But your point is still not THE point.

Oddly enough, I never claimed it was.

Wait, that's not odd at all, considering I never believed it was.

In @@ news, I just saw an ad for the new Doppler 2 MILLION.

Again, don't take these numbers to be exact. They're just guesses that he argues for in his book, but Swinburne will admit that there are perfectly good arguments for coming up different probability estimates that will lead to a different outcome.

This is the sort of thing that always makes me happy that I am a scientist rather than a philosopher. The Bayesian approach is very powerful if you can put in some prior probabilities, collect some data, and then revise the probability estimates based on the fit of your model to the data. After several iterations you can arrive at an efficient and accurate answer. But if there are no data-based iterations? If you start and end the process with your own assumptions, which are of unknown quality? I just don’t understand what has been accomplished. I love the simple-minded empiricism of the scientific method. It allows you to bumble your way to a pretty good answer even if you start off with stupid ideas. That’s a useful quality for someone like me, who never has a shortage of stupid ideas.

Best headline ever for a nature article?

Enemy anemones wage all-out war

When tide rolls back in, it's polyp vs. polyp

Say "enemy anemones" three times fast....

As the tide starts to cover the colonies, "scouts" move to the border and look for empty space to claim. The "warrior" anemones — which are larger and well-armed with stinging cells – provide backup by inflating their arms and slapping at enemies, sometimes from four rows back off the front lines.

Meanwhile, in the center of the colony, poorly armed anemones concentrate on reproduction, making sure there are enough "troops" to maintain the colony.

And they coordinate all these complex behaviors without a single brain among them.

And they coordinate all these complex behaviors without a single brain among them.

We are Anemone of Borg...

And they coordinate all these complex behaviors without a single brain among them.

They have no brain. And they don't even know it!

They have no brain. And they don't even know it!

Just like the president!

Poor warrior anemones. I wonder if other anemones offer them support... like, say, enemy anemone amenities.

eta: Of course, other sea creatures might steal them, resulting in enemy anemone amenities for manatees.

Or if the manetees provide them: enemy anemone manatees amenities.

enemy anemone manatees amenities

that's insanity