Church is sending “educational” DVDs to Catholics to reaffirm “the unchangeable nature of marriage.”… Read the rest
All entries by this author
Cartoon rejected just for mentioning Mo
Sep 29th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonA satire on the fear of publishing anything Mo-related prompts fear of publishing anything Mo-related, and doesn’t get published.… Read the rest
Aliens are sabotaging missiles, US pilots claim
Sep 28th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonSrsly. It’s totally true. They’ve been doing it since 1948. They landed 7 years ago.… Read the rest
Give Fox News a great big hug
Sep 28th, 2010 11:46 am | By Ophelia BensonAjita Kamal of Nirmukta is thinking about many of the same issues we’ve been thinking about around here.
A common misconception is that freethought implies treating all ideas equally. This could not be farther from the truth. Freethinkers are extremely discriminatory of bad ideas, and adopt a refined reasoning process in judging factual claims.
Exactly, and this is why the idea that the Center for Inquiry (for example) is and should be in the business of promoting “diversity” is so silly. Free inquiry isn’t some default state that flourishes is left alone; it has to be protected and encouraged, because there are always lots of people who want to shut it down the better to promote their own … Read the rest
Whose “squawk”?
Sep 28th, 2010 10:42 am | By Ophelia BensonIt’s strange to see The Chronicle of Higher Education giving Carlin Romano space to promote the Templeton Foundation.
The Templeton Foundation, which specializes in prodding believers and nonbelievers to discuss such things in civilized ways, has published all sorts of booklets, like “Does Science Make Belief in God Obsolete?”…
That’s a very flattering way of describing what Templeton specializes in. To a less infatuated observer it looks more as if Templeton specializes in flattering its own self – as in the CHE blurb for Romano’s piece:
… Read the restCarlin Romano, critic at large for The Chronicle Review, is a professor of philosophy and humanities at Ursinus College. This essay is adapted from a talk he gave this summer as a Templeton-Cambridge
Ajita Kamal on moderating freethought groups
Sep 28th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonMost freethinkers are wary of all ideologies. These are not usually the ones that are politically motivated towards promoting freethought.… Read the rest
Narendra Nayak on the rise of intolerance in India
Sep 28th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonIt is not just the saffron gang or the green gang that is responsible for this sort of thinking; it is just that they are the most vociferous and violent.… Read the rest
Jason Rosenhouse on Swinburne on God
Sep 28th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe God hypothesis should be given such a low prior probability that truly extraordinary evidence is needed to render it plausible.… Read the rest
Carlin Romano does his Templeton homework
Sep 28th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia Benson“This essay is adapted from a talk he gave this summer as a Templeton-Cambridge Fellow in Science and Religion.”… Read the rest
Remember the nerds of South Dakota
Sep 27th, 2010 3:29 pm | By Ophelia BensonSince I wrote a tut-tutting post about Caspar Melville’s tut-tutting post about gnu atheism last week, in fairness I should add that he promptly asked me to write a piece responding to his for the New Humanist, which I have now done; it will be in the next issue. That’s a generous way with critics, do admit.
The truth is, I really don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with being bored by gnu atheism. I’m very easily bored myself; I find a great many things irritating; I can certainly understand being fed up with something even if I agree with it. What makes a difference is the context. The context right now is an endless flood of commentary about … Read the rest
Bad science education impairs US economy
Sep 27th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonUS mathematics and science K-12 education ranks 48th worldwide.… Read the rest
How a journalist should report on a scientific paper
Sep 27th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonFirst make an obvious pun, then ask an inane question, then say which existing scientific ideas this new research “challenges.”… Read the rest
Hossein Derakhshan could face execution
Sep 27th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonBlogger Hossein Derakhshan on trial in Iran
Sep 27th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonHe has been charged with “collaborating with enemy states, creating propaganda against the Islamic regime, insulting religious sanctity” and more.… Read the rest
Pragna Patel at protest the pope rally
Sep 26th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia Benson“Nor am I surprised to learn that the Muslim Council of Britain will be taking part in the papal visit.”… Read the rest
Ben Goldacre on medical ghostwriting
Sep 26th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonAcademics put their names on papers written by commercial medical writing companies working for drug companies.… Read the rest
Should science journalists take sides?
Sep 26th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonIf you just report what people have said, you’re a megaphone, not a journalist. Analysis is part of the job.… Read the rest
Salil Tripathi on the ‘incompetence Raj’
Sep 26th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThis is not a failure of the Indian people or Indian culture. It is the Indian government who have failed so badly with the Commonwealth Games.… Read the rest
Ignore the logo, no matter how big it is
Sep 25th, 2010 6:07 pm | By Ophelia BensonI saw John Shook’s Huffington Post article on “O lord how awful are the ways of thy gnu atheists” a few days ago, and even read a bit of it, but I got bored so I didn’t finish, or comment on it. But Jerry did a post on it today, and the response has been energetic. A good many gnu atheists are irritated at yet another bucketful of crap being thrown at them by another atheist.
In turn, Ron Lindsay is irritated that Jerry criticized the Center for Inquiry (where Shook works) because Shook wrote what he wrote.
… Read the restJerry Coyne: I am extremely disappointed that you would make such an unsupported and rash accusation against CFI. If you can point
A little list
Sep 25th, 2010 11:51 am | By Ophelia BensonA beautiful takedown of Ahmedinejad by Muhhamad Sahimi at Frontline. One ludicrous boast after another countered with a statement of the reality.
“Sakineh Mohammadi has not been condemned to death by stoning”:
This is while activists have already posted a copy of the judiciary verdict and punishment for her, and the judiciary chief of East Azerbaijan province, where Mohammadi is from, has stated repeatedly that she will be executed as soon as Sadegh Larijani gives the go-ahead.
Oh – er – ah – that’s a different Sakineh Mohammadi.
… Read the rest“No one has been imprisoned for taking part in demonstrations”:
This is while the Tehran police chief acknowledged last year that on the anniversary of the Revolution on February 12