Noisy public deception gets taken apart over a period of nine days.… Read the rest
All entries by this author
Sock puppet blog flames out 
Jun 28th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
An anonymous blog that spent most of its time misrepresenting four bloggers and writing fake comments has suddenly shut down.… Read the rest
Philosophy in the Popular Imagination
Jun 27th, 2010 | By Andrew TaggartIn my life nothing good has ever come of the “what do you do” question. Once off my lips, the line “I work on moral philosophy, on ethics” can lead in only one of two directions. Either my acquaintance unschooled in philosophy will be almost preternaturally interested in what I have to say as if she’s happened upon some sublime creature only thought to exist on blanched parchment, or she’ll be absolutely dumbstruck by the stupidity of a life well-wasted. Though, chances are, her rejoinder could go either way, in this particular case she’s lighted on the latter path. “Philosophy, it doesn’t get you anywhere,” she states, reveling in a truth that she believes is as certain as the claim … Read the rest
Capeesh?
Jun 27th, 2010 12:04 pm | By Ophelia BensonThe pope and the Vatican are trying even harder to get the whole world outside “the Holy See” to loathe and despise them for their passionate selfishness and territorialism and their shocking, persistent, hardened inability to take the real and horrendous damage done to Other People more seriously than minor inconveniences to themselves.
… Read the restPope Benedict has joined mounting Vatican criticism of raids by Belgian police investigating alleged child sex abuse, calling them “deplorable”…Pope Benedict’s criticism of the raids came in a message of support to Brussels Archbishop Andre Joseph Leonard, the head of the Belgian bishops’ conference. “I want to express, dear brother in the Episcopate, as well as to all the Bishops of Belgium, my closeness and solidarity in
Pope demands impunity for self and colleagues
Jun 27th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Is enraged at Belgium; Vatican calls Belgian law enforcement worse than “the old communist regimes.”… Read the rest
We’re bad at making rational decisions about risk
Jun 27th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Should government decisions about risk reflect our irrational foibles or the rational calculations of sober risk assessment? … Read the rest
Emily Dickinson was an extraordinarily powerful woman
Jun 27th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
An artist who was intimidated by nothing—the opposite of a fear-driven recluse or a lovelorn spinster.… Read the rest
Nick Cohen on a startling rebirth of big money
Jun 27th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Conspicuous consumption thrives while the humble are punished for a recession brought on by the mighty.… Read the rest
Russell Blackford on “extremism” and dogmatism
Jun 27th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
One’s position on a spectrum says nothing about how dogmatic one is.… Read the rest
Et tu AAAS?
Jun 26th, 2010 4:54 pm | By Ophelia BensonJen McCreight of Blag Hag is at the Evolution 2010 conference in Portland and she went to a 2 hour symposium on Communication this morning. It started well, with Robert Pennock giving some good advice…but then…
But it quickly went downhill. Much of the talk was about distancing support of evolution from atheistic views – that we need to stress that religion and science is compatible so people in the “middle” can still accept theistic evolution. That people are more willing to accept evolution if they hear it from their pastor. He lauded Francis Collins and the BioLogos foundation for being pro-evolution…even though BioLogos just had a piece trying to reconcile Biblical Adam and Eve with evolution.
Well that … Read the rest
Atheist bashing at the Evolution meetings
Jun 26th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A 2 hours symposium was devoted to accommodationism; someone from AAAS said atheists are extremists.… Read the rest
No, rape is not “cultural”
Jun 26th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The European aid worker who dismissed the violence as “cultural” implied that Congolese women should expect to be raped.… Read the rest
Crispian Jago: Skeptic Park with Evan Harris
Jun 26th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Ben, Dickie and Simon ask questions.… Read the rest
David Colquhoun on herbal medicine
Jun 26th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
It need not be mystical nonsense, but it usually is.… Read the rest
Study finds fetus can’t feel pain before 24 weeks
Jun 26th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Nerve connections in the brain are not sufficiently formed to register pain.… Read the rest
Sholto Byrnes: Rethinking Islamism IV
Jun 26th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
It’s much much much nicer than you think. Really.… Read the rest
Interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Jun 26th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“The people who believe themselves to be on the left, and who defend the agents of Islam in the name of tolerance and culture, are being right-wing.”… Read the rest
Reporter has opinions, resigns
Jun 26th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Is it possible to report accurately despite opinions?… Read the rest
Bangladesh: girl given 101 lashes for being raped
Jun 25th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The village elders pardoned the rapist.… Read the rest
Ratzinger v Belgium
Jun 25th, 2010 1:19 pm | By Ophelia BensonThe pope is pissed off because Belgian police are investigating Belgian citizens over allegations of crimes against other Belgian citizens (who were underage at the time) along with concealment and perpetuation of those crimes. What business, exactly, does the pope have being pissed off about this? He is the head of the organization the suspects work for, but so what?
The Vatican has expressed shock at raids, including the “violation” of a cathedral crypt, by Belgian police investigating alleged child sex abuse.
Well that’s typical, isn’t it – they’re “shocked” about the “violation” of a crypt – an inanimate object – when they were never all that shocked about the repeated violation of living breathing feeling human beings at their … Read the rest
