Promoting Science and Critical Thinking
I was truly sad to hear the news that Steve had passed away, for he was truly unique and has actually changed the world and made it a far better place, countless numbers of lives have been touched and moved by all he did. There is much I would like to write on that topic, … Read more
First, lets start with a clear understanding of the “No True Scotsman” fallacy. This is basically where you challenge others about some rather unpleasant or even quite appalling actions by some group, and quickly discover that “they” are not “real” members of the group. The term was first deployed by philosopher Antony Flew in his … Read more
Its Chemistry today. Past winners have included well-known names such as Ernest Rutherford, Marie Curie, and Linus Carl Pauling, so who has won and also why? The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2011 was awarded to Dan Shechtman “for the discovery of quasicrystals”. Quasicrystals are structural forms that are ordered but not periodic. They form patterns that … Read more
Yesterday the medicine prize was awarded to Dr Steinman, and then it soon emerged that he had passed away days before. Now, since the prize rules state that they cannot be awarded posthumously, there was a bit of a fuss about what would they do? I speculated that they would let it stand, and guess what, … Read more
You have all heard of it, it is the “Nobel Prize“, the top award bestowed by some Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. But why does it get so much attention, and why is it the top prize when there are lots of other awards out there? Lets explore this a bit … Read more
I do hope you are aware that a death sentence has been given to Youcef Nadarkhani. His hideous crime is that he was born to Muslim parents and so has been sentenced to death by hanging in Iran for refusing to recant and convert back to Islam. This is an affront to universal moral values. At … Read more