Thanks for posting that, yes, an enjoyable read - or interesting at least. Interesting that the author acknowledges nuclear war as still the main human extinction threat.
Also have you considered that AI is already in place, and you live in a simulation run by AI? Or some other advanced beings? Possibly evolved humans.
No. Cogito ergo sum.
Bad, isn’t it?
Descartes then spoilt his whole argument by deciding that the idea of god could only have entered his mind if god did, indeed, exist. Great start but largely downhill from there.
I was thinking about this, sort of, today.
Logic and argument will never do anything more than persuade a sincere and impartial listener that a faith merits investigation.
No I have not.
We think of ‘Islam’ as some homogenous monolith, but there are many variations. Christianity has Roman Catholics, Orthodox Catholics, Copts, and several hundred varieties of Protestantism. There are liberal and tolerant Islamic countries, but they don’t make the headlines. ‘Thief doesn’t get hand amputated’ is not news.
Indeed, Islam with Sunnis, Shias and the mad Wahhābīs et al is very divided and is a “whatever you’re having yourself” smorgasbord of teachings. However, I think all flavours are oppressive, especially to women. As I’ve mentioned, Saudi, being the location of the two holy mosques, is my benchmark. If they throttle back on the atrocities, or the wider and more moderate Islamic world starts to condemn them, maybe progress could be made.
Let’s not forget the role of Islam in legitimising the authoritarian monarchies - Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates as well as the Taliban.
A few thoughts picked from the internet -
Because the Sunni schools put a high priority on the maintenance of order, they have accepted monarchical rules even if the ruler seizes power by force. They consider that dictatorship is better than chaos.
However, Arab states rely both on domestic and international society for their survival. The international society, especially Western governments and international organisations, provides substantial aid to the Arab world, based on their perception of a particular regime, as well as on that regime’s geo-strategic importance or international alliance. Think oil. External legitimacy is the key for the Arab regimes’ financial security.
The strengthened cooperation between the Western governments and the incumbent Arab regimes following 9.11 implied the West’s acceptance of the authoritarian rule of the Arab monarchies: the international actors not only provided increased amounts of aid but also gave implicit support to authoritarian oppressive measures by the monarchies, under the name of combatting terrorism.
Great comment.
It’s always the beardy gingers, isn’t it?
What law will he, as a good Muslim, be enforcing?
English law or sharia law?
I ask as the two are entirely incompatible.
‘Two of the three’.
The great mosque at Kairouan, in Tunisia is the third (and the only one I 've visited). It’s one of the oldest mosques in the Ummah and architecturally as well as spirituality important
Of course you and I are forbidden to visit Mecca. I’ve been warmly welcomed in Mosques in Bahrain, Dubai, Oman and in a very large UAE sponsored one in Dublin. If the ruling Saudi shits opened up their monopoly a bit I’m sure it would be positive.
The ‘O’Mosque’?
The OMG mosque, it’s offensive, in your face and in a very salubrious part of Dublin (my neck of the woods 
).
During the Irish Catholic Church’s fascist regime (1922 to 1995) they built horrible massive trophy churches in Dublin and across Ireland funded by contributions from impoverished, browbeaten parishioners. They sit empty today. These white elephants mustn’t be replaced with foreign State sponsored Mosques.
IMO Ireland has enough religious extremists without importing new varieties.
Was that a Muslim misunderstanding of modern Ireland, or a reflection of the size of the country’s Muslim population and / or a UAE promo?
There is no misunderstanding Mark and the muslim population in Ireland is still quite low, though increasing. They need to integrate or piss off. I love this idea that one migrates from a shitty regime to a better one, and then tries to implement the attitudes and rules that made the original regime shitty in the first place.
This Clonskeagh Mosque is a display of UAE financial firepower which should never have received planning permission. It might not have if I hadn’t been on assignment in the M/E at the time. The irony 
It’s like that obscenity of a mosque in Munich which broadcasts its call to prayer and drowns out the chimes of the Glockenspiel. Just the bloody arrogance of Islam and the Germans haven’t had balls to confront it.
I
If we’re going to apply that rule then half of the Brits will need to leave France.
Harsh, but fair.