrand Russell is surely one of the people who I admire, so there’ll be some quotes from this extraordinary man. Here is his thought about how it really doesn’t make sense for god to be offended when somebody simply uses the “tools” he gave them.

If you are good only because a book tells you to, or because you are afraid to burn in hell, are you really, really good? An Atheist is, on the other hand definitely good because she wants to be good.

Exactly. If you don’t really believe that God created the world in 6 days, then do you really, really have a reason to believe that a carpenter rose from the dead?

Time to let go of the guilt?

I wrote about this book here already but it's so good that I must mention it here as well. If you care at all about the big questions in philosophy you should not miss this one.

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Indeed. Morality predates religion and can even be explained through natural means. We evolved to be kind to one another. This can be explained through being good to people in your group increases your chances of survival. This behaviour then misfired to include altruism and selflessness. Not only that, but we evolved the capacity for reason, which means we can use our brain to decide that we should care about others.

Do I need to tell you just how big of a problem fake news is? This book will show you that it's even worse than many of us thought but it also gives us recipes on how to handle it. Highly recommended.

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This is an attempt to show to religious people that if they give up their imaginary friend, they didn't almost lose anything. They simply grew up and found inspiration in reality.

You can quickly dismiss any argument that does not bring evidence to the table. And what's more, by doing this you are not being dishonest, you simply value your time. This argument was inspired by Christopher Hitchens (look Up Hitchens' Razor) and Neil deGrasse Tyson.

There is plenty of inspiration in the godless universe. For a quick shot of awe, simply look up!

I love to throw in random cool facts from science out there.

It is not exactly honest to start from the premise that something must be false. This will only take you in one direction and this is not how you get to the real truth.

 

People have always been afraid of change. Here and now is not perfect, but it is stable. It is reliable. It is dependable. The future may seem strange and unknown and scary and it might include things that make you uncomfortable, it might include things you personally do not like. But please try to see past that and try to have faith in humanity. The fact is that the World is now better than before. Generally speaking, there are fewer childhood deaths than before, there are fewer deaths from preventable diseases, we as a species are more sensitive to problems of minorities, we are more concerned about animals, we are more socially aware and sensitive to injustice. This progress was not easy to make, it was painful, but we did it. We now turn to the needs of our planet which needs our help, we turn to address problems of people that are not able to live in their homes, we turn to eradicating remaining preventable diseases, we turn to the problems of less fortunate, we turn to try to give even more rights and justice to people who love each other and want the ability to continue to do so. We turn to continue increasing happiness on a global scale. These are all worthy causes. This should be our future. Do not be afraid. #atheist #atheism #altruism #genderequality #lgbt #instalove #instagood #happy #future #humanism #humanist #secular #secularism #sad #love #good #rambling #sunday #sundayvibes #thoughts #spiritual #spirituality #instahappy #love #science #book #goodwithoutgod #walloftext #weekend #Instadaily

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In this case, this post was published to Instagram first and then copied to the site. It was inspired by Star Trek and by the realization that the world we live in is not so bad, especially considering how far we have come.

 

Of course, unfortunately, some need to be killed, lest they kill innocent people first. If innocent people die, it is a moral duty to stop this. Defense is a matter of survival. But, still ... Can we dare to dream about the time when humans will be advanced enough not to go to war? This would mean conquering our violent impulses toward one another, this would mean practicing a dialogue. Even in this day and age, it seems humans are rational enough not to go to war. People can be against so-called globalization, but it does not seem wars will end without all humanity coming to a kind of agreement about how to solve problems between countries..It must be possible for humans to work together and still keep their identities. We must believe that we are capable of this. Yes, it might take an unbelievably long time, but as that quote says, every journey must begin by a single step. Today that step, unfortunately, means only fighting hard to keep safe what we already achieved and not allowing hate, bigotry and tribalism to return. We as individuals do have the power. We have the power to think and to vote reasonably. With enough people being reasonable, this is a force capable of changing the World, even by a tiny bit. #atheist #atheism #atheistsofinstagram #dreaming #quote #reading #book #bertrandrussell #quotestoliveby #instagood #humanism #humanist #secular #secularism #good #goodwithoutgod #nogod #nogodrequired #instalove #instadaily #happy #sad #peace #love #think #agnostic #bookstagram #atheismftw #read

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Sometimes, you do have to dream. Can we dare to dream about World Peace?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

It is better not to start reading Bertrand Russell on a work day, you do need sleep to function at work. ☺ Granted, if you get fired, you will indeed have more time, but sadly, cashiers do usually ask for money. 😊 But, seriously, ICYMI, or in case you just joined, reading Bertrand Russell cannot be recommended enough. You will not only get smarter, but also better as a person. 💖 #atheist #atheism #atheists #humanist #humanism #humanists #goodwithoutgod #instagood #secular #secularism #agnostic #agnosticism #instalove #spirituality #spiritual #evolution #science #good #instagood #happy #sad #book #love #spirituality #reading #bookstagram #books #booksofinstagram #bertrandrussell #philosophy #bookshelf

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This might be one of my very favourite philosophy books because it's accessible and written for the general audience. I already talked about it in the post about Blackburn's wonderful book 'Think'.

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This book is not a very casual read if you are an omnivore. It will make you question things you think you know about scientific research on animals and about morality of using them for food. But as Kafka argued, we should not read to make ourselves happy or comfortable but to challenge our ideas. This book will certainly do that.

