.....DAVE ROBINSON'S FRONT PAGE continued
To go to page 1, which includes a TABLE OF CONTENTS, click here
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| A view of Brisbane from the base of the cliffs at Kangaroo Point - click here for more Brisbane pics and links |
Purpose of this page – A springboard for future articles and links, mainly on various philosophical topics, travel, music, social issues and the promotion of a rationalist "open society" ethics (see Central Humanism). (So far the site isn't keeping up with these intentions.)
INTERESTS
Music – Chiefly classics, from Vivaldi (1678-1741) to Prokofiev (1891-1953), and traditional and mainstream jazz, including our very own "father of Australian jazz", the illustrious Graeme Bell: just retired from playing (4/3/06) at the age of 92, he's one of my model human beings. Although the raison d'etre of music is the creativity of the composer, in some ways I revere performers more than composers. Composition as such is much like talking or writing, and the greatest composers are just the best poets and novelists of music. Performance, on the other hand, seems to involve feats of memory and dexterity calling for more brain cells than any mere human being could possess, so I count many performers, especially pianists, among the gods (speaking metaphorically, of course).
Although lacking musical ability, I enjoy constructing stuff with a keyboard/computer midi set-up, mostly piano music and ballads (but have done nothing in the last three years). For this I mainly use Cakewalk Pro software. You can find a couple of audio samples and some scores here.
My interest in trad jazz is lifelong and of course includes the many great individualists (Armstrong, Beiderbecke, Reinhardt, Bechet, Waller etc), though I've always been especially attracted to the structured, balanced creations of artists like Jelly Roll Morton and Humphrey Lyttelton (a childhood idol, thanks to my elder brother, a squeaky wind-up gramophone and the banjo he made from a cake-tin and a hunk of wood). The best Queensland bands playing genuine trad are The Caxton Street Jazz Band (Brisbane), Up the River Jazz Band (Brisbane) and The Jazz Factory, (Noosa). For comments on these bands click here. My tastes in music are always changing at the periphery and I still have an enormous amount of listening to do.
Philosophy – A combination of the Western empiricist tradition with a kind of idealist absolutism and various other elements (see My philosophical outlook and Wotser Proper Filossofer?). I'm mainly interested in trying to put everything under the one umbrella - for example, fields of knowledge as diverse as mathematics and logic, physical facts and sensory experience, and ethics and aesthetics.
The concepts of truth and integrity are central to my thinking, and, I believe, central to both science and ethics. Truth relates mainly to everyday objective facts, and meaningful explanations and ideas which are wholly consistent with these facts and which have calculable effects in the real world. Integrity refers to our willingness to recognise truths, to repel garbage and to live in tune with reality. One of my many maxims is "Truth before God, God before Scriptures", which rather too politely sums up my resoundingly negative attitude towards theism and the traditional religions (see below). Like the logical positivists, I believe there are clear criteria of truth, and that religion is the chief enemy of truth and integrity
(though they certainly have many other dangerous foe). We have to thank Aristotle,
undoubtedly one of the greatest (and dullest) philosophers of all time, for setting us on the road
to truth. Among more recent sages Kant is my model of innovation and imagination, and the early writings of A J Ayer are my model of clarity (Kant is undoubtedly my model of impenetrability!). I once thought K.R. Popper's book The Open Society and Its Enemies was one of the most significant books of the 20th century, but I now doubt the fundamentals of his theory. Herbert Marcuse, in "One Dimensional Man", seems to find many more insidious constraints on human freedom than does Popper. In popular philosophy, "The God Delusion" (2006) by Richard Dawkins is essential anti-religious reading. (I have only just finished it, January 2007. For me, a few succinct pages in Ayer's little book, Language, Truth and Logic, were enough to get religion out of the way, but Dawkins covers a much wider field. I haven't read any of Sam Harris's stuff apart from these TruthDig webpages, which contain some of the best atheist material I've found so far.) Unquestionably the worst book I've ever read is the only book that's read by many millions of people the world over (no marks for guessing, but stop, look right, look left, then guess). On an equally crass but less alarming level, I'm horrified by some of the views held by neo-sociologists and the "loony left/bleeding hearts brigade" (as Brisbane journalist Lawrie Kavanagh used to call them) and the corresponding destructive trends that have emerged in Australian society.My optimistic intention is to use these pages mainly to present some ideas about logical theory, criteria of meaning and truth, connections between truth, integrity and "moral" behaviour, existence, an empirical view of maths and logic and the ethical philosophy of Central Humanism and associated issues.
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| A favourite haunt on Queensland's Sunshine Coast (scene near one of our previous homes) |
Global concerns – Many global issues are becoming morally significant, and amongst these I include population growth, conservation, especially of natural forest, and vegetarianism (however, I think some of the numerical claims at this link are exaggerated. Also see Miscellaneous below).
