I've finished 1300 words on Evolution : Is it "Only a Theory"? and sent it to LIFE.

Mr.Samsa wrote:

rEvolutionist wrote:
Something I've become more interested in of late regarding medicine/philosophy(?) is the concept of "death". The history of being "declared dead"; when exactly (or not) does death occur?; what boundaries does one think medicine will push in the future regarding the point of death. Something like that.

That would be interesting. It would be good to look at the pewter poisoning cases from centuries ago that would induce a state of death in the whiskey drinkers of the town. After discovering claw marks on the inside of numerous coffins during a shifting of the local cemetery, they started putting people on the "graveyard shift" to dig up any graves where the bell would ring (attached by string to the "dead" person's toe) but most would end up as "dead ringers".

Correction: I fucked up. I mixed up the fake story with the real one (Snopes). The term dead ringer comes from horse racing, "dead" meaning "absolute" and "ringer" being a lookalike - so a dead ringer is when a horse is swapped to cheat in the races.

Thanks to TimONeill for correcting my mistake.

Mr.Samsa wrote:

Mr.Samsa wrote:

rEvolutionist wrote:
Something I've become more interested in of late regarding medicine/philosophy(?) is the concept of "death". The history of being "declared dead"; when exactly (or not) does death occur?; what boundaries does one think medicine will push in the future regarding the point of death. Something like that.

That would be interesting. It would be good to look at the pewter poisoning cases from centuries ago that would induce a state of death in the whiskey drinkers of the town. After discovering claw marks on the inside of numerous coffins during a shifting of the local cemetery, they started putting people on the "graveyard shift" to dig up any graves where the bell would ring (attached by string to the "dead" person's toe) but most would end up as "dead ringers".

Correction: I fucked up. I mixed up the fake story with the real one (Snopes). The term dead ringer comes from horse racing, "dead" meaning "absolute" and "ringer" being a lookalike - so a dead ringer is when a horse is swapped to cheat in the races.

Thanks to TimONeill for correcting my mistake.

Yeah, "dead ringer" in Australia usually means identical or look-alike.

rEvolutionist wrote:
Yeah, "dead ringer" in Australia usually means identical or look-alike.

Yeah that's how I use the term too, but fancy stories always stick in my mind - unfortunately, the fancier and more unbelievable they are, the less likely they are to be true..

My degree is in art history... If this is a 'wiki', any subject should be able to find a home...

def wrote:My degree is in art history... If this is a 'wiki', any subject should be able to find a home...

I'd be interested in reading something along those lines.

Did you have a specific area in mind, or were you thinking of doing a more general topic like 'what is art'?

I agree, VERY interesting. I've often mulled over this question myself. The only satisfactory outcome I could conclude was that my head hurt and I needed to go to the pub.

It's sparked up in a couple of threads in the arts forum, but the discussions were fairly short lived and quite medium specific, so it would be good if someone had enough knowledge to give a broad overview of the history and theories of art so we can start to discuss it properly.

Apologies in advance if this is a totally dim question , but is this feature of the forum actually up and running? Can I actually read any of the articles which have, so far, been submitted? If not, is there a time-scale for implementation?

Will S wrote:Apologies in advance if this is a totally dim question , but is this feature of the forum actually up and running? Can I actually read any of the articles which have, so far, been submitted? If not, is there a time-scale for implementation?

Not a dim question at all. I think there is a tentative date set for mid-September and when it's up the articles will be posted in their own section, with other new features like our new logo, a blog section for members, etc. So without any major hitches, hopefully they'll be up soonish!

Mr.Samsa wrote:

def wrote:My degree is in art history... If this is a 'wiki', any subject should be able to find a home...

I'd be interested in reading something along those lines.

Did you have a specific area in mind, or were you thinking of doing a more general topic like 'what is art'?

Art is such a massive topic, that I can't provide an overview. My thesis was on the use of pictorial art as propaganda, specifically in pre-Renaissance and modern times. (the image is more powerful than the word, sort of speak)

I also wrote some about differing theories of individualism in traditional art, where Western art tended to focus on individualism in art, while Asian art sublimated individuality.

But keep in mind, I don't do this for a living. I dropped the art business quickly after graduation. It's a hobby.

I might knock together something about Egyptology. Ancient Egypt is one of my lifelong passions. I'd enjoy writing a brief history of the culture, religion, and mythology, if anyone would be interested.

I am finishing an article on Democracy; a very popular issue in these fora and with many disagreements.
I usually participate on these discussions and i thought of gathering my opinions on this issue in a general article, a bit bigger than 1000 words: Democracy; a political euphemism.

I just sent my article to info@rationalskepticism.org.
I changed the title into something a bit more specific: Democracy: The Abuse Of The Term And the "Dead End" Of Labor. And it ended to be a bit bigger; around 1300 words.
I think that i generally speak english well, but it is always possible that i make mistakes, especially on big essays that contain scientific terms. I wouldn't mind if LIFE, or anyone else that reads my article, points out any mistakes that i might have made. It will improve both my english and my article.

LIFE (Jun 10, 2010 3:17 pm ) wrote:We will have a section for articles soon.

How soon?
Is it possible that the new section is on and i am missing it?
I don't mean to be a pain, but at first i got excited with the idea, is all.

maik wrote:

LIFE (Jun 10, 2010 3:17 pm ) wrote:We will have a section for articles soon.

How soon?
Is it possible that the new section is on and i am missing it?
I don't mean to be a pain, but at first i got excited with the idea, is all.

There have been some delays unfortunately: Announcement: About the Site Changes.

You haven't overlooked the new section though, it's not currently up.

Is any more information available?

I have a reason for asking. For some time I've been sitting on a unpublished essay, of about 2500 words, entitled 'Are there two kinds of theist?' which I'd very much like to expose to comment and criticism. I've been tempted simply to post it as an OP in 'Theism', but, so far, haven't done so.

So, any advice or information would be gratefully received.

How about you send the essay to a select few, and gain their critiques. I'd be happy to give it a pass, if you like.