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DrZoidberg

DrZoidberg

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Is there a today active writer/journalist who is the equivalent of Hitchens, or George Orwell. Always refusing to pick a side other than what he himself feels is right. Somebody who constantly gets picked for teams who then go onto making his stay uncomfortable by criticising the team. '

The world needs people like that more than ever, but I can't think of a single one. Everybody writing today seems to have very clear labels, and are reluctant to offend their side. Neil DeGrasse Tyson is the closest I can think of. But he's hardly prickly and strident. He's a tad too nice for what I'm thinking of.

Any suggestions?
 
DrZoidberg said:
Is there a today active writer/journalist who is the equivalent of Hitchens, or George Orwell. Always refusing to pick a side other than what he himself feels is right. Somebody who constantly gets picked for teams who then go onto making his stay uncomfortable by criticising the team. '

The world needs people like that more than ever, but I can't think of a single one. Everybody writing today seems to have very clear labels, and are reluctant to offend their side. Neil DeGrasse Tyson is the closest I can think of. But he's hardly prickly and strident. He's a tad too nice for what I'm thinking of.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...


Perhaps Lawrence Krause. Or Stephan Law.
 
There are a lot of pretenders to the throne, but none who fit the bill. The problem is that Hitchens was an academic first and a political commentator second, which doesn't exactly line up with today's youtube multiverse cult of personalities.

Who needs to be an academic when you can be a forty year old prick of a failed comic like Jimmy Dore, or a bitchy elitist cunt like Lauren Southern.
 
Hitches was a fake. He was a drunk.

In his later years he became an ignorant supporter of the US attack of Iraq.

We don't need anymore of his kind.

We need real Orwells.

People who stay focused on what the powerful are doing to the powerless.

Not cheerleaders of immoral invasions.

Comments below begin at 2:12.

 
Cheerful Charlie said:
DrZoidberg said:
Is there a today active writer/journalist who is the equivalent of Hitchens, or George Orwell. Always refusing to pick a side other than what he himself feels is right. Somebody who constantly gets picked for teams who then go onto making his stay uncomfortable by criticising the team. '

The world needs people like that more than ever, but I can't think of a single one. Everybody writing today seems to have very clear labels, and are reluctant to offend their side. Neil DeGrasse Tyson is the closest I can think of. But he's hardly prickly and strident. He's a tad too nice for what I'm thinking of.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...


Perhaps Lawrence Krause. Or Stephan Law.
Click to expand...

Didn't find Stephan Law. Did you spell it right?
 
untermensche said:
Hitches was a fake. He was a drunk.

In his later years he became an ignorant supporter of the US attack of Iraq.

We don't need anymore of his kind.

We need real Orwells.

People who stay focused on what the powerful are doing to the powerless.

Not cheerleaders of immoral invasions.

Comments below begin at 2:12.

Click to expand...


This is exactly what I dislike about today's media climate. Hitchen wasn't afraid to stick out his chin. For good or for worse. How isn't Chomsky a one-trick horse? He's clearly batting for a team and just pandering. He had a major breakthrough 50 years ago that turned out not to hold up over time. It's cool to have done that. But he still rides that same "breakthrough" without adding anything new, and pretending it's still relevant. No, adding recursion doesn't save his ideas.

Chomsky is powerful within the academia. He's primarily used his power the last 30 years to block scientific rivals who turned out to be right. I couldn't imagine a worse candidate for talking about the evils of abuses of power. He's both powerful and a bully of the weak. That's a worst kind of intellectual. He's such a massive hypocrite. Hitchens at least consistently hits from below. Was Hitchens ever a hypocrite about anything?
 
I am impressed that this rant came from you, I read it before I saw who wrote it.

I liked Manufacturing Consent, but looking back much of it is obvious.
 
LordKiran said:
There are a lot of pretenders to the throne, but none who fit the bill. The problem is that Hitchens was an academic first and a political commentator second, which doesn't exactly line up with today's youtube multiverse cult of personalities.

Who needs to be an academic when you can be a forty year old prick of a failed comic like Jimmy Dore, or a bitchy elitist cunt like Lauren Southern.
Click to expand...

Hitch was a better comedian too, mainly because he's cracked a book or three in his life.

[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PokuvW-DCmk[/YOUTUBE]
 
Lion IRC said:
Cheerful Charlie said:
No, I mispelled it.

http://stephenlaw.blogspot.com/

So sorry.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Law
Click to expand...

Krauss
Click to expand...


Derp! Derp! Derp! Yeah...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_M._Krauss

Krauss has argued that public policy debates in the United States should have a greater focus on science,[23][24][25][26] and that the public have a right to scrutinize the religious beliefs of Presidential candidates in the ways that they relate to public policy.[27][28]
Krauss describes himself as an antitheist[29] and takes part in public debates on religion. Krauss is featured in the 2013 documentary The Unbelievers, in which he and Richard Dawkins travel across the globe speaking publicly about the importance of science and reason as opposed to religion and superstition.[30] He has participated in many debates with religious apologists, including William Lane Craig.[31]
 
DrZoidberg said:
untermensche said:
Hitches was a fake. He was a drunk.

