Thank you in advance to Ali.Fun and Games in Racist FantasylandMichael Payton2011-09-03 | Four Objections to the Racial Realist
1. We have no reason to think that genes responsible for phenotypes of facial structure, bone structure or skin tone are identical to those genes responsible for neurological organization.
2. Protein selection is not entirely genetic because of pre-natal influences of hormones
3. Epigenetic selection suggests a high degree of interaction between genes and environment. The idea of seperating causal influences into either genetic or environmental categories presents a false dichotomy and ignores the evidence that environments impact genes directly.
4. If intelligence is heretable then it would be positively selected for by natural selection and thus be rediscovered repeatedly in all cultures. But especially in cultures which require high degrees of specialized knowledge. Given these parameters, if anything, we would expect tribal societies to select for intelligence more directly than technological societies.Know your Brain: The 3 BasicsMichael Payton2011-08-05 | Follow me on Twitter for news and findings in the world of psychology and cognitive neuroscience: http://twitter.com/#!/MichaelPayton67
For more information on Unilateral Neglect: http://marsicanus.free.fr/Publications/2007_Curr_Opin_Neurol.pdf
http://wiki.ironchariots.org/index.php?title=KalamZOMGitsFAILMichael Payton2011-05-22 | Listen carefully before you respond.Is/Ought Part 3Michael Payton2011-03-26 | Part 3 discusses the influence of Bernard Williams in the distinction between fact and value. Williams argues that it cannot possibly be the case that merely because values are more prone to disagreement that this should entail that we simply stop caring about the world.
Values are surely human institutions. Williams is quick to point out that rationality is too and for all of the same reasons. Why then should it be the case that we relegate morality to an island of obscurity?Homophobic Catholic Schools: In whose interest?Michael Payton2011-01-29 | The Catholic School Board in my home town has recently come under controversy for refusing to allow gay-straight alliance clubs in their school system.
In a set of videos to come shortly, myself and other members of Centre for Inquiry Canada will be speaking to the people at the heart of this issue.Reply to BionicdanceMichael Payton2011-01-13 | Hope I didn't seem rude here... again...Response to theologica37 Part 2Michael Payton2011-01-04 | Hope I didn't seem rude here...Response to Theologica37 Part 1Michael Payton2011-01-04 | Picasso Paintings in 2010:
...the assumption that because some quality or combination of qualities invariably and necessarily accompanies the quality of goodness, or is invariably and necessarily accompanied by it, or both, this quality or combination of qualities is identical with goodness. If, for example, it is believed that whatever is pleasant is and must be good, or that whatever is good is and must be pleasant, or both, it is committing the naturalistic fallacy to infer from this that goodness and pleasantness are one and the same quality. The naturalistic fallacy is the assumption that because the words 'good' and, say, 'pleasant' necessarily describe the same objects, they must attribute the same quality to them.
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/moral-non-naturalism/Is the Is/Ought fallacy really a fallacy?Michael Payton2010-12-28 | This first video will focus largely on Hume and the first writings in history which make a distinction between descriptive facts of the world and prescriptive values of the world.
I maintain that Hume has been misinterpreted severely and the actual project of his Treatise was to explain facts of moral psychology against Christian thinkers. Not to set a standard of morality which is completely divorced from the rest of the natural worldReply to VFX: Did the Enlightenment forget the Virtues?Michael Payton2010-12-22 | In Reply to Shawn's third video:
Much of the work here I have to credit to the work of John Rawls and Jerome Schneewind for making a readily accessible set of material for learning the history of moral philosophy in a short period of time.
Also some of the people in York's philosophy department for tutoring me well enough that I could do this in one take.Limits of Science, Limits of PhilosophyMichael Payton2010-12-21 | In Reply to Shawn's first video:
For more on fractals in Pollack's paintings see the following:
http://www.youtube.com/user/LordNapalmScience and MoralityMichael Payton2010-08-22 | After watching the debate around scientism, I feel the need to defend the idea that science can say something relevant about moraliy. What it is, how it works and how it got to us.
This will likely be a three part program.Response to Dentist27Michael Payton2010-08-14 | Responding to the Dentist's response to my response to James...
still waiting for James to respond though...Why Im not a MarxistMichael Payton2010-08-08 | James tagged me in his Atheist Politics video. But while he was doing this he disclosed that he is a Marxist.
Before I burned my DAA t-shirt and threw away the club membership, I thought I would make an argument against one key area of Marxist thought in Das Kapital and explain why economists not longer take it seriously.
To make it clear... here are my contentions:
1) intrinsic theories of value do not accurately reflect why people make economic decisions
2) theory of value is central to Marxist thought, although his humanitarianism deserves respect, it shouldn't be the focus of the discussion
3) The combination of intrinsic theories of value and command economics is anti-democraticChannel UpdateMichael Payton2010-07-25 | I hate doing a video like this but I needed to let everyone know what things are going to be looking like for the next little bit.
Remember to let me know what i should focus on and I can get right on it.Westboros Forgotten Son Part 2Michael Payton2010-07-07 | This is my interview with Nathan Phelps, the estranged son of the Westboro Baptist Church. Recently Nathan has come out as an Atheist and was speaking in Toronto as part of the 2010 Gay Pride Events namely for the Centre for Inquiry Event "Leaving Hate Behind: The Nate Phelps Story." Nathan is now the Executive Director of Centre for Inquiry Alberta where he will be working to promote reason, science and secular values.
Here is Center for Inquiry Canada:
www.cficanada.ca
Donate what you can here!:
www.cficanada.ca/supportWestboros Forgotten Son Part 1Michael Payton2010-07-07 | This is my interview with Nathan Phelps, the estranged son of the Westboro Baptist Church. Recently Nathan has come out as an Atheist and was speaking in Toronto as part of the 2010 Gay Pride Events namely for the Centre for Inquiry Event "Leaving Hate Behind: The Nate Phelps Story." Nathan is now the Executive Director of Centre for Inquiry Alberta where he will be working to promote reason, science and secular values.
http://www.youtube.com/user/SupportLocalSceneWho Represents Us?Michael Payton2010-06-09 | Justin NPBState of Secularism in CanadaMichael Payton2010-06-05 | This is an interview I had with an anti-abortion. anti-gay rights activist on Parliament Hill. During the course of our conversation I learned how deeply rooted the connections are between Christian Fundamentalists and the Conservative Party of CanadaVFX reincarnated as a Dinosaur?Michael Payton2010-05-27 | I'm not sure what to make of this.... here is the channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/BibleBarneyPhilosophy dug up, defiled and buried upside downMichael Payton2010-05-24 | My reply to migkillertwoYoure killing PhilosophyMichael Payton2010-05-15 | Stop killing philosophy!Thats not what Free Speech isMichael Payton2010-04-25 | This is in response to Dawahfilms video "Freedom of Speech, Youtube and my views"
Graffight brought up a number of points all of which were important. Here I only decided to focus on the ones that I felt most clearly expressed his position and afforded me the ability to respond meaningfully.Uping the AnteMichael Payton2010-04-15 | This is an attack on Divine Command Theory of Ethics using quotes from one of it's chief proponents.
This is not an attack on God. This is not an attack on Dr. Craig. This is an attack on the theory of ethics based on Divine Command.
The Audio was taken from The Reasonable Faith Podcast: Did God Commit Atrocities in the Old Testament?
08-03-03Thank you!Michael Payton2010-04-11 | Interview with Jim Speigel author of "The Making of an Atheist"
Thanks!I need friends!Michael Payton2010-04-07 | Just feel free to rip this and mash it together in whatever way you see fit guys.... thanks again.Kalam and CausationMichael Payton2010-04-06 | Truely, Veritas48's Kalam was an Oscar-worthy performance. Yet I still found some contentions surrounding his Aristitilian metaphysics with regard to both mind and causation.
Libet's Experiment can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ4nwTTmcgsDr. Craigs Malpractice SuitMichael Payton2010-04-04 | A closer look at "the wit" of Dr. CraigRe Skepticism and ReligionMichael Payton2010-04-03 | A response to Veritas48 on issues of skepticism.Response to 20 Questions Part 2Michael Payton2010-03-21 | The second part to my earlier video on Valenzuela's 20 Questions on Religion and Politics.Response to 20 Questions Part 1Michael Payton2010-03-21 | Here are my responses to Valenzuala's 20 Questions on Religion and Politics. Original Video can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0w58-hnUOoConversation with Almines FollowerMichael Payton2010-03-14 | This is a conversation I recorded with a follower of Almine. Almine claims to be a spiritual traveller and healer who is immortal.