Henry Halff's Comments

Heroic Thoughts by Anita D.

Dec 28, 2009 | recommended: 6 | comments: 14

Henry Halff Dec 28, 2009, 10:35am EST

You might be interested in the Hero Construction Company, a fine organization that promotes the sort of heroism described in your piece.

Giving Thanks and Thanksgiving by Mark M.

Nov 22, 2009 | comments: 44

in reply to a comment by Henry Halff

Henry Halff Nov 24, 2009, 2:55pm EST

True, you do mistake my meaning. When it seems that there is nothing to give thanks for, there is God. When it seems that there is no one to give thanks to, there is God. In that sense, and in many others, God is there for us.asd

Giving Thanks and Thanksgiving by Mark M.

Nov 22, 2009 | comments: 44

Henry Halff Nov 23, 2009, 8:42pm EST

I'm not sure I've ever computed God's worth. I'm not sure that I could. I am reasonably sure that God has an interest in being useful to us, and in the converse.

Giving Thanks and Thanksgiving by Mark M.

Nov 22, 2009 | comments: 44

Henry Halff Nov 23, 2009, 8:48am EST

Part of what God is for is to be there to thank.

Sports an American Illness by Dexter S.

Oct 5, 2009 | comments: 54

Henry Halff Oct 5, 2009, 10:22pm EDT

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/06/SP14194C0P.DTL

After Pascal by Cary Cook

Sep 14, 2009 | comments: 51

in reply to a comment by Henry Halff

Henry Halff Sep 17, 2009, 10:03pm EDT

Yep. Dawkins isn't shy, is he? Armstrong is more measured in her comments, perhaps offering a too rosy view of the history of organized religion. Still, rosy ain't all that bad.

After Pascal by Cary Cook

Sep 14, 2009 | comments: 51

Henry Halff Sep 16, 2009, 10:10pm EDT

Cary (and others):

You might be interested in this article, http://bit.ly/46CieK, published recently in the Wall Street Journal, of all places.

ATHEISM: the definition question by Cary Cook

Sep 13, 2009 | comments: 478

in reply to a comment by Henry Halff

Henry Halff Sep 16, 2009, 10:06pm EDT

Well said.

I think that in fact, Pascal led the life he wanted and was meant to lead. His wager was a example of using logic to convince others of what he already knew (to paraphrase some wag whose name I've forgotten).

However, being an atheist does not condemn one to hedonism. Many, in fact, say that a life devoted to the welfare of others, concern for the greater good, advancement of human culture, etc. is the most satisfying and best-led life that one can have.

ATHEISM: the definition question by Cary Cook

Sep 13, 2009 | comments: 478

in reply to a comment by Henry Halff

Henry Halff Sep 14, 2009, 12:33am EDT

Hey, I'm not coming down on one side of this issue or the other, just trying to think through what it means to believe in God.

I really don't KNOW what Pascal might or might not have given up, but his life is an open book (actually several), so we do know what he, quite intentionally, thought he was giving up. We also know what other folks, who do not fancy themselves as being magical thinkers, think he might have given up.

The questions I asked still remain. Does the very act of believing or not determine one's fate in a hereafter? Is acting upon one's belief the acid test of that belief? These questions have concerned the greatest theologians over the ages and are not to be dismissed lightly.

ATHEISM: the definition question by Cary Cook

Sep 13, 2009 | comments: 478

Henry Halff Sep 13, 2009, 1:05pm EDT

The situation is complicated in two ways. Standard logic, as you note, is based on the law of the excluded middle, that is, a proposition is true or false. However, there are many forms of modal logic which value statements in ways other than true or false.

What's more, when it comes to belief in God, these logics get all mixed up with each other. For many, a deontic or imperative logic applies. "If you don't believe in God, then you will go to Hell when you die."

Hence, as Pascal said, "If God does not exist, one will lose nothing by believing in him, while if he does exist, one will lose everything by not believing." Of course, Pascal was not quite right here. If God, or at least the severe Jansenist God of Pascal's faith, does not exist, then Pascal threw away much of the only thing of real value to him, a satisfactory life lived in this world.

On your probabilistic analysis, then, the question of the existence of God is not at all like the question of whether or not a hypothetical black box contains a hypothetical book. It is rather like this.

If you believe that there is a book in this box, and there really is one, then you will go to Heaven when you die and live happily in the hereafter.

If you don't believe there is a book in the box, and there really is one, then you will go to Hell when you die and spend eternity in everlasting torture.

If you believe that there is a a book in the box, and there is no book, then you will waste the only thing of real value to you, your life, pursuing a fantasy, and die an unfulfilled but deluded person.

If you do not believe there is a book in the box, and there is no book, then you will devote your life to things that really matter to you in this life.

This analysis is, of course, a caricature since most religions, for the most part, endorse the notion that one’s life should be fulfilling in this world. There are, however, many exceptions. Some religions, for example, have called for holy wars (both metaphorical and real) that, in the end, don’t fulfill anyone’s life. Others have advocated a trust in God that leads their adherents to such foolish things as despoiling the planet.

A utility theorist would say that people’s beliefs are reflected in their actions. Thus, a theist is a person who lives according to the dictates of some theistic doctrine when that doctrine requires something other than what a person who does not (in your Sense 5) believe in God. An atheist is someone who lives a life that does not conform to the special dictates of any theistic religion. On this analysis there are plenty of people who are neither theists nor atheists because they behave inconsistently. Maybe all of us are that way. In addition, there may be, and probably are folks who think that God wants them to do exactly as they wish, no matter what that is. Several New Age churches seem to espouse this philosophy. If these folks show up at church, however, that would be enough to grant them theism.

I Bought a Kindle! by Priscilla (wishing I was in Costa Rica) ~.