In his later years he became an ignorant supporter of the US attack of Iraq.

We don't need anymore of his kind.

We need real Orwells.

People who stay focused on what the powerful are doing to the powerless.

Not cheerleaders of immoral invasions.

Comments below begin at 2:12.

Click to expand...


This is exactly what I dislike about today's media climate. Hitchen wasn't afraid to stick out his chin. For good or for worse. How isn't Chomsky a one-trick horse? He's clearly batting for a team and just pandering. He had a major breakthrough 50 years ago that turned out not to hold up over time. It's cool to have done that. But he still rides that same "breakthrough" without adding anything new, and pretending it's still relevant. No, adding recursion doesn't save his ideas.

Chomsky is powerful within the academia. He's primarily used his power the last 30 years to block scientific rivals who turned out to be right. I couldn't imagine a worse candidate for talking about the evils of abuses of power. He's both powerful and a bully of the weak. That's a worst kind of intellectual. He's such a massive hypocrite. Hitchens at least consistently hits from below. Was Hitchens ever a hypocrite about anything?
Click to expand...


Hitchens at the end was exactly as Chomsky described him.

A religious fanatic.

His religion was "the state".

And Chomsky never blocked any so-called rivals.

That is complete nonsense pulled from thin air.

- - - Updated - - -

Cheerful Charlie said:
Lion IRC said:
Krauss
Click to expand...


Derp! Derp! Derp! Yeah...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_M._Krauss

Krauss has argued that public policy debates in the United States should have a greater focus on science,[23][24][25][26] and that the public have a right to scrutinize the religious beliefs of Presidential candidates in the ways that they relate to public policy.[27][28]
Krauss describes himself as an antitheist[29] and takes part in public debates on religion. Krauss is featured in the 2013 documentary The Unbelievers, in which he and Richard Dawkins travel across the globe speaking publicly about the importance of science and reason as opposed to religion and superstition.[30] He has participated in many debates with religious apologists, including William Lane Craig.[31]
Click to expand...

Krauss is a physicist and knows physics very well.

He has no great knowledge of anything else.

His knowledge of history and politics is nothing special.
 
I don't expect Krauss to be an expert on politics. But he knows his physics and that the Earth is not 6000 years old.
He's a go to person if you want a scientific view on the nature of reality.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbsGYRArH_w

Krauss has a lot of you tube videos, and has a few books for those who like them. The link above has Krauss giving a lecture on basic physics as we understand it today, with a a few kicks at Biblical literalism on the way. Very informative.

The OP wanted some suggestions for people who were good critics of today's world, and Krauss fills the bill. Check You Tube for lots more Krauss.
 
Cheerful Charlie said:
I don't expect Krauss to be an expert on politics. But he knows his physics and that the Earth is not 6000 years old.
He's a go to person if you want a scientific view on the nature of reality.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbsGYRArH_w

Krauss has a lot of you tube videos, and has a few books for those who like them. The link above has Krauss giving a lecture on basic physics as we understand it today, with a a few kicks at Biblical literalism on the way. Very informative.

The OP wanted some suggestions for people who were good critics of today's world, and Krauss fills the bill. Check You Tube for lots more Krauss.
Click to expand...

I don't know.

The claims of religion are so absurd and without evidence they can be dismissed with the wave of the hand.

I don't need any help from Krauss in this regard.

But he makes philosophical errors that are embarrassing.

Like claiming that starting with the entire workings of quantum theory is the same as starting with nothing.
 
untermensche said:
Cheerful Charlie said:
I don't expect Krauss to be an expert on politics. But he knows his physics and that the Earth is not 6000 years old.
He's a go to person if you want a scientific view on the nature of reality.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbsGYRArH_w

Krauss has a lot of you tube videos, and has a few books for those who like them. The link above has Krauss giving a lecture on basic physics as we understand it today, with a a few kicks at Biblical literalism on the way. Very informative.

The OP wanted some suggestions for people who were good critics of today's world, and Krauss fills the bill. Check You Tube for lots more Krauss.
Click to expand...

I don't know.

The claims of religion are so absurd and without evidence they can be dismissed with the wave of the hand.

I don't need any help from Krauss in this regard.

But he makes philosophical errors that are embarrassing.

Like claiming that starting with the entire workings of quantum theory is the same as starting with nothing.
Click to expand...


As he often explains, nothing in the sense physics uses it is not the general meaning of nothing. An irritating habit of all too many physicists.


False vacuum is not nothing, and true nothing does not exist.
 
Cheerful Charlie said:
untermensche said:
I don't know.

The claims of religion are so absurd and without evidence they can be dismissed with the wave of the hand.

I don't need any help from Krauss in this regard.

But he makes philosophical errors that are embarrassing.

Like claiming that starting with the entire workings of quantum theory is the same as starting with nothing.
Click to expand...


As he often explains, nothing in the sense physics uses it is not the general meaning of nothing. An irritating habit of all too many physicists.


False vacuum is not nothing, and true nothing does not exist.
Click to expand...

True nothing could exist, in theory.

The question is: Why doesn't it?

Why something as opposed to nothing? No physicist can answer this. No human can approach an answer.
 
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