Within the next half-century Global warming is likely to become the overriding problem. The evidence, from many different fields, has become overwhelming, and steps must be taken immediately to avert worldwide disaster. Not too many people realise that global warming and its associated effects will probably accelerate due to factors such as the release of greenhouse gases trapped in permafrost and changes in heat absorbed and reflected by the Earth’s surface. Once this cycle of events gains momentum it will become virtually impossible to control it. Until recently it seemed to me that the most effective single step that could be taken immediately would be to drastically reduce fossil fuel production, replacing it with nuclear, solar and (possibly) subterranean thermal sources, and introducing cleaner technologies for using natural gas, e.g. to make hydrogen for powering motor vehicles. (But, for goodness sake, not biofuels from cereals or cane grown on good arable land, and not wind farms, except in remote areas.) I now tend to think this is an unrealistic approach, as the economic and human costs would probably outweigh the benefits. Better to put resources into intensive research and development aiming to drastically reduce the cost of alternative energy sources down the track. Other contributing factors to the problem include lifestyle improvement (if not pure greed), forest destruction and agricultural practices. But the root of the problem - and a major cause of many other problems - is population growth, which astonishingly has received very little attention either from politicians or from scientists. This, along with forest destruction, needs to be vigorously controlled on a global scale.
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| The Brisbane River opposite our cottage and former residence, a few kilometres from the city centre |
The increasing rate of deforestation - particularly the rain forests of South America and South-East Asia - is extremely alarming. I doubt whether most people are aware how bad the destruction has been: entire forests have simply disappeared. It's a complete myth that revegetation with fast-growing species is the solution. This may or may not help the global warming problem, but it cannot replace the complicated, absolutely vital role played by rain forests in maintaining a life-friendly global environment. And forests consist of much, much more than trees! Most importantly, they harbour numerous beautiful, often quite intelligent, animal species that face extinction as their habitat dwindles. The chief moral dilemma is that the livelihoods of a significant number of people depend on bulldozing trees. But since the lives of a much greater number of people, as well as animals, in the future depend on halting the destruction of our forests immediately, the dilemma has an easy answer. In practice politicians everywhere are just too stupid to include it high on their agenda, and everything weighs against them doing so. Similar arguments apply to current agricultural and fishing practices, and the disregard by global corporations for both people and the environment. Though I think of myself as an optimist, the chance of finding a way out of these predicaments, among many others, is rapidly receding. (See The Wilderness Society of Australia for further information and ways of helping to save our natural heritage.)
Anyway, it isn't at all certain that we will ever have to face up to these problems. Excessive population growth and global warming would, of course, have a serious effect on the global economy. But the chances seem quite high that, long before these physical changes become life-threatening, the economy will collapse into utter chaos, effectively putting a brake on those factors that are causing them. The reason for the anticipated collapse is simply that the financial system on which we have become entirely dependent is a complete illusion, consisting of nothing but figures invented by punters and stored in computers. Those figures could reduce to zero at any time, and the value of paper money would quickly follow suit. What then? (Did I say I was an optimist? Well, I'm also a realist, and there's no more reality to money than there is to God or ghosts.)
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| Looking north along the beach in front of one of our previous homes |
There are, of course, very many problems with the human race as such and it's hard to say which of them is most fundamental. Some say 'greed', some say 'the aggressive nature of the male of the species', others say 'the wealth/poverty divide' and so on. One fault that bothers me is the inability of people to draw the line between trust and gullibility. However, I think number one on my list of human evils goes to the 'mis-education of children', which results in the perpetuation of barbarism, the destructive social mindset that people rarely come to recognise for what it is. I'm referring especially to informal education - the stuff that gets passed down from parent to child through the generations, representing the cultural heritage. The brain of every child becomes more or less hardwired with cultural garbage, ranging from what they think they should eat to the outlandish fantasies of the traditional religion of their particular society. What they come to see as a way of life for themselves is really a way of death for humanity.
"Every child has the right to be shielded against religious indoctrination"
If we're going to brainwash our kids with anything, let it be with creative, caring, conservationist ideas and objective truths rather than with ambitions of destruction, greed, hatred, and trading in nonsense. But above all they should be taught to think for themselves. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights ideal of "freedom of thought, conscience and religion" has little relevance for human beings who lack the capacity for autonomous, rational thought. I need hardly add that I am passionately, unconditionally and irrevocably opposed to the religious indoctrination of young children. Although religious propaganda is by no means the worst misfortune that may threaten the life of a child, it is one of the most widespread and ought to be considered a serious offence.Religion, in all its forms, is a malignant disease - an anti-truth, anti-life virus that is capable of infecting even scientists (like Francis Collins, for example). Thinking of religion as anything but a disease inevitably leads to exasperation and loss of respect for the sufferers. But I must admit I do think of it in more aggressive terms when the victim is an otherwise intelligent, well educated, responsible human being. Such a person is fully accountable to himself, so his integrity and moral fortitude are called into question. It is a complete mystery to me how any reasonable person could have a shadow of doubt that all the traditional religions are deeply immoral. It's unethical for people to take seriously, and to run their lives in compliance with, a heap of glaringly obvious falsehoods, fairytales, deceptions and meaningless nonsense. And it's even more unethical to force-feed your children with this type of garbage, at a stage when they cannot possibly assess its worth. It's unethical because it's mind-destroying and dangerous. As I have contended elsewhere (e.g. see here), religion is unquestionably the excrement of the human mind, and those who drag their children through it - well, let's try to stay polite and say they are doing them the greatest disservice.
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| A Sunshine Coast wildlife haven (Photo: R. Robinson) |
Wildlife – Mainly bird-watching (feathered kind included!), and the bush-walking that goes along with it. My childhood was greatly enriched by two little books: The Observer's Book of British Birds and The Observer's Book of British Butterflies. The same books that instilled in me the collector’s passion for stealing birds’ eggs and pinning butterflies to cork boards eventually gave me the love and respect that put an end to those insensitive hobbies. To this day I fondly remember the contrasting regal colours of Vanessa atlanta and the silver song of Phylloscopus sibilatrix. When I came to Queensland I soon realised this immense, sun-baked region is a naturalist's paradise: I'm definitely no expert, but I'm convinced there's stuff out there - perhaps even warm-blooded - that doesn't get a mention in any book.
Travel and cultures - "Wherever you go, go with all your heart” (Confucius). Have travelled widely, especially in India and Europe. Delights for the senses, food for the mind, people never to be forgotten, but there's a devil of a lot to be done out there. No place like home. I'm torn between global humanitarianism and patriotism (though there's no particular reason why they should not coexist).
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| A typical panorama in the lush Sunshine Coast hinterland region (Photo: R. Robinson - more here) |
Soccer – mainly English. (Some people will insist that the game be called "football". Quite right!) Pity the Australian scene has been in such disarray. However, there is now a completely new structure in place for Australian soccer. The top league, known as the A League, consists of only 8 clubs, apparently selected on the basis of financial viability. In this new set-up, the Brisbane Strikers have been replaced by the Queensland Roar (formerly Queensland Lions). Everything has got off to a good start, with the Roar playing some quality soccer, a higher standard all round and excellent attendances. Brisbane now has arguably the best soccer venue in the country, in the shape of the new Suncorp Stadium. However, the reduced-size competition is going to result in a much shorter season, so it remains to be seen how it will finally pan out in terms of takings at the gates. And I'm not sure how it's going to help the Socceroos in their bid for the World Cup.
Well, now I can tell you! - Crowds have been really good and there's great excitement after the socceroos qualified for the World Cup, dismissing Uruguay in the penalty shoot-out. Wish Johnny Warren was here. He was one of the foremost ambassadors of our game (in my opinion the most significant person ever in Australian soccer). Johnny, aged 61, died on 6th November 2004, after a two-year battle with cancer.
(The less said about Australia's luck in the World Cup the better. The team did themselves proud.)
Around to February 2007 already! This season's A-League final was won by Melbourne Victory. The incredible 6-0 win against Adelaide included an early send-off and 5 clean goals from Archie Thompson. A thrilling match despite the one-sided scoreline. In a post-match interview (Today, Channel 9, 19/2/07) the Victory's cynical coach, Ernie Merrick, said “I’ve never seen so many people get so excited over something that does absolutely nothing.” Well, he's wrong on that one - what it does is get people excited!
And now it's New Year's Day, 2008. How the years fly by when you're having fun! After a slow start to the season, Queensland Roar have surged ahead under the direction of Frank Farina, who signed up as manager after about the 4th round. He was the one who steered the Brisbane Strikers to victory back in 1997, and of course he was also the Socceroos coach during the unsuccessful 1998 World Cup campaign. Well, now the Roar has hit the top of the ladder, just ahead of the Central Coast Mariners on goal difference. Only three games to go!
2009 - They didn't make it. Now they've changed their name to Brisbane Roar, as there's a newcomer to the league - North Queensland Fury, starring UK's Robbie Fowler. Since we moved to Cairns this is now our team, although their home ground is more than 4 hours drive to the south. Not going very well so far in the 2009-2010 season: after 7 rounds they're bottom of the ladder, but showing signs of improvement.
On the international scene, my favourite club has for long been Manchester United, paralleled only by Juventus during the early part of the Lippi era, when Baggio, Vialli, Ravinelli, Ferrara, Del Piero and subsequently Zidane formed the nucleus of the team.
