Category Archives: Uncategorized

Camille Paglia

Posted on January 14, 2009 by Walter Olson

How can it be that no posts on this site have mentioned her till now? …I respect the Bible as one of the world’s greatest books, based on a magnificent body of oral poetry. It is a fundamental text that … Continue reading →

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God’s Problem

Posted on January 14, 2009 by Heather Mac Donald

Several friends have recommended Martin Gardner’s review of Bart Ehrman’s God’s Problem in the New Criterion, the brilliant  journal of principled culture criticism.  Gardner, a math and science writer, lays out a Leibnizian explanation for life-destroying natural disasters: Any human-supportive universe … Continue reading →

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Science & society

Posted on January 12, 2009 by David Hume

I have a piece up at Taki’s Magazine, The Limits of Certitude. It might be read along with a post at ScienceBlogs, Science is rational; scientists are not. I might as well have labeled it “An argument for conservatism.”

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Drive-through religion

Posted on January 12, 2009 by Heather Mac Donald

“Christian publishers and retailers realize that today’s busy consumers are looking for . . . spiritual food that can be consumed in a convenient way,” said Bill Anderson, the [Christian Booksellers Association] president. (“A closer, faster walk with thee.”) Today’s … Continue reading →

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Welcome to the Fold

Posted on January 11, 2009 by Bradlaugh

Spotted a new recruit today: New York Post weekend columnist Kyle Smith: Andrew Breitbart … opened up a ballroom full of bumblebees: his blog Big Hollywood, which promises to organize a  network … of right-minded people who think entertainment could be a … Continue reading →

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Open thread: Ayn Rand

Posted on January 10, 2009 by Walter Olson

Since one of the ongoing comment threads has gotten into a discussion of Ayn Rand, since she was in the blogs a lot this week because of this Stephen Moore article for the WSJ, and since few if any intellectual … Continue reading →

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Richard John Neuhaus, cont’d

Posted on January 9, 2009 by Walter Olson

Damon Linker has blog posts up at New Republic here and here, drawing a reply from Ross Douthat (earlier from Bradlaugh). I find this paragraph from National Catholic Reporter very puzzling: From the early 1970s forward, Neuhaus was a key … Continue reading →

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Going to school v. going to church

Posted on January 8, 2009 by Heather Mac Donald

The teen birth rate has started climbing again. As usual, it’s highest in red states and states with high black and Hispanic populations and lowest in New England blue states. In 2006, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas topped the list, … Continue reading →

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Richard John Neuhaus

Posted on January 7, 2009 by Bradlaugh

Richard John Neuhaus is apparently near death.   Most of what I know about the man comes from his starring role in Damon Linker’s 2006 book Theocons.  The rest is three or four encounters at conservative functions, when he seemed cordial … Continue reading →

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A Win for God?

Posted on January 7, 2009 by Bradlaugh

Sorry, I missed the whole “Godwin” thing. Could someone please explain? The only Godwin I know anything about is Mrs. Shelley’s Dad, of whom The Oxford Companion to English Literature records:  “He believed that men acted according to reason, that it … Continue reading →

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