A C Grayling notes that the UDHR has already made a real difference to our world.… Read the rest
All entries by this author
Pilger Looks Down on Obama From Great Height
Dec 3rd, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia Benson‘The American elite has grown adept at using the black middle and management class.’… Read the rest
The Racist Flipside of Anti-imperialism
Dec 3rd, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonSunny Hundal says for John Pilger to call Obama an ‘Uncle Tom’ betrays an ugly contempt for those who refuse his revolutionary romanticism.… Read the rest
The Vatican lives up to itself
Dec 2nd, 2008 5:00 pm | By Ophelia BensonGood old Vatican – it makes sure we won’t relax our guard and start thinking they’re a nice bunch of fellas there. It makes sure to keep reminding us that no, they’re a nasty bigoted punitive set of dogmatists who insist on their obligation to mistreat people for no good reason.
The Vatican has said it opposes a European Union proposal for a United Nations declaration formally condemning discrimination against homosexuals, which it claims would “de-criminalise” same sex unions.
So apparently it thinks same sex unions are and should remain crimes. That’s nice. Of course, if priests fiddle with children, that should be protected and kept secret, but if gay adults want to pair off, oh my no, that must … Read the rest
Ed Husain on Resisting Extremism
Dec 2nd, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonA group dedicated to creating an Islamist dictatorship meets every weekend in Regent’s Park mosque.… Read the rest
Adam Kirsch on Slavoj Zizek
Dec 2nd, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonIt might be worthwhile to consider Zizek’s work as if he means it – to ask what his ideas really are, and what sort of effects they are likely to have.… Read the rest
Vatican Thanks Muslims for Restoring God
Dec 2nd, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia Benson‘Muslims were the ones who demanded space for God in society.’ Thanks ever so.… Read the rest
A C Grayling on ‘Innate’ Religion
Dec 2nd, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonTempleton Foundation funding research into claim that children are hardwired to believe in a ‘supreme being.’… Read the rest
Vatican in Favour of Discrimination
Dec 2nd, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonVat opposes EU proposal for UN declaration formally condemning discrimination against homosexuals.… Read the rest
Johann Hari Talks to Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Dec 1st, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonShe has no time for what she sees as the ignorant, woolly Islam-is-peace message of Western liberals.… Read the rest
Johann Hari on Hip-hop Homophobia
Dec 1st, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonA lot of stars are enraged closet-cases.… Read the rest
Cincinnati Zoo Teams With Creationist Museum
Dec 1st, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonPZ Myers urges everyone to contact the zoo; write to their education, marketing and PR departments.… Read the rest
Nicholas Kristof on Acid Attacks on Women
Dec 1st, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonAcid attacks are commonly used to terrorize and subjugate women and girls in a swath of Asia.… Read the rest
Voices of Disbelief Off to the Publishers
Dec 1st, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonEssays from 52 atheists including Baggini, Clark, Dacey, Grayling, Namazie, Edis, Law, Randi, Singer, Tatchell, Stenger.… Read the rest
Access of evil
Dec 1st, 2008 1:14 am | By Ophelia BensonWhat a foul ruthless disgusting privileged shameless contemptible bastard George Bush is. Not that this is a news flash…but new instances of it can still cause the jaw to drop with revulsion and loathing.
… Read the restThe Labor Department is racing to complete a new rule, strenuously opposed by President-elect Barack Obama, that would make it much harder for the government to regulate toxic substances and hazardous chemicals to which workers are exposed on the job. The rule, which has strong support from business groups, says that in assessing the risk from a particular substance, federal agencies should gather and analyze “industry-by-industry evidence” of employees’ exposure to it during their working lives. The proposal would, in many cases, add a step
Ways of knowing
Dec 1st, 2008 1:00 am | By Ophelia BensonI trust you read Tom Clark’s terrific article on epistemology. I’m going to comment on just one section, ‘Misplaced concessions to non-empiricism.’
Most organizations in the U.S. that champion science take the politically safe route of conceding a certain respect to their biggest epistemic competition, traditional faith-based institutional religions such as Christianity. A popular rationale for such respect is that science and religion don’t conflict since science can’t evaluate religious claims about the supernatural; it’s only concerned with the natural, material world. This suggests that religions have epistemic authority when it comes to the supernatural.
Indeed it does, and, annoyingly and unhelpfully (not to say harmfully), it does it without actually explicitly saying it. As Tom says, it suggests … Read the rest
UN Reports Taliban is Stockpiling Opium
Nov 30th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonIn an effort to support prices and preserve a major source of financing for the insurgency.… Read the rest
Bush Races to Prevent Worker Safety
Nov 30th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonNew rule will make it much harder to regulate toxic substances and hazardous chemicals on the job.… Read the rest
Mumbai Doctors Say Victims Were Tortured
Nov 30th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia Benson‘It was obvious that they were tied up and tortured before they were killed. It was so bad that I do not want to go over the details.’… Read the rest
Kill Until the Last Breath
Nov 30th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe Mumbai attacks were intended to kill 5,000 people.… Read the rest