Jun 27, 2008 | comments: 90

Henry Halff Jul 1, 2009, 2:39pm EDT

I relented and bought the new model. Just got back from a 2-week cruise with it. Worked great and sure beats carrying around a stack of books. Photos are a problem, though.

Voices: changes by Kerry Dexter

Feb 12, 2009 | comments: 8

Henry Halff Feb 12, 2009, 2:46pm EST

This is a very sad announcement. Gather, and all of us will be the poorer. I can't understand why they are doing this?

Hooray for Paul Harvey! (email forward) by Andrea (Ms. Conservative) L.

Feb 10, 2009 | comments: 41

Henry Halff Feb 10, 2009, 9:54pm EST

No one is telling you, Paul Harvey, or anyone else that they cannot pray in public places. Yes, a handful of people have said that our public institutions cannot sponsor prayer. That handful are commonly known as the founding fathers.

Hello...and thanks! by Ron S.

Feb 5, 2009 | comments: 2

Henry Halff Feb 5, 2009, 1:43pm EST

Yesterday, I set up this group on the social bookmarking site diigo.com

http://groups.diigo.com/groups/unitarian-universalism

How Corn Came into Being by Carol Roach

Feb 2, 2009 | comments: 31

Henry Halff Feb 2, 2009, 10:19am EST

Corn is a domesticated plant. It exists only because we cultivate it.

Corn and soybeans are the mainstays of the American "food industry." In fact, it is largely because of corn that we have abandoned agriculture for food industry. Since the Nixon era, subsidies on corn are a major source of a decline in crop diversity in the United States.

The government currently guarantees the producer (usually an agribusiness) a minimum price for corn, thus making it more profitable to produce greater yields pre acre. Thus, corn is grown in fields that are heavily fertilized, used for the same crop year in and year out, and where no other organism can survive.

One of the main uses of corn is as animal feed. Processed corn and soybeans are laced with antibiotics and fed to cattle (both beef and dairy) to the extent that they can scarcely carry their own weight. Changing cattle from their natural diet of grass (which, by the way, requires little or no harvesting or processing) is a grand way of increasing the saturated fat content of beef. If your steak is not heart-healthy, blame corn.

The other major use of corn is in the manufacture of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). HFCS is a drug-like form of sugar that goes right to your dopamine (pleasure) receptors like no other sugar, and gives you an intense, addictive "sugar high." It' cheap to make and is found in just about all processed foods, chiefly soft drinks and sweetened breakfast cereal.

So, if corn could talk, it would thank all us Americans for saddling the burdens of agricultural subsidies, diabetes and clogged arteries so that it, corn, can thrive as the last remaining crop of the American farm.

On the other hand, if you're concerned about your health and your taxes, you might want to write the President and ask him for a return to pre-Nixon farm policies when farmers were subsidized for prudent stewardship of the land.

Adventures at Petco by Christopher N.

Jan 25, 2009 | comments: 10

Henry Halff Jan 25, 2009, 6:32pm EST

Many years ago I was out walking the family springer spaniel, Snoopy in our Dallas neighborhood. We passed by a large house where several people had gathered on the front lawn. One of them walked right up to Snoopy and gave him a few pats on the head. I knew that Snoopy was a gentle beast who posed no threat, but the patter could not know that. What makes the incident of interest is that I recognized the patter as the famous pianist Van Cliburn.

Voices: Christmas Music by Kerry Dexter

Dec 10, 2008 | comments: 5

Henry Halff Dec 10, 2008, 4:26pm EST

Another little-known gem is Stephanie Urbina-Jones "The Spirit of Christmas." http://tinyurl.com/6rb2hg

DADVENTURE: The L Column by Clay Nichols

Oct 31, 2008 | comments: 8

Henry Halff Oct 31, 2008, 12:27pm EDT

I was a loser at sports in my youth. I became used to the position and did everything I could to avoid athletics. Starting at age 30, I became a non-loser (1st 3rd of the pack in running) and am a winner (Masters swimming) in my old age.

But winning by growing old is not an option for kids. What I learned along the way are two things. First, middle of the pack is OK, because it provides a fair measure of triumph and a fair chance of doing better than you thought you could.

Second, if you are a constant loser at some sport, change sports. We don't all have the same athletic talents, but all of us can find something that brings a measure of success. I suffered for years in baseball because I'm pretty much blind in one eye and moving missiles coming out of the sky at me scare the s--t out of me. Late in my high school career, I discovered rowing, which requires almost no perspective vision whatsoever. I never had the time to master the sport, but I felt great doing it because I was rowing with kids at my level and I knew it was something I could do.

So here's a third piece of advice. Find a sport that's segregated into ability or age groups, so you're not always losing to the best athletes.

Over and out.
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Two Questions for Economists by Henry Halff

Sep 13, 2008 | comments: 3

Henry Halff Sep 13, 2008, 5:47pm EDT

Hey, an economist just answered one of my questions. Alan Greenspan, in an interview with Bloomberg Television, said "I'm not in favor of financing tax cuts with borrowed money, ...." W00t!

Contemplation, Ritual, and Fly-fishing by Krista Tippett

Sep 3, 2008 | comments: 3

Henry Halff Sep 3, 2008, 3:38pm EDT

I've enjoyed walking many a stream myself, so I have a sense of what you are talking about. I'm currently reading Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. He does not discuss fishing, but he does talk about hunting and mushroom gathering. What these two activities share with fishing is their focus on seeing nature in a particular way, for a particular purpose. I imagine that a mushroom gatherer, a hunter, and an angler could all take roughly the same walk in the woods and have three entirely different but still very deep experiences. A hiker walking the same path with no particular focus or purpose would, I suspect, never reach the depths available to one whose interactions with nature are in the service of particular intentions.