You Can’t Have One Without the Other

March 19, 2013 By 5 Comments

(The cartoon was drawn by Jessica Hagy, author of the just-released How to Be Interesting: (In 10 Simple Steps). Read more about the book here!)

Filed Under: General, Humor 5 Comments
About Hemant Mehta

Hemant Mehta is the chair of Foundation Beyond Belief and a high school math teacher in the suburbs of Chicago. He began writing the Friendly Atheist blog in 2006. His latest book is called The Young Atheist's Survival Guide.

  • http://www.last.fm/user/m6wg4bxw m6wg4bxw

    Anyone interested (B) in medieval (C) chaos (A)?

  • observer

    Uh, I think her idea is that people having freedom but with no ideas is chaotic. Conversely, ideas with no freedom is “medieval.”
    The best thing to do is to have both?…

  • Eric

    Ideas are a construct of ‘control’ we experience and learn and from that we develop hypothesis or ideas about stuff… that is a type of assimilation or control by the society or environment – to be completely free is to be without any ‘influence’ that ‘controls’ our process… thus it’s chaos not organized or ‘structured’ … I’m not sure how medieval fits in accept that the opposing forces are change=strange, new, scary and Not change = stability, sameness, security by consistency and familiarity….

  • http://twitter.com/TychaBrahe TychaBrahe

    I really don’t get how ideas without freedom is medieval. I would see it more as a Marxist-Leninist or Maoist dictatorship, where scientists and artists are unable to approach new ideas for fear of them being seen as subversive by the state. I also don’t get how freedom without ideas is chaotic. She might want to read Connie Willis’s Bellwether. Some people believe chaos is necessary for the germination of new ideas. And not all chaoses are equally without restraints.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/EYZCDG3OAPGD3PDG7XD7SM7OAM ElizabethS

    I don’t get it…I just see overlapping boobs. :-)