– Cat

Anyway, I don’t really want to resurrect the discussion in this thread, so I’ll avoid any mentions of evolution or religion and pick out one point that (I think) has not been adressed yet:
“Consider this: There can be only one correct answer to any given question, for example: the question what is 1+1 will likely only yield one answer, 2. That was easy because the math was simple. However, the more factors you introduce — and the more people you ask– the more unique (and necessarily erroneous) responses you will receive. It can, therefore, be reasoned that to every question there must be ONE (no more and no less) correct AND an infinite number of *incorrect* answers. This applies to every question you can ask; that’s human nature. Could you agree to this in principle? It’s easy when nothing personal is at stake.”
No, I cannot.
Choosing mathematics as an example was not the best choice. In fact many mathematical questions – once you proceed from elementary school – have more than one answer. The most simple example would be the equation x² = 1, with the possible answers being both “1” ans “-1”.
Even outside mathematics, there can be questions with more than one correct answer. Example: “How do I get to the Railway station?” Granted, one answer might be better than another, but in most cases there would be several correct answers and often two or more wich are comparable in “quality”

Oh, and kudos to Cerebulon for finding that quote of Augustine of Hippo!

Great article, Jason, interesting choice of words – “our feline masters “. Never a truer line! Now I must go, for the four-legged, small, hairy creature doth meow.

As for the cats, one of the main factors of their being injured in a fall is the strength of their necks. Their bodies are very elastic, able to absorb most of the force of the impact, but they aren’t able to keep their heads from hitting the ground. This is what usually causes the fatalities. Theoretically, if you could fit kitty with a custom neck brace before his fall, he would be near-indestructible. Cats are a wonder of evolution, since they are master hunters in nearly every region of the world, and we still see mutations occur quite frequently.

I think it is central to the cat’s survival that its’ bones are not attached to each other in quite the same solid fashion ours are. Look at a cat X-ray. You will see what I mean.

It’s good to see that there are a great range of paradigms out there, and the calibre of DI readers. A couple of things-

1. People keep mentioning scientific fact, which is something that I was educated on a long time ago. There are a lot of things that people perceive as fact, that most scientists know aren’t. Facts are truths known by actual experience or observation (dictionary.com). One example that has always stuck with me is the model of the atom. Most of you out there will know the current model as being a nucleus of protons orbited by electrons. This is not fact. No one (I haven’t checked in 10 years though) has ever seen an atom. It is a model based on observation and study and experimentation, and is therefore accepted until it can be disproved or better model put forth.

The same can be said about evolution and creationism. Based on the evidence and findings that we do have, both are theories that have been proposed. However, they still can’t be held as fact, as it hasn’t been observed or experienced.

I’m for evolution btw.

2. Kitties are cute!

It’s precisely because of people like this that I wish I could travel back in time and replace all of the original versions(?) of the world’s holy books/scriptures with copies of The Amazing Spider-Man comic book. I find that the average issue of Spidey is not only better written and edited than the aforementioned Wholly Babble, et al., but the characters and events therein are far more believable and satisfying to read about, IMO. Entertaining stories, nicely illustrated, and often with some kind of lesson to impart, albeit in a non-preachy fashion. Makes for a helluva better source upon which to base one’s belief systems, n’est-ce pas? I’m just sayin’… At least I can take some solace in the observation that every current religion exists somewhere near the midpoint of a continuum that begins with a cult and ends with a mythology (the implication being that it’s only a matter of time and education, before Xtianity and the like end up sharing dorm-space with Odin and Aphrodite).

And lest I be accused of being completely irrelevant here, cats and gravity are both very nifty. Good article! :}

P.S.: On behalf of all “batteries” (insert eyeroll here) I sure hope that the Architect dispatched Agent Smith to take care of Shandooga; his arrogance alone could power a third-world country!