Category Archives: culture

Mythical heroes

Posted on November 23, 2009 by David Hume

There’s a new evangelical Christian college in New York, the King’s College. You can read a somewhat quizzical article in The New York Times about it. This part caught my attention: Clues about the college’s philosophical underpinnings reveal themselves here … Continue reading →

Posted in culture | Tagged | 14 Comments

Its Own Worst Enemy (and Publicist’s Best Friend)

Posted on November 21, 2009 by Andrew Stuttaford

Fresh from the, um, triumph of its attacks on Hallowe’en and Harry Potter (to be fair, the latter was subsequently revoked), the Vatican is now taking aim at New Moon, the latest chapter in the Twilight saga. The Daily Telegraph … Continue reading →

Posted in culture | Tagged , , | 18 Comments

Being wrong is good

Posted on November 20, 2009 by David Hume

I’m re-reading Who Are We: The Challenges to America’s National Identity now that I know a lot more American history than I did when I first read it in 2004. The book was probably written in the early 2000s, so … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, data | 3 Comments

Fake fact: America is not secularizing

Posted on November 19, 2009 by David Hume

The whole post is at Gene Expression, but the chart to the left is the core of it. 1980-2008 can to a great extent be labelled a conservative era, when the New Right set the terms of the national debate … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, data | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Reviews of The Faith Instinct

Posted on November 19, 2009 by David Hume

Awhile back Mr. Bradlaugh mentioned he was going to review The Faith Instinct. His alter-ego has now put up a review. And so have I. Unbelievers have much to say about God on High.

Posted in culture | Tagged | 5 Comments

The rise of McChurch, but not Old Time Theology

Posted on November 17, 2009 by David Hume

Mr. Bradlaugh’s post on the death of intellectual Protestantism, the highbrow aspect of what we normally term “Mainline Protestantism,” prompts to revisit some data which I’ve reported before, but want to reiterate. First, the old Protestant denominations which have dominated … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, data | Tagged | 2 Comments

Traditions and tribes; the genealogy of civilizations

Posted on November 16, 2009 by David Hume

A few weeks ago the socially conservative sociologist who blogs under the name “Inductivist” had an intriguing post up, Social conservatives and Muslims: Social conservatives typically align themselves with the West against the Islamic world in the “clash of civilizations,” … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, data | Tagged , | 25 Comments

Ross Douthat is back blogging

Posted on November 16, 2009 by David Hume

At The New York Times, Evaluations.

Posted in culture, data | Tagged | 1 Comment

Seeing 2012

Posted on November 16, 2009 by David Hume

Daniel Larison on Palin’s Extremely Long Shot At The Nomination. Daniel’s argument is persuasive, but, I would add that the probabilities one projects are extremely conditional on local temporal circumstances. Even in the recent past John McCain’s candidacy went from … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, politics | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Fake fact: Catholics care about abortion more than non-Catholics

Posted on November 15, 2009 by David Hume

Political punditry is rife with “fake facts.” Basically, empirical assertions which are false but assumed to be true. Perhaps the readership of political journalism is stupid. Perhaps the writers of political journalism are stupid. Perhaps both. No idea. So a … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, data | Tagged , , | 4 Comments