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PZ Myers is a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
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…And no philosophy, sadly, has all the answers. No matter how assured we may be about certain aspects of our belief, there are always painful inconsistencies, exceptions, and contradictions. This is true in religion as it is in politics, and is self-evident to all except fanatics and the naive. As for the fanatics, whose number is legion in our own time, we might be advised to leave them to heaven. They will not, unfortunately, do us the same courtesy. They attack us and each other, and whatever their protestations to peaceful intent, the bloody record of history makes clear that they are easily disposed to restore to the sword. My own belief in God, then, is just that — a matter of belief, not knowledge. My respect for Jesus Christ arises from the fact that He seems to have been the most virtuous inhabitant of Planet Earth. But even well-educated Christians are frustated in their thirst for certainty about the beloved figure of Jesus because of the undeniable ambiguity of the scriptural record. Such ambiguity is not apparent to children or fanatics, but every recognized Bible scholar is perfectly aware of it. Some Christians, alas, resort to formal lying to obscure such reality.

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« Put the blame where it belongs: God and the Republican Party | Main | A day at the Stevens County Fair »

Friday Cephalopod: White Stripes

Category: Organisms
Posted on: August 11, 2006 9:52 AM, by PZ Myers

octopus_ornatus.jpg
Octopus ornatus

Figure from Cephalopods: A World Guide (amzn/b&n/abe/pwll), by Mark Norman.

Comments

#1

Posted by: Ian H Spedding | August 11, 2006 10:25 AM

Saw a very impressive cephalopod in the underground aquarium at the Mall of America. Thought of you immediately. Also got to stroke a small shark and a ray. Good fun.

#2

Posted by: King Aardvark | August 11, 2006 11:24 AM

That's a particularly nice-looking cephalopod, PZ.

My inlaws just got back from seeing a large octopus at an aquarium in Seattle (or it could have been Vancouver; frankly, I wasn't paying that much attention). They were saying how gross and scary it was, with all the tentacles and suckers, etc. My sister-in-law even went so far as to delete the picture from her laptop.

Of course, I told them they were crazy and it was a cool and even beautiful creature. They didn't think so.

They are anti-cephalopod heathens. ;-)

#3

Posted by: Neil | August 11, 2006 11:37 AM

In the past, I've had a hard time understanding your fascination with these critters, but I think I'm beginning to see the light. That is one beautiful creature. I guess I'm just a shallow person for being so into "appearances". I am a long-time scuba diver and would love to run into this guy on a dive.

#4

Posted by: lillet | August 11, 2006 12:23 PM

I got _Cephalopods: A World Guide_ for my birthday and am very grateful to you for bringing it to my attention. I LOVE THEM!

#5

Posted by: David Harmon | August 11, 2006 1:37 PM

Very pretty, but the way those tentacles are coiled would make me very nervous if I were approaching. Is that coloration actually a threat display?

#6

Posted by: Mithandir | August 11, 2006 1:56 PM

Here's a not-so-giant cephalopod for you : http://www.flickr.com/photos/specklet/211782038/in/set-72157594204828139/

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