Taylor seeks to prove that God is still very much present in the world, if only we look at the right places.… Read the rest
All entries by this author
‘Undercover Mosque’ Makers to Sue Police for Libel
Feb 28th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonPolice said the programme misrepresented the mosques and might ‘undermine community cohesion.’… Read the rest
Seyla Benhabib on Turkey’s Hijab Legislation
Feb 27th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonUnfortunate that reform of Article 301 (on ‘insulting Turkishness’) was dropped.… Read the rest
Biologists Join Philosophers in Moral Thinking
Feb 27th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonMarc Hauser, David Sloan Wilson, Samuel Bowles look at trolleyology, altruism, and moral behavior.… Read the rest
Cultural Sensitivity Puts Rights at Risk
Feb 27th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonPrevents police, teachers, social services from protecting basic human rights for fear of upsetting ‘communities.’… Read the rest
Tom Flynn: Why the A Word Won’t Go Away
Feb 27th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonMainstreamers have powerfully negative, largely noncognitive responses to atheism. … Read the rest
Paul Gross on Florida’s New Science Standards
Feb 27th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe compromise is a sop to voters who think some other way of knowing is equal or superior to science.… Read the rest
Open Letter from American Feminists
Feb 26th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonKatha Pollitt notes: ‘Women’s rights are human rights’ was not a slogan dreamed up by David Horowitz.… Read the rest
Multi-secularism: The New Agenda
Feb 26th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonMulti-secularism seems to be the best strategy: adapting secular values to the societies in which they arise. … Read the rest
Steve Jones Disses Creationism
Feb 26th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia Benson‘Creationism is boring and empty, and I usually ignore it, but this week at UCL it’s hard to do so.’… Read the rest
The War Against Women Never Ends
Feb 26th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonIn West Africa, as in so many places where rape was used as a weapon of war, it has become a habit.… Read the rest
Turkey Begins Radical Revision of Hadith
Feb 26th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonDept of Religious Affairs has commissioned theologians at Ankara University to revise the Hadith.… Read the rest
Lookin’ Good for Jesus
Feb 26th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe products included a “Virtuous vanilla” lip balm and a “Get Tight with Christ” hand and body cream.… Read the rest
Measles Cases at Record High in Britain
Feb 26th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe only way to reduce impact of such outbreaks is to ensure uptake of MMR vaccine increases.… Read the rest
The uses of polemic
Feb 26th, 2008 10:27 am | By Ophelia BensonSome further thoughts on ‘offensive’ writing and cartoons and such. One issue is whether or not we know in advance that people will be outraged. I claimed, sweepingly, in comments, that we can’t know, and Jerry S prodded me into acknowledging that sometimes we can. Fair point. It’s easy (he demonstrated!) to come up with something we can be quite confident will outrage some people. True; and I also agreed that I don’t like or value mere abuse, and feel no need to make a principled defense of it. But I do value polemic, including polemic that can be considered harsh or mocking and that thus can be considered very likely to outrage at least some people. The further thoughts … Read the rest
Podsnappery
Feb 25th, 2008 5:05 pm | By Ophelia BensonOur Mutual Friend, Book 1 Chapter 11: ‘Podsnappery’.
… Read the restA certain institution in Mr Podsnap’s mind which he called ‘the young person’ may be considered to have been embodied in Miss Podsnap, his daughter. It was an inconvenient and exacting institution, as requiring everything in the universe to be filed down and fitted to it. The question about everything was, would it bring a blush into the cheek of the young person? And the inconvenience of the young person was, that, according to Mr Podsnap, she seemed always liable to burst into blushes when there was no need at all. There appeared to be no line of demarcation between the young person’s excessive innocence, and another person’s guiltiest knowledge.
How to Interpret Evidence
Feb 25th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonAtheists have a disease that makes them unable to see Angels of the Lord.… Read the rest
The Indy Talks to Sayed Pervez Kambaksh
Feb 25th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia Benson‘What they call my trial lasted just four minutes in a closed court.’… Read the rest
Hamas Bunny on Motoon Cartoonists
Feb 25th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia Benson‘Assud: If they do it again, Saraa, we will kill them, right?’ Aww, how cute.… Read the rest
Nigeria: Human Rights Group Condemns Stoning
Feb 25th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe group called for compulsory education of all sharia judges on the provisions of the UDHR.… Read the rest