Untimely meditations
One man's thoughts, observations and rants
Welcome to the personal blog of Joop Beris. I blog about a wide variety of topics, ranging from atheism to information security and lots in between. I welcome feedback on my articles but there are some guidelines. Feel free to share articles you like by using the sharing buttons but please give me credit if you want to share something. Also, check out my privacy policy and other legalese.
Please note that the things I write here do not represent the views of anyone else but me. I do not represent an organization or a business and I have nothing to sell. My views do not necessarily coincide with or represent those of my employer. Just throwing that in there for legal reasons.
Below you’ll find the most recent things I’ve written. Feel free to check them out, leave a comment and share them with others who might be interested.
Latest posts
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Over a dozen skeletons of an unknown, early Homo species found
Earlier this week, I Pressed this article. And now: an entire new Homo species. Just goes to show that there’s still a lot we don’t know about how our species came to be, exactly. What is evident though is that our evolution has been going on longer and more diverse than was previously thought. Homo…
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Questions for atheists
I was browsing some atheism related blogs and found a link to a lengthy list of questions for atheists at the Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry and I figured I’d have a go at answering them. You’re actually supposed to send them in via email but what good is having a blog if you’re not…
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Humans aren’t so special after all: The fuzzy evolutionary boundaries of Homo sapiens
It shouldn’t really come as a surprise that humans aren’t so different from our closest relatives. After all, evolution doesn’t create sharply defined edges between species. Over time, populations diverge slowly until they differ enough that we label them as a different species. Exciting new evidence of Neanderthals and Homo Erectus creating abstract patterns reveals…
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New Atheism?
Back in June of this year, I wrote an article about a book entitled “The Leprechaun Delusion.” The book argues that “New Atheism” is a harmful sociological and religious cult in its own right. Much to my surprise, one of the authors of the book, Idav Kelly, responded to my article by commenting on it. …
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Debating believers is pointless
Anyone who has come out as an atheist or has been vocal about his or her disbelief in the existence of a deity, has probably had a discussion or even an argument with someone of faith about the why and how of this standpoint. I know I’ve certainly had my share on Twitter, via email…
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We’ve called autism a disease for decades. We were wrong.
I’ve heard it suggested before: autism isn’t actually a disease. I’ve heard it suggested that it might be a new stage of evolution, maybe. While I am undecided on that, I think the severe forms of autism should definitely be treated like a disorder. High-functioning autism though, that may indeed be a different beast… It’s…
Recent comments
I have a question. I believe life is valuable because you have a soul and are a unique person, precious.…
I used to believe in god until my life went downhill. Your reasons are actually good.
Joop, Hope you are well. It is amazing to me the gullibility of people. How can educated people believe in…
Those analogies don’t hold up, I’m afraid. Like marriage or choosing to have children. Or moving to someplace new because…
“What can be asserted without evidence may be dismissed without evidence.”
Christopher Hitchens
Author and journalist
You seem to have multiple questions but let’s take them one at a time, shall we? I believe life is…