Category Archives: culture

Evolution and the culture wars

Posted on January 31, 2011 by David Hume

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: the Right has a similar elite vs. populist chasm as the Left when it comes to some non-economic issues. In this case it is evolution, where many elite conservatives have presumed … Continue reading →

Posted in culture | 40 Comments

Monkey Business

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Andrew Stuttaford

The self-righteousness oozing out of Bill Maher on the clip from his show linked to here by the Washington Monthly’s Steve Benen was neither a new phenomenon nor pleasant to watch. On the other hand, the comments from Republican congressman … Continue reading →

Posted in culture | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

They don’t have oil and nuclear weapons

Posted on January 28, 2011 by David Hume

A friend of mine asked what I thought about the protests in North Africa. I’m busy with some scientific issues and problems now, so I haven’t devoted much attention to them. All things equal I support a democratic government over … Continue reading →

Posted in culture | Tagged , | 15 Comments

The Jews did not invent modernity

Posted on January 19, 2011 by David Hume

Glenn Beck’s Jewish Problem: It’s become clear to me that the Fox commentator Glenn Beck has something of a Jewish problem. Actually, he has something of a modernity problem, and people with modernity problems tend to have problems with Jews, … Continue reading →

Posted in culture | Tagged | 22 Comments

A true cultural topography

Posted on January 12, 2011 by David Hume

There are quite often two extreme reactions when it comes to cultural variation. – To assert that cultural differences are to a great extent incommensurable. The more extreme caricatures of this position fall into the class of cultural relativism. – … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, history | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Thinking in black & white

Posted on January 10, 2011 by David Hume

Slippery insinuations about a “climate of hate”: People have been having a hard time holding two ideas in their head at the same time: 1. What Paul Krugman calls “eliminationist rhetoric” is bad. 2. Contrary to his suggestion, there is … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, politics | Tagged | 24 Comments

The Rise of Israel’s Ultra-Orthodox (Ctd.)

Posted on January 9, 2011 by Andrew Stuttaford

The Daily Telegraph reports on another dismal chapter in the rise of Israel’s ultra orthodox: An Israeli activist who defied orthodox Jewish custom by leading a group of women in open prayer at Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall has been told to … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, politics | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Paranormal Activity

Posted on January 8, 2011 by Andrew Stuttaford

Via Entertainment Weekly: Discovery Channel is teaming with the Vatican for an unprecedented new series hunting the deadliest catch of all: Demons. The Exorcist Files will recreate stories of real-life hauntings and demonic possession, based on cases investigated by the … Continue reading →

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Ridiculous

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Andrew Stuttaford

Via the Daily Mail: One of [Britain’s] best-known charities has changed its name, losing the clearest link to its Christian roots. Bosses say the name was chosen to reflect the fact that 51 per cent of people are female and … Continue reading →

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How America is a little like Pakistan

Posted on January 7, 2011 by David Hume

Cross-posted from Discover. Recently a “hot story” in the barbaric nation that is Pakistan is that a politician did not know how to recite a prayer properly. An important back story here is that Muslims generally pray in Arabic, but … Continue reading →

Posted in culture | Tagged | 3 Comments