Ray Smith
Recent Activity
Ray Smith commented on the Humanities on February 15, 2008, 6:05 AM
Career-oriented courses are indeed important, but so too are the courses that will nurture your humanity. A culture of shallow ladder climbers is at risk for becoming a heartless machine. Please study hard for your career, but please also take the time to develop your inner-most self.
Ray Smith commented on Are faith and reason incompatible? on February 12, 2008, 10:40 AM
In order for me to choose where to place my religious faith (and there are obviously many choices), it seems to me that I am wise to insist that there should be at least a modicum of credible evidence to support that decision, otherwise the choice is arbitrary; I may as well just roll the dice. Thus far, I've not seen any credible evidence to support the claim that anything supernatural (i.e., anything that is above and beyond nature) exists at all, much less the claims about specific dieties. Stating this position in conversation often results in the response, "Well, that's what faith is all about, believing what can't be proven." So round and round we go.
Ray Smith commented on Are faith and reason incompatible? on February 12, 2008, 5:40 AM
In order for me to choose where to place my religious faith (and there are obviously many choices), it seems to me that I am wise to insist that there should be at least a modicum of credible evidence to support that decision, otherwise the choice is arbitrary; I may as well just roll the dice. Thus far, I've not seen any credible evidence to support the claim that anything supernatural (i.e., anything that is above and beyond nature) exists at all, much less the claims about specific dieties. Stating this position in conversation often results in the response, "Well, that's what faith is all about, believing what can't be proven." So round and round we go.
I am a retired freelance technical and science writer. I live with my wife, Karen, in downtown Bethesda, Maryland, just outside of Washington, DC. I love books, coffee shops, friends, family, museums, classical music, jazz, painting, photography, and writing. I intend to spend my retirement writing more plays and stories, and developing new concepts in education.
Ray Smith commented on What do you think of the Big Picture (Big Think's newsletter)? on February 15, 2008, 6:18 AM
In both the newsletter, and on the web site, I find the color of the fonts often too light to be comfortable. I recommend making all text black on white. It might not be as pretty when looking at the page as a whole, but it surely would be easier to read for folks who have less-than-perfect vision. Several times now, I have found myself reading your materials less because of eye strain.