Yearly Archives: 2009

If all the circumlocution of my last post made you dizzy and you are still recovering, I would not blame you. It makes me dizzy to reread it. Luckily, I have not yet thought of anything else to write. In the … Continue reading →

Says Christopher Tasy: [I]f you wish to take an opposing view of religion—specifically Catholicism—that’s your privilege. However, when you do so, please use the facts in context and don’t simply say, “The pope has no right to tell a woman … Continue reading →

Even though Judge Sonia Sotomayor has already been confirmed to the United States Supreme Court, and the furor over her “wise Latina” comment, and over the President’s “empathy” comment, appears to have died down, I am still bothered by the … Continue reading →

This announcement appeared on page 10 of the Spotlight section of The Fresno Bee on Sunday, August 23, 2009: For those keeping score, like the ceramic pig that is holding a little whiteboard on the hutch in our dining area, … Continue reading →

The other day I encountered an instance of one of those arguments that religious people think is supposed to put atheists in their place. It goes something like this: Atheists make the following complaint: “Practitioners of Religion X, while they … Continue reading →

I picked up Steven Pinker‘s book How the Mind Works this morning. On page 13, I encountered this: A bachelor, of course, is simply an adult human male who has never been married. But now imagine that a friend asks you … Continue reading →

Watch this video. Tell your friends.

During the last week or so, Neil H. Buchanan has written some great essays for FindLaw’s Writ and Dorf on Law to address “the public’s perverse and misinformed attitudes about federal deficit spending.” I recommend that you read all of them … Continue reading →

Sam Harris said a couple years ago, and I can hardly disagree: We should not call ourselves “atheists.” We should not call ourselves “secularists.” We should not call ourselves “humanists,” or “secular humanists,” or “naturalists,” or “skeptics,” or “anti-theists,” or … Continue reading →