Radical Muslim clerics in northern Nigeria are blocking WHO vaccination program.… Read the rest
All entries by this author
Undiplomatic Immunity
Mar 20th, 2004 11:26 pm | By Ophelia BensonThere is a discussion at Twisty Sticks of the subject we were talking about a few days ago (‘Immunity’), and will be talking about in the future – as I said, it’s one I’m curious about and would like to explore. The subject of Why Does Religion Get Special Treatment? Why does it get a blank check, a free pass, a dispensation, diplomatic immunity. Why are there special rules that apply to religion and nothing else, why does religion get to trump other concerns, why does the importance of religion outweigh the importance of other things – of other concerns, commitments, values, desires, goals.
Which raises a related question, one which probably needs answering or at least clarifying in order … Read the rest
When Political Thought Goes Rigid
Mar 20th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A paper on cultism in political groups.… Read the rest
Conversion From Christianity to Philoflagellationism?
Mar 20th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Garry Wills on ‘The Passion’ and the persecution mania of religious extremists.… Read the rest
Do We Need Robots to Play Tennis on Mars?
Mar 20th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Steven Weinberg on the waste and pointlessness of sending humans into space.… Read the rest
Another Reporter Gets Creative With Facts
Mar 20th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist made up stories and lifted material.… Read the rest
Complementary Medicine May Be Harmful
Mar 19th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Now there’s a surprise.… Read the rest
Names Again
Mar 18th, 2004 8:53 pm | By Ophelia BensonNorm Geras has taken up the discussion of women and names. (And by the way, speaking of Norm, there was a conference to honour his career at Manchester a few days ago. Chris Bertram of Twisty Sticks gave a paper there on Marx and Engels reading Rousseau, Ian Kershaw gave one on the singularity of the Holocaust. I was not there, I was over here, several miles away, turning pale with envy.) You’ll see that he doesn’t entirely agree with JerryS.
… Read the rest..what’s always struck me as the most difficult issue is not – as gets pointed out pretty quickly – that by keeping her own name a woman is still thereby accepting to be known by the name of another
Interesting Choice
Mar 18th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Guy poisons wife and random strangers, does time, now teaches medical ethics.… Read the rest
Myths About Induction
Mar 18th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
There is no single Scientific Method based on induction.… Read the rest
Precognition, Remote Viewing, Bent Spoons
Mar 18th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
What would convince skeptics that there are paranormal phenomena? Replication.… Read the rest
Impatience
Mar 17th, 2004 7:07 pm | By Ophelia BensonYes and speaking of writing books (yes we were, yesterday) and Adonis and one thing and another – we are writing a book, as a matter of fact. We’re doing a much-expanded version of the Fashionable Dictionary. It’s going to be very, very, very funny. Eye-closingly funny, lung-emptyingly funny, furniture-breakingly funny. In fact, to tell you the unvarnished truth and not to put too fine a point on it, it already is. I say this with all due modesty and humility, on account of how I don’t have any. Don’t know what the words mean. (Better bung them in the dictionary then.) Anyway I can pretend I’m talking exclusively about my colleague’s work when I boast. But I’m not. His … Read the rest
Who’s We?
Mar 17th, 2004 6:08 pm | By Ophelia BensonWell really. There is a limit. And I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who thinks so. I’m perfectly happy to be peculiar, eccentric, bloody-minded, odd, etc (which is just as well), but there are some ideas and thoughts one wants to see plenty of resistance to. There are a lot of them in this ridiculous comment by Katie Roiphe.
These days, no one is shocked when an independent-minded woman takes her husband’s name, any more than one is shocked when she announces that she is staying at home with her kids.
Oh is that so. No one? Really? How do you know? Have you asked every last one of us? Have you asked the black swan? And … Read the rest
P.Z. Myers on the ‘Discovery’ Institute
Mar 17th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
He’s not a great fan.… Read the rest
Harvard Law Review Embarrasses Itself
Mar 17th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
And Brian Leiter tells us how.… Read the rest
Chris Mooney on ‘Intelligent Design’
Mar 17th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
And rash interventions by interested parties.… Read the rest
Intelligent Design and Harvard Law Review
Mar 17th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The National Review Online gets mixed up in the argument.… Read the rest
Why Skeptics Dread Chats With Believers
Mar 17th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Phil Mole on the frustration of arguing with people who don’t know how.… Read the rest
Is Muslim Anti-Semitism a Taboo Subject?
Mar 16th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
And if so, why?… Read the rest
Odd That Creationists Don’t Mention Tumors
Mar 16th, 2004 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Tumors are a miracle of natural complexity – surely a case of Intelligent Design? No?… Read the rest