Monthly Archives: September 2009

The Descent into the Ridiculous

Posted on September 12, 2009 by Andrew Stuttaford

Via the Daily Telegraph: A British film about Charles Darwin has failed to find a US distributor because his theory of evolution is too controversial for American audiences, according to its producer. Creation, starring Paul Bettany, details Darwin’s “struggle between … Continue reading →

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The Big Lie

Posted on September 10, 2009 by David Hume

Am I the only one whose cynicism about politicians and the American public has been exhausted by the extent of the popular delusions and knowing falsehoods which are emerging during the whole “healthcare debate”? It is interesting to listen to … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, politics | Tagged | 18 Comments

Obama’s Speech to The Children

Posted on September 8, 2009 by Heather Mac Donald

The overheated right-wing pundits were on to something after all.   Obama’s speech to the “nation’s students” was pompous, ridiculously long, chock-full of ed-school bromides, and wholly beyond a president’s proper role.  Why should students study, according to Obama?  Because they … Continue reading →

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Libertarians vs. statists

Posted on September 7, 2009 by David Hume

In a post below, Anthony asks: Does the GSS or any other large poll have sufficient data to do this for the population at large? How to classify “libertarian” and “statist” is difficult in the GSS. After all, libertarians in … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, data | Tagged | 7 Comments

Gaia and Her Pals

Posted on September 7, 2009 by Andrew Stuttaford

Via the Guardian: Religious leaders should play a frontline role in mobilising people to take action against global warming, according to a leading scientist. Lord May, a former chief scientist to the [British] government, said religious groups could use their … Continue reading →

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James Wood is not *that* kind of non-believer

Posted on September 6, 2009 by Heather Mac Donald

Literary critic James Wood has again announced to the world that he alone possesses the requisite sensitivity and depth to be a non-believer.  In 2006, he castigated the so-called New Atheists for their shallow criticisms of faith while recounting at … Continue reading →

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Religion Unplugged

Posted on September 6, 2009 by Andrew Stuttaford

Wandering through Queens on Friday night, I came across a botánica, a fascinating small store of a type that I had never seen before. Wikipedia has a useful description here, and although as John knows all too well, Wikipedia is … Continue reading →

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Putting the Natural in Supernatural

Posted on September 6, 2009 by Andrew Stuttaford

There’s nothing too new about this, but here via the London Times is yet more reinforcement for those of us who believe that the religious impulse is innate. Various scientists are cited, so read the whole piece, but this is, … Continue reading →

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Patterns in politics, liberal, conservative, statist & libertarian

Posted on September 5, 2009 by David Hume

Reading around the web I stumbled upon National Journal‘s ubiquitous ratings of how liberal or conservative various politicians are in the domains of social, economic and foreign policy. Using the 2008 data for the House of Representatives, here are the … Continue reading →

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Necessity and sufficiency of an organic movement

Posted on September 5, 2009 by David Hume

John Henke’s post Organizing Against WorldNetDaily has prompted some response in the blogosphere. This Conor Friedersdorf post is the second contribution he has made to the discussion. Much of the debate has revolved around the intellectual/elite vs. populist dimension. Because … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, politics | Tagged | 5 Comments