Soul Searching For Godless Heathens

I was recently asked about my worldview. Specifically I was asked what I find lacking in it. What do I see as flawed with it?

I've thought about this. I think by its very nature, my worldview is ideal for me. I don't see any flaws at all. But first, let's define it.

Worldview: 1. The overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world. 2. A collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an individual or a group.

So,  it's a very comprehensive set of beliefs about the world. And I'm very happy with the worldview I've thoughtfully developed. I will say it was a process, though, which is ongoing and, like all critical thinking, open to new information that can alter it.

Mine is based on Naturalism - a scientific account of the world in terms of causes and natural forces that rejects all spiritual, supernatural, or teleological explanations; Humanism - a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism and other supernatural beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity; and Nature - nature is awesome and humans are responsible for taking care of the world to the best of our ability, and to be humane to other living creatures.

In those respects, science is very important to me because it's how we understand and progress. Through science the Universe gets to know itself (rough paraphrase from my hero, Carl Sagan), and we get to know our world and everything in it, including ourselves.

Science isn't everything though. There's also humanity and what we have developed*, such as consciousness and cognition, justice, beauty, love, humaneness, compassion, morality, genius, and on and on. (*note that there are animals that have some consciousness and self awareness, which is amazing and awesome. It shows that we are on the far end of the continuum, but still connected and an integral part of the animal kingdom!)

My worldview has been cultivated and formed over my life, but especially in the last 10 years since I've become an atheist. In other words, I've really thought about this, it isn't something told to me by anyone. And I think that's important for finding that it's complete and comfortable for me.

I thought I'd turn the question over to you. What is your worldview and do you feel yours has any flaws in it that bother you, that you find missing or less than fulfilling?

The Immortal Jelly

Here is an amazing creature! Turritopsis nutricula is a hydrozoan, a jelly. They aren't called jellyfish anymore, by the way. Now they are called jellies. Nom! Only I don't want to eat this one on toast, I want scientists to study it. Why? Well, it's basically immortal.

After it reaches sexual maturity, it can go through a process of transdifferentiation and transform mature cells back to young cells (polyps). Here's one way to explain it:

Cell transdifferentiation is when the jellyfish "alters the differentiated state of the cell and transforms it into a new cell. In this process the medusa of the immortal jellyfish is transformed into the polyps of a new polyp colony. First, the umbrella reverts itself and then the tentacles and mesoglea get resorbed. The reverted medusa then attaches itself to the substrate by the end that had been at the opposite end of the umbrella and starts giving rise to new polyps to form the new colony. Theoretically, this process can go on infinitely, effectively rendering the jellyfish biologically immortal. (Wikipedia)

This little creature is about 4.5 mm in diameter (.18 inches). The red in the center is its large stomach. Young jellies have about 8 tentacles while adults have 80-90 tentacles. The picture shown below is actually a Turritopsis rubra from New Zealand which is closely related. They are very similar, but it's not known if  T. rubra can transform back into polyps.

The jelly originated in the Carribbean but now it's found all over the world in temperate to tropical oceans. Because it's basically immortal (if it doesn't succumb to predation, etc), the numbers are spiking.  They think it's spreading by ships discharging ballast water in ports.

A bit more about their immortality:

More Groovy Science - 1

Science is so wonderful. There are always scientists hard at work trying to make sense of things, trying to understand and make things better. It's awesome. Here are some recent studies:

• A Sense of Humor Helps Keep You Healthy Until Retirement Age


• Tidy House, Fitter Body?


• Spending Time in Nature Makes People Feel More Alive


• Meditation Reduces the Emotional Impact of Pain


• If You Don't Brush Your Teeth Twice a Day, You're More Likely to Develop Heart Disease


• Antibiotic Resistance Lasts Up to a Year


• Coffee Consumption Unrelated to Alertness: Stimulating Effects May Be Illusion


• Studies Provide More Support for Health Benefits of Coffee


• New Evidence That Chili Pepper Ingredient Fights Fat


• Peppers May Increase Energy Expenditure in People Trying to Lose Weight


• Milk: Two Glasses a Day Tones Muscles, Keeps the Fat Away in Women


• Cereal And Milk Is The New Sports Supplement

A Sense of Humor Helps Keep You Healthy Until Retirement Age: A good sense of humor helps you reach retirement age and be healthy. But after the age of 70, the health benefits of humor decrease, according to researchers in Norway. The records of 53,500 people were examined and then followed up after 7 years. "There is reason to believe that sense of humor continues to have a positive effect on mental health and social life, even after people have become retirees, although the positive effect on life expectancy could not be shown after the age of 75. At that point, genetics and biological aging are of greater importance." The test only measured for "friendly humor", not insulting, bullying or humor based on conflict.
The lead scientist of this study believes there are many myths and misunderstandings about humor. For example, one myth is that happy people have a better sense of humor than people who are more serious. ...A sense of humor can be learned and improved through practice. There was another study 4 years ago that also came to the same conclusion, so this larger study confirms the findings from the first.

More Research and Studies To Interest You

Here are some recent studies that seemed quite interesting.

Traditional Aerobic Fitness Training Trumps Pedometer-Based Walking Programs for Health Benefits: What to do: walk around the block or work up a sweat in an aerobic workout at the gym? If you're looking for the best health benefits from an exercise program, a traditional aerobic fitness program that gets your heart pumping beats a walking program hands down. But if you want to get moving, a walking program is easier to do, it's good for you, and you're more likely to stick with it.

Wild Birds Opt for Conventional Food Over Organic: The nutritional benefits of organic food have been called into question by new research which shows wild garden birds prefer conventional seed to that which has been organically- grown. "Protein is an essential nutrient in the diet of all birds and mammals and getting enough of it -- especially in winter -- can be hard. "We showed that when given free choice, wild birds opt for the conventional food over the organic, and the most likely explanation is its higher protein content. "This study is only looking at one aspect of the organic food debate -- it does not take into account the long-term health implications of using chemical fertilisers and pesticides, or the often negative environmental impact of conventional farming; for example, other work has shown that pesticides can strongly reduce availability of seeds for birds. "But it does raise questions about the nutritional benefits of organic food and what consumers are being led to believe."

5 New Scientific Studies To Interest You

I wanted to share some recent studies with you. This is the most interesting research that I've found, in no particular order:

Even Small Patches of Urban Woods Are Valuable for Migrating Birds: This is good news! The more humans make progress, multiply and spread, the less wild land there is for nature. This study found that the birds in their study seemed to be able to find enough food even in a small urban habitat and continue on their journey. So at least these birds - Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus), a relative of the American Robin - were somewhat flexible in their habitat needs and were able to meet their stopover requirements within urban forest patches.
~So, if you can, plant native flora and encourage your local area to have patches of naturalized habitat for nature. :)

Caffeine May Slow Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias, Restore Cognitive Function, According to New Evidence: Although caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive drug worldwide, its potential beneficial effect for maintenance of proper brain functioning has only recently begun to be adequately appreciated. Substantial evidence from epidemiological studies and fundamental research in animal models suggests that caffeine may be protective against the cognitive decline seen in dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Key findings presented in "Therapeutic Opportunities for Caffeine in Alzheimer's Disease and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases":