Category Archives: culture

Liberalism Claims the Transcendent

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Bradlaugh

Of the great mid-2000s tranche of “celebrity atheists,” each has his own distinctive style: the professorial Dennett, the street-fighter Hitchens, the smartypants Dawkins, and so on. For me at least, Sam Harris is the least distinctive of the crowd, the … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, philosophy, Science & Faith | 29 Comments

More Healthcare/Taxpayer Money Down The Drain

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Andrew Stuttaford

One of the dangers of extending the reach of the federal government still further into healthcare is the way that it will enhance the ability of politicians to pursue their own particular hobby horses at taxpayer expense. We were given early warning … Continue reading →

Posted in culture | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Defending Ann Coulter as an American peculiarity

Posted on March 24, 2010 by David Hume

At ScienceBlogs I defend free speech as an American cultural peculiarity which should be defended, not a human universal right (it simply isn’t empirically): … Though seriously, I’m expressing a very cultural biased viewpoint here, an American one, and I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in culture | Tagged , | 19 Comments

Long Overdue

Posted on March 21, 2010 by Andrew Stuttaford

This is a post I put up on the Corner the other day, but which I thought could be of interest here too… Via Jeff Black: A team of researchers at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences is preparing to bring … Continue reading →

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Blasphemy Laws (By Other Means)

Posted on March 21, 2010 by Andrew Stuttaford

Here’s a story from the London Times on how the Britain’s libel laws may be used to do their bit in stamping down free speech: UP TO 95,000 descendants of the prophet Muhammad are planning to bring a libel action … Continue reading →

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Faiths of our Fathers?

Posted on March 21, 2010 by Andrew Stuttaford

The idea that religious proselytizing is something to be avoided lest it cause (dread word) “offense” is idiotic, and all too typical of our times. Just because someone is from a family or, indeed, an ethnicity or nationality, usually associated … Continue reading →

Posted in culture | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Guru Gored

Posted on March 19, 2010 by Andrew Stuttaford

Sanal Edamaruku’s Bradlaugh moment: The London Times has the details: When a famous tantric guru boasted on television that he could kill another man using only his mystical powers, most viewers either gasped in awe or merely nodded unquestioningly. Sanal … Continue reading →

Posted in culture | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Que Sera, Sera

Posted on March 9, 2010 by Andrew Stuttaford

Fans of grand guignol spiced with a little anticlericalism and a surprising (for its time) suggestion of religious skepticism might enjoy The Duchess of Malfi, an early 17th century play now being staged in NYC for the first time in … Continue reading →

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Non Angli sed angeli

Posted on March 4, 2010 by Bradlaugh

Andrew: I am willing to extend a modicum of tolerance to angels out of respect for William Blake, who, by his own account, regularly conversed with them. The Angel I dreamt a dream! What can it mean? And that I … Continue reading →

Posted in culture | 1 Comment

Angelic Upstarts

Posted on March 4, 2010 by Andrew Stuttaford

Here’s an entertaining, if in its implications somewhat depressing, article from the London Spectator on the current popularity of angels. This extract gives a flavor: Angels in My Hair is the autobiography of Lorna Byrne, an Irish woman who claims … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, Odds & Ends | Tagged | 7 Comments