The ruling overturns a 148-year-old colonial law which calls a same-sex relationship an ‘unnatural offence.’… Read the rest
Madeleine Bunting on Science and Religion
Jul 2nd, 2009 | Filed by Ophelia BensonNo actually it turns out to be about ‘the New Atheists’ again. And ‘Ditchkins.’ Deep stuff.… Read the rest
Zeinab Huq on Sharia Up Close and Personal
Jul 2nd, 2009 | Filed by Ophelia BensonWhatever the protestations of its fans, this system of law does not favour women.… Read the rest
Johann Hari on ‘Does God Hate Women?’
Jul 2nd, 2009 | Filed by Ophelia BensonAfter all the arguments for subordinating women have been shown to be self-serving lies, what are misogynists left with?… Read the rest
Compatibility
Jul 2nd, 2009 7:47 am | By Ophelia BensonWe’ve seen that Mooney and Kirshenbaum claim that ‘faith and science are perfectly compatible.’
Austin Cline has a very helpful post explaining how this is done.
… Read the restChris Mooney regularly insists that all he wants is to promote the “pragmatic” position that science and religion are compatible. He doesn’t want critics of religion and theism to “shut up,” he just doesn’t want them to keep being so publicly critical. This differs from shutting up in that… well, Chris Mooney can’t quite explain how it differs. But it does, really. You can trust him on that.
As a demonstration of just how trustworthy Chris Mooney is, as well as a demonstration of just what he he thinks “framing” is all about,
The rest of chapter 8
Jul 1st, 2009 3:16 pm | By Ophelia BensonMoving on.
Scientists as a group are more secular than ‘the rest of the nation.’ Religion is an emotional matter. Creationists fear that evolution [the subject, not evolution itself] will ‘undermine their religious culture.’
Abrasive atheism can only exacerbate this anxiety and reinforce the misimpression that scientific inquiry leads inevitably to the erosion of religion and values. [p. 100]
They apparently mean ‘abrasive atheism’ of scientists there, but they failed to specify that, which is one problem throughout – a constant tendency to overbroaden their claims and confuse the issue. As it stands the claim is nonsensical – ‘abrasive’ atheism as such can only exacerbate fear of evolution? Well, possibly, but it’s not obvious how CM and SK know that. … Read the rest
On the wicked ‘new atheists’
Jul 1st, 2009 12:06 pm | By Ophelia BensonI half-promised to stop disputing the claims of Chris Mooney yesterday, but then Jerry Coyne sent me the SEED summary of Mooney’s and Kirshenbaum’s new book, and I realized I had been premature.
… Read the restFollowing up on his The Republican War on Science. science journalist Chris Mooney joins Sheril Kirshenbaum in explaining the disconnect between scientists and the public. This time the onus is on not just on obfuscating and interfering conservatives, but largely on scientists themselves. By talking down to the misinformed – and outright insulting the religious – scientists, they argue, do more harm than good in their quest to enshrine reason in American politics and culture. While the authors’ call for more friendly and magnanimous champions
Interview: Russell Blackford and Udo Schuklenk
Jul 1st, 2009 | Filed by Ophelia BensonTired of religious people’s published musings about the struggle to find god? ’50 Voices of Disbelief’ can help.… Read the rest
Bunglawala Says Sharia Courts Are Fine
Jul 1st, 2009 | Filed by Ophelia BensonCommenters point out the problem of inequality that Bugnlawala forgot to mention.… Read the rest
Grayling on Clerical Cruelty and Dogmatism
Jul 1st, 2009 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe question of what archbishops and rabbis do to subvert the ethical maturation of humankind has to be addressed.… Read the rest
Andrew Brown on How to Think About Sharia
Jul 1st, 2009 | Filed by Ophelia Benson‘Perhaps the autonomous adult is an idealisation, useful for some purposes, but misleading for others.’… Read the rest