I started a new book: String theory

About strings, black holes, quantum information, quantum computers…and a lot of math.

If you know some links with conferences, lectures on these topics ‘let us know’...

NIWeek 2008 is coming up. It's not specifically on these topics, but I'm sure you'd find it interesting (not to mention, the night-life on 6th Street).

Will there be a chapter on Regular Expressions?

So from your two books, "I Am Creating God" and "String Theory", it's fairly safe to assume you are a Pastafarian?

Will you publish the book in the internet?

I'll publish my new book only if I'll be able to present something NEW, like in my published 2 books: http://www.lulu.com/adferent

Scientists and God:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1951333/Ei...ldish'.html

A lot of scientists 'tried on God' but they 'didn't get it'.

Looks like I don't get it either - I tried your link but am obviously not ready to follow that 404 path.

I tried God on once, but he made my bum look big.

Here is the link:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1951333/Einstein-thought-rel igions-were-'childish'.html
A Einstein letter shows disdain for religion
By Stephen Adams Last Updated: 4:32PM BST 13/05/2008
Albert Einstein regarded religions as "childish" and "primitive legends", a private letter he wrote a year before his death has revealed.
The great scientist's views on religion have long been debated, with many seizing upon phrases such as "He [God] does not throw dice" as evidence that he believed in a creator.

But the newly-unveiled letter, a response to the philosopher Eric Gutkind, has cast doubt on the theory that Einstein had any belief in God at all towards to the end of his life.

In the letter, dated January 3 1954, he wrote: "The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weakness, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish.

"No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this." Einstein, who died the following year aged 76, did not spare Judaism from his criticism, believing Jewish people were in no way "chosen" by God.

He wrote: "For me the Jewish religion like all others is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions. And the Jewish people to whom I gladly belong and with whose mentality I have a deep affinity have no different quality for me than all other people.

"As far as my experience goes, they are no better than other human groups, although they are better protected from the worst cancers by a lack of power. Otherwise I cannot see anything 'chosen' about them."

The letter, which for decades has been in private hands, has come to light as it is to go on sale at Bloomsbury Auctions in Mayfair on Thursday. It is expected to sell for up to £8,000.

Educated at a Catholic primary school but given private tuition in Judaism, Einstein later wrote that the "religious paradise of youth" - when he believed what he was told - was quickly crushed when he started questioning religion at the age of 12.

He wrote: "The consequence was a positively fanatic freethinking coupled with the impression that youth is being deceived by the state through lies; it was a crushing impression."

But many of his pronouncements appear to support a belief in a divine being, or at least a wish to believe in one. The same year he wrote the letter he also said he wanted to "experience the universe as a single cosmic whole".

Unfortunately, not everyone has the mental fortitude of Einstein.

I prefer Richard Dawkin's approach where he goes almost as far as to say that the indoctrination of children into one belief or another is bordering on a human rights violation. There is no such thing as a christian child, a jewish child or a muslin child. There are only children of people who have those beliefs.

Precisely because of this "believe what you're told" effect is why I personally believe "teaching" religion to minors should be outlawed unless it is done in a pluralist sense.

And that includes athiesm.

Shane.

That sounds nice, but seems quite difficult to implement. How do you expose a child to (at least) a dozen religious views, including atheism, and then say "Which would you like to believe?" What if you missed the correct view? Pretty much all of them are mutually exclusive, if taken in their entirety. I suppose the child could pick their favorite parts of each one and form their own new religion.

I think the best route is to teach your child what you believe. The schools will teach the kids what the textbooks and teachers currently 'believe'. And the children will eventually search for their own truth as time goes on.

A good method similar to your idea would be to say, (to provide a concrete example)

• I believe in atheism, for the following reasons ....
• Some people believe in Christianity. It has some really good teachings, such as ....
• Some people believe in Islam. It has some really good teachings, such as ....
• Some people believe in Buddhism. It has some really good teachings, such as ....
• and so on

I do agree that exposing people to other ideas is very good, and if we focus on the good that is found in others then perhaps our kids will grow up in a better world then we have today.

David

I was talking to a mate of mine last night and we agreed that we're both non-mystic Buddhists: we agree with the principles of the dhama, but not the religious inclinations od Buddhism.

that's an awesome oxymoron - I love it!

Especially since I don't have faith in a disbelief of God