magnocrat

I think we must distinguish between consciousness and self- awareness. Humans have self- awareness and this means they have self- judgement. This leads to the presence of a conscience within and means moral judgements. A dog is definitely conscious but lacks moral judgement; it has no sense of guilt when copulating in the street. There must have been a period in human evolutionary history when we became self conscious.

Well limited common sense got us through the age of magic into the age of science so we must not disparage it too much. Reading around there still seems to be a great debate about the illusive freewill. Professor Patrick Haggard declears he is a complex machine and he is a neuroscientist. Neuroscientists must be determinists according to his reasoning. I had to smile when he admite. dhe still chooses what film to watch.

Thanks for your comment but it lost me. I'm an average layman with a measured IQ of around 105. Im retired and try to keep upto date with the experts as I have time. Sam Harris claims to prove this point but I must say it seems to fly in the face of common sense

Interesting stuff: these days people use mouth-wash by the bucket load to smell nice I have always assumed it to be harmless. Some even go so far as to gargle with the stuff to clear sore throats.

Science must take its share of the blame but like politics it is run by people and ultimately we must get off those rose-tinted glasses and look around. The great problem with science is its apparent success has blinded us to its failings. I'm not anti anything lets use what we have to improve the world instead of going off on wild- goose chases.The famous atheist Sam Harris was concerned about morals and he wrote 'The Moral Landscape' In this book he suggests that we use well-being as a moral yardstick. Sounds good to me.

We cannot turn back the clock the industrial revolution has happened, technology races on regardless. Now look at the world do you see sweetness and light ? problems dissolving away? a glowing future for all mankind? peace and prosperity abounding? What is the problem ---- its us and the way we run the world. How is it that basic hygene is missing in Africa while complex heart surgery is widespread in the rich western nations.What sodt of creatures are we when we cocern ourselves with what went on forteen billion years ago and ignore todays needs. I'm a very fortunate man I was born into a rich nation and I have gained tremendous benefit from that chance.Safa Motesharrei has produced a mathmatical model of the break down of civilisation its happened before and could happen again.

Using that argument I could get away with any waste I like. The man next door throws away a ton of food each year so why shouldn't I throw half a ton. The other great cry of the scientist is you don't know where it will lead , a sort of open- ended appitite for money. Well tell me where did the internal combustion engine lead-- total pollution. And now the scientist who contributed to the world crisis present themselves as gardian angels. We might get more deadly weapons than ever before known. Meamwhile back at a ranch called earth 30,000 starve to death each day.

It is difficult to make a moral case for spending enormous sums on Hadron Colliders or Martian exploration when there are many urgent problems right here on our planet. Science is a sort of golden calf in our technological age what ever goals it pursues are always accepted as worthwhile.

Hypervalent I stand corrected you are quite right I checked and was surprised. I picked the fact up at school many years ago whdn talking about chemical activity. It goes to show one should even check what seems obvious.

You are right Gareth sodium is far to reative to exist as a metal. Yet it is strange that oxygen fills our atmosphere inspite of its active nature. Gold is the only metal to occur naturally and has been the result of many deaths in gold rushes.

The neuroscientist and famous atheist Sam Harris believes the self and free will are illusions. This could lead to us not being responsible for any of our actions we live in a deterministic universe. Steven Pinker in his book the clean slate declares we carry a huge evolutionary baggage which influences our actions. We certainly seem to behave like intelligent animals on a survival of the fittest course of action.

The periodic table was Mendeleev's great inspiration long before atomic theory was ever dreamed about. It has stood the test of time and enabled many predictions. Hydrogen is in its rightful place but we all k now it is an exceptional element. It acts like a metal forming positive ions the basis of all acids. I was taught the rare gases have no compounds now they have a chemistry, so care is needed before we jump to the wrong conclusions