Promoting Science and Critical Thinking
It’s Nobel Prize time again and today we find out who wins the Prize for Physics. This one usually excites because it is often somebody well-known, or for something well deserved – they really do get this one right year after year. Awarded annually since 1901 (except in 1940, 41 and 42) the nomination and selection process for the … Read more
It is once again the time of year when the Nobel Prizes are awarded, and so each day this week we will be hearing about an award for one specific category. The roadmap is as follows: Mon 5 Oct – Physiology or Medicine Tues 6 Oct – Physics Wed 7 Oct – Chemistry Thur 8 Oct – Literature Fri 9 Oct … Read more
Bertrand Russell, the great British philosopher and social critic, appeared on the BBC program Face-to-Face in 1959 and was asked a closing question: What would you tell a generation living 1,000 years from now about the life you’ve lived and the lessons you’ve learned. His answer is short, but pithy. You can read a transcript … Read more
It was International Blasphemy Rights Day (30th Sept) a few days ago, and so it is perhaps appropriate to remember that the key point is not to offend, but rather to reject the meaningless concept of Blasphemy, a tool deployed by some to both oppress and to also enforce irrational dogma as “truth”. So who gets to decide when … Read more
There was a recent discussion on CNN recently between Sam Harris and Islamic “moderate”, Dean Obeidallah. Here is that actual clip, it runs for about 10 minutes. The context is the prevailing issues regarding the very negative attitudes of many towards Islam, and of course this dialogue was triggered by Ben Carson’s declaration that a Muslim could … Read more
Being religious is about investing in an idea emotionally, and sometimes (I really do mean sometimes for a minority) that happens to such a degree that the person doing so is completely oblivious to what has happened to their ability to think clearly about specific things. While within this post I am thinking specifically about creationism it can … Read more