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The moon landings prove that we humans can do anything when we work together. This brilliant quote captures that human spirit beautifully.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Still on vacation, just dropped by to post a pic and write a line about what will I be reading next. This book will probably not be an entirely casual beach read for me, since there are rumors that author does not describe humanism in favourable light. But the fascinating topic and recommendations of this book by both Barrack Obama and Bill Gates are more than enough reasons to take a look at it. In the end, the best books to read are those that make you uncomfortable. #atheism #atheist #atheists #vacation #smile #instalove #instagood #urlaub #book #reading #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #atheismftw #humanist #humanism #love #happy #pictureoftheday #instadaily #instahappy #science #bookshelf #books #bookphotography #sad #imageoftheday #picoftheday

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This might be the best book I have read in the past few years. I will do a blog post about it in the future but for now, it's enough to say that it will teach you about human history, make you question the very fabric of our society, the role of religion, countries, empires, science through history. It will inspire you, make you uncomfortable, blow your mind. It's really quite an adventure and it will be very hard for you to put it down.

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For us living in the northern hemisphere - autumn is almost here. Many would say that it is a depressing time of the year because it's all about death. But we can prefer to look at this process as a process of change, casting out what is not needed, so the truly important can survive. And we might choose to find beauty in this process of change and rebirth. 🍂 Change is what this life is all about. After all, a younger version of you is dead. Yet, it seems you are still here. 🍁 Let us enjoy this life while it lasts and try to find something beautiful in everything we experience, for our little adventure will be over quickly. #art #quote #poetry #autumn #loveyourself #love #instalove #happy #atheism #atheist #sad #leaves #tree #instahappy #good #instagood #quotestoliveby #picoftheday #instadaily #spiritual #spirituality #humanism #humanist #book #pictureoftheday

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I took this photo myself and I think that together with this quote it really does show the beauty of autumn. We should not consider it a time of death, but a time of change and reflection.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

We are incredibly lucky to have the capacity to think, to reason, to use logic, it's almost a crime against nature if we don't do it. It is my opinion that we all have a duty to ourselves to think about or maybe even struggle with the important questions. Yes, life is generally hard and it's hard to find the will and the time to do it, but we should try and find the time, because at the end, it's very, VERY rewarding to know that you did your best, heard the majority of the arguments, informed yourself and are now holding a opinion which you did not simply take from your local priest or teacher, but have actually bothered to reach yourself. 📚 #book #whisky #reading #science #atheist #atheism #space #good #happy #sad #instagood #instalove #love #books #bookshelf #booksofinstagram #instadaily #whiskey #picoftheday #read #bookworm #booklover #instalike #instamood #secular #secularism #bookstagram #beautiful

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I absolutely love this book. I got the Kindle version so I can come back to it any time I want, even on the move. It's a careful examination of the most relevant ethical problems in our world with the author's conclusions and trains of thought perfectly described. It touches upon abortion, animal welfare, the problem of killing, whether civil disobedience is justified etc. It's really quite profound and if you're interested at all in how we are to live, this is the book for you.

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There's really not much to say about this quote as it really hits the point. The huge number of times when religious people say God doesn't like something, it's not so much the Bible speaking - it's their prejudice.

This is the post I made a few hours after I heard that Dr Stephen Hawking passed away. 'A Brief History of Time' is perhaps my favourite book of all time since it was the first one ever to show me that we humans are so special that we're able to think, ask questions and look for answers about the very nature of space and time itself.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Just wanted to be remind everyone again to read this book. I finished it weeks ago, yet I find myself opening it from time to time just to remind myself about the subtelties of various arguments and their criticism. Mostly I do it while reading the 'Arguing about gods' from Oppy, and other books, just to compare the lines of thought. There is lot to gain from doing this, because even when two authors agree, they oftenky agree because of different reasons. One author finds one thing more problematic that the other... It's really quite an adventure. If you feel you have outgrown so-called 'new atheism', then you might want to read this, I guarantee, you will not be disappointed. #atheist #atheism #love #happy #quote #book #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #book #bookshelf #quotestoliveby #sad #nature #instagood #instahappy #good #instadaily #picoftheday #instalove #spiritual #spirituality #like #like4like #likeforlike #picoftheday #pictureoftheday #women #think #saturday #weekend

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Whether or not you would agree with the title, as it shows not only where theist arguments fail, but also where are some errors in atheist arguments. If you are interested in the matters of God's existence, and do want to move beyond the basics, you do not want to miss this one.

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I rarely talk about the same book twice, but this one is really 💯 The author is truly careful to examine all arguments not only in themselves, but he also points out what happens to the other arguments if you accept that one. For example - how certain defences from evil cut possible theists responses when arguing for fine tuning. But he also shows where atheist arguments are weak. It's truly 'Arguing about Gods' The only weakness is - it's not for beginners. You should read an philosophy introduction book before attempting this one, but if you feel you are ready to go even deeper I highly recommend this one. #atheist #atheism #love #happy #quote #book #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #books #bookshelf #instagood #instahappy #good #instadaily #picoftheday #instalove #spiritual #spirituality #bookshelf #read #reading #readingtime #instadaily #picoftheday #instalove #pictureoftheday #instabook #think #thinking #spirituality

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I cannot recommend this book enough. If you really want to lead an honest life and are interested in both atheist and theist arguments and where they might go wrong this is the book to read. It is maybe leaning on the atheist side as the author is an atheist, but it shows weaknesses on both sides. It even tries to show that Agnosticism is not a gutless position as some might maintain. Again, it is seriously a book about arguing about gods.

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From my visit to the Technik Museum Speyer. Yes, I can be excited by the steel tubes :)

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