I’m reading a delightful history of chess, The Immortal Game, by David Shenk, and got to the chapter dealing with the dark side of chess: the fact that a small but significant number of top players throughout history have gone off the deep end -- including the famous American world champion Bobby Fisher.
As is usual with correlations (playing chess <=> your brain goes bonk), it is not clear which way the causality goes, if at all. It could be that playing chess at the highest levels affects the mind in negative ways; it may be that abnormal minds are more likely than others to be attracted by the game; or it could simply be that the correlation is spurious, i.e. non-causal.
I'm really happy to have been able to view and review The Atheism Tapes. This two-DVD set presents itself as the "leftovers" of the "Brief History of Disbelief", which included interviews from Dennett, Dawkins, Arthur Miller, etc. But in reality this is far more than the set of "deleted scenes".
What is presented in The Atheism Tapes are jewels of knowledge -- rare and valuable. To say I learned something is an understatement, as each speaker presented an interesting view of the world and how religion & Atheism play their respective roles. The fact that they are further helping the Cause with this promotion is a cherry on top.
I loved this DVD, and I'm sure to watch it over and over again.
An article in Saturday’s New York Times brought to our attention here at Alive Mind the intolerance in the U.S. armed services of soldiers who do not subscribe to traditional belief systems. In order to show our support for Jeremy Hall, our featured affiliate of the week is the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers. When you purchase a copy of The Atheism Tapes this week, we will make a $3.00 contribution to the MAAF.
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