For a long time my favourite player was Ryan Giggs, definitely no Australian!
Here's a link to a portrait and (if you're lucky) a shot of Giggs in action. Probably his most spectacular goal was the one he scored against Arsenal in the 1998/99 FA Cup semi-final replay. He worked well playing alongside van Nistelrooy in the 2003/04 season to help Man U. to victory in the FA Cup and to third spot in the Premier League. There are so many great players around now, I'm not sure whether Giggs is still my overall favourite. He's up against the likes of Barcelona's Ronaldinho and my spouse's long-time hero, Zinadine Zidane. However, after a bit of a lull he's certainly been holding his own in the 2006/07 Champions League games, so I'll keep on supporting him.
Poetry etc – Although not a major interest, I occasionally dabble in poetry. My tastes have not developed much since my schooldays, with Dylan Thomas and e.e. cummings still among my favourites. Shakespeare and many of the classical poets remain beyond my grasp, much to my dismay, as I recognise their greatness.
I don't like Australian bush verse (or anything resembling it) apart from a handful of classics. My favourite poems are e.e. cummings's somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond and Dylan Thomas's three related "nature" poems: Fern Hill, Poem in October and Over Sir John's Hill. In the classical rhyming style, I like some of the shorter poems of Wordsworth best, e.g. Upon Westminster Bridge. Also various other short poems, such as this little gem by Robert Frost. A few of my pitiful inventions (including failed song lyrics!) can be found at Dave's short poems etc.
Graphic arts etc – While I have no talent whatsoever as an artist, I find the graphic arts more enriching than poetry (but less so than music). My favourite schools are impressionism and most of the related "isms". The painting by Monet in the panel below is the first ever to be labelled "impressionist". I can't see the value in minimalist abstract art, junk art and the modern trend in pop art that's supposed to make some kind of "statement", which could be made more tellingly in other ways. Cartoonists, columnists and TV documentaries usually do a better job. In my opinion art should be beautiful, and beauty demands complexity and a certain kind of form. I have always liked fireworks (including how to make them - pyrotechnics) - by far the most popular and spectacular kind of abstract art.
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Monet
Impression - Soleil levant |
Renoir
Girl with ears of corn |
Van Gogh
Cottage in Cordeville |
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Gaugin
Nave Moe |
Manet
Bar Folies Bergere |
Dali
Paysage aux Papillons |
Miscellaneous – I've had a long interest in computer keyboard design and have researched the subject thoroughly. Everyone knows the standard keyboard layout (like that of the piano!) is ridiculous. But what to do about it? On the home page there's a link to the best solutions I can offer. My "professional expertise" is in the far-removed field of poultry husbandry and nutrition. During a lifelong career in the poultry industry I sometimes went out of my way to justify its practices and give moral support to the farmers. I now think I was totally mistaken. Well, not quite totally - I still believe the "middle-of-the-road" stance adopted by most farmers, researchers and the public is the least justifiable. There are four unassailable objections to intensive animal production (“factory farming”), namely food wastage, cruelty, health hazards and environment degradation (though recent research suggests that products from grazing animals, such as beef, lamb and milk, have a larger "carbon footprint"). Why I didn't understand the arguments long ago I really don't know. Anyway, I've finally become a staunch opponent of the "battery" cage system of egg production, and of the nonsensical research aimed at propping the system up (or knocking it down). A cage is a cage is a cage. And as for chicken, I never want to touch another piece as long as I live! Let others have the pleasure of licking their damned fingers!
...............CONTACT.............
Footnote 1
I can easily deal with this one right here and now. State Governments are typical Australian administrative overkill, a complete waste of taxpayers' money. The wastage is not only due to the oversize government as such, but to the multiplication of laws and taxes, the continual buck-passing between Federal and State
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| (Source and cartoonist unknown) |
10 February 2009: Our new Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, carries a massive burden and will soon have to make some radical decisions. The economy is sliding into a deep recession, bush fires in Victoria have destroyed lives and whole townships, floods in Northern Queensland are among the worst on record... What next? The bill will be enormous. So far, the States have cooperated with his rescue efforts quite well, but where will he eventually find the money and resoluteness to alleviate the country's problems? Abolish the State governments, Mr Rudd!
Footnote 2
In my opinion the conservation of "salties" (as the saltwater crocodiles are called here in northern Queensland) has been taken too far. They are exceedingly dangerous animals and their numbers have increased dramatically from around 5000 in the 70's (when they were placed on the proteced list) to around 150,000 in 2008. There are now large numbers in close proximity to human habitation and you never know where they will turn up - on popular beaches or even in the middle of cities. Deaths from salties are becoming more frequent and causing great concern amongst those who have to live alongside them. Surely we have far too many of these ferocious killers and it's high time we started culling them again. (See Australian Saltwater Crocodiles).