What are the choices we have, when we are told about the plight of our fellow human beings?… Read the rest
Dakins and Hitchens Plan to Bust the Pope 
Apr 10th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Pinochet was busted, Kissinger got a knock on the door, now it’s Ratzinger’s turn.… Read the rest
Safety Requirements? What Safety Requirements?
Apr 10th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
10% of underground mines have implemented the tougher safety requirements Congress passed in 2006.… Read the rest
Nader on the Miserable State of Mine Safety
Apr 10th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘Violations are unfortunately a normal part of the mining process,’ says Blankenship. UBB mine is non-union.… Read the rest
Massey Mine Has Years of Safety Violations
Apr 10th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
MSHA said for the most serious type of safety violation the mine had more than 11 times national rate. … Read the rest
Ratzinger Slow to Defrock Abusive Priest
Apr 10th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Priest pled nolo for tying up and molesting two boys; Ratzinger dawdled, citing the good of the Church.… Read the rest
Canadian Bishops Tried to Hide Abuse
Apr 10th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Canadian bishops sought to hide a pedophile priest’s crimes by urging Vatican not to promote him.… Read the rest
Ben Goldacre on Gene Patents
Apr 9th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Patents are useful, but they can act as a barrier to innovation; gene patents highlight the disadvantages.… Read the rest
New Statesman Says ‘Faith’ is Important
Apr 9th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Forgets to say why.… Read the rest
Grayling Reviews David Lewis-Williams
Apr 9th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A well-informed and steady march through the history of religion and its conflict with science.… Read the rest
Greg Mayer on the New Australopithecine
Apr 9th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The paper has tables of comparison of traits and measurements of the new find and other fossil hominids.… Read the rest
Now More Than Ever: Stand by Your Church
Apr 9th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
It’s just the whiners and bedwetters who are leaving the Catholic church, which is all the stronger without them.… Read the rest
It’s a contingent fact that we care
Apr 9th, 2010 10:40 am | By Ophelia BensonI mentioned a passage from the Odyssey in my latest comment on Fact 1.5, as illustrating my claim that “It’s not natural to treat strangers or foreigners well, it’s not natural to think that everyone should have equal treatment, it’s not natural to think that women matter just as much as men do.” Having mentioned it I wanted to read it again, and having read it again, I wanted to post it.
It’s in Book Nine, which is where we at last get to hear about Odysseus’s journey from the beginning, when he is staying with the Phaiakians and Alkinöos asks him (in the last lines of Book Eight) to tell his story. After some polite throat-clearing he gets … Read the rest
Fact 1.5
Apr 8th, 2010 12:00 pm | By Ophelia BensonMore on Sam Harris’s 9 facts and why they don’t (I think) get us from is to ought. Just a little more, because the power is about to be turned off. Work is difficult around here these days.
… Read the restFACT #1: There are behaviors, intentions, cultural practices, etc. which potentially lead to the worst possible misery for everyone. There are also behaviors, intentions, cultural practices, etc. which do not, and which, in fact, lead to states of wellbeing for many sentient creatures…FACT #3: Our “values” are ways of thinking about this domain of possibilities. If we value liberty, privacy, benevolence, dignity, freedom of expression, honesty, good manners, the right to own property, etc.—we value these things only
Science Mag Articles Introducing A. sediba
Apr 8th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A new species of Australopithecus casts new light on the evolution of the genus Homo.… Read the rest
New Hominid Species Found in South Africa
Apr 8th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Australopithecus sediba was bipedal with human-shaped hips and pelvis, but brachiated on apelike arms.… Read the rest
Would You Trust Popes to Choose for You?
Apr 8th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Would you trust Joseph Ratzinger to choose for you the manner and time of your death?… Read the rest
Women ‘Helped Bogus Guru Lure Rape Victims’
Apr 8th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A man masquerading as a guru and healer was helped by female followers to rape other women.… Read the rest
Vicar Complains of ‘Aggressive Secularists’
Apr 8th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Instructs Anglican bishops ‘to attack the anti-religion agenda of the militant secularists.’… Read the rest
Cameron Pledges to Do Catholic Things
Apr 8th, 2010 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Asks for interview with Catholic Herald, tells it he will lower abortion age and stop assisted suicide.… Read the rest
