“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without ...” — Christopher Hitchens Quote

“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

“If you were offered the chance to live your own life again, would you seize the opportunity? The only real philosophical answer is automatically self-contradictory: 'Only if I did not know that I was doing so.' To go through the entire experience once more would be banal and Sisyphean—even if it did build muscle—whereas to wish to be young again and to have the benefit of one's learned and acquired existence is not at all to wish for a repeat performance, or a Groundhog Day. And the mind ought to, but cannot, set some limits to wish-thinking. All right, same”

“I don't think science is hard to teach because humans aren't ready for it, or because it arose only through a fluke, or because, by and large, we don't have the brainpower to grapple with it. Instead, the enormous zest for science that I see in first-graders and the lesson from the remnant hunter-gatherers both speak eloquently: A proclivity for science is embedded deeply within us, in all times, places, and cultures. It has been the means for our survival. It is our birthright. When, through indifference, inattention, incompetence, or fear of skepticism, we discourage children from science, we are disenfranchising them, taking from them the tools needed to manage their future.”

“To develop and train your eyes so that you are able to look at Him and derive the greatest of pleasures, it is as if he is saying: if you are fascinated with the makhluq (creation), then you should be even more fascinated with the Khaliq (Creator). When the Muslim practitioner reads anatomy with this lens, a feeling of gratitude and appreciation for the Creator results in the verbal phrase and internal feeling of alhamdulillah (all praise is due to God). For al-Ghazali, his focus is understanding and appreciating the breadth of meaning found in this term. Embracing alhamdulillah — verbally, intellectually, spiritually, and philosophically — gives us an appreciation for all the wonderful praiseworthy acts of Allah.”