SIN | Incredulous - Latest Comments

Re: A gold star week for atheism: recap

Robert Schade — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:16:59 -0000

I agree that it was a good week for atheism. However, living among strict southern baptists my enthusiasm remains somewhat muted.

Re: A gold star week for atheism: recap

Ryan Grant Long — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:13:55 -0000

I was pleasantly surprised at the Pope's comment.

Re: In defense of bias

Edward Clint — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:39:12 -0000

In the sense conflicts of interest, I would agree.

Re: IBM versus GOD

Dave Jonesy — Thu, 09 May 2013 18:02:14 -0000

sylvia is a saint compared to you lying vultures....

THE CULTURE INDUSTRY - THE IDEOLOGY OF DEATH

youtube.com/watch?feature=play...

HOW WE WON THE JAMES RANDI MILLION DOLLAR PARANORMAL CHALLENGE

deltamachine.atspace.cc/

my.alliant.edu/ICS/icsfs/skept...

WORKS BOTH WAYS!

Re: IBM versus GOD

Wendy Hughes — Tue, 07 May 2013 07:37:12 -0000

Groovy essay! I think I began to realize I was an atheist when I realized the god I was used to was just the current version - and that Greek mythology was about the gods that society was used to - and the various gods of the Egyptians were the gods they were used to. It just took some time for the idea to develop that as time passes, new gods replace the old ones, and that means they are not infinite and omnipotent. It's hard to describe - but I wonder what the next version will be of a supernatural being who answers prayers and runs things.

Re: IBM versus GOD

Reasonably Faithless — Mon, 06 May 2013 03:01:07 -0000

I want to play Pong with atoms!

Re: IBM versus GOD

Kwame — Thu, 02 May 2013 19:21:08 -0000

Apparently Noah got off the ark and handed the keys over to the cyber techs.

Re: In defense of bias

John W. Loftus — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:22:48 -0000

Thanks Ed for the nod to my book. We all have biases. What we need is an objective method to overcome them. Science provides the way. The outsider test is based on science.

Re: In defense of bias

jdhuey — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:04:50 -0000

It seems to me that what is important is to know when a bias exists. Problems crop up only when people think a position is un-biased when, in fact, there is a bias - just unacknowledged. (Or, you think you know what the bias is when the actual bias is something else.)

Re: In defense of bias

Ðavid A. Osorio S — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:39:00 -0000

I don't know if you have read Christopher Hitchens' quote (I'm recalling from memory and these were not his words, but the main idea stands virtually the same) which says he found it puzzling to say racists discriminate, since racists lack the intelligence to discriminate between two individuals with the same ethnicity - they treat them all alike, even though they're different.

Re: The ten most median things about Easter

Wendy Hughes — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:52:28 -0000

1. I remember loving that movie, but I had forgotten about that scene.

2. It seems to me there is a long history of Christians adapting the traditional holidays of other cultures in order to make conversion less difficult. Christmas is celebrated at the same time as traditional winter solstice holidays, and in fact there is some part of the story that doesn't make sense if Jesus was born in December. Since I was never Christian, I'm not that familiar with Easter traditions; but it makes sense that an easter bunny, easter egg hunts and easter bonnets probably signify tying the crucifixion to an existing rite of spring - but Ed, you are the anthropologist ;-) If I'd read this earlier, I would have said Happy Passover.

Re: Skeptic Ink gains SINergy

Ryan Grant Long — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:51:53 -0000

Awesome!

Re: The science of homosexuality

raytheist — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 20:47:34 -0000

Physical fertility isn't an issue. I've always been gay, but have 4 children all made the old fashioned way. Only relevance to fertility would have been taking advantage of the opportunity, or not.

Re: The science of homosexuality

Jonathan MS Pearce — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 19:15:15 -0000

I'm not sure it particularly says that in the article...

Re: JREF 2013 Pigasus Awards Announced

MosesZD — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:17:17 -0000

Dr. Oz is facing reality. He can say any sort of horseshit that comes to his mind and make millions and millions of dollars a year while saying it. Beats medicine any day...

Re: The secular sky isn’t falling

Edward Clint — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 22:03:08 -0000

What I see is many leaders coming together and agreeing on humanistic, sensible guidelines. I find that very heartening. I would like to see more along these lines. Not just because I like the message, but because it's a sign of a maturing movement, the realization of the need for stronger internal norms.

The dissenters have accomplished little more than to identify which groups and people are unwilling to be part of a movement which internalizes humanistic values. Although that may cause turbulence for a while, I have a hard time seeing the downside there.

Take your ball and go home if you like. The rest of us will keep playing.

Re: The secular sky isn’t falling

Astrokid MHRA — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 21:50:54 -0000

well.. I know you are a cool customer (based on that highly impressive interview Oklahoma Atheists did with you), and not one to be perturbed.
But given the 'Open letter to the Secular community' issued today (you saw that, didnt you?).. and the expected rejection by the usual suspects.. we are in for some more fun times.
I know you are focused on the big picture and the multiple minimally overlapping spheres.. but there's a really great lesson in humility and human nature in this 2+yr saga, at least for less experienced folks like me. A lesson that has made me question my values.. and even change direction. I will comment in detail sometime soon.

Re: The secular sky isn’t falling

Edward Clint — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 21:36:59 -0000

Looks just fine to me.

Re: The secular sky isn’t falling

Astrokid MHRA — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 21:31:11 -0000

Howz that secular sky looking this evening Ed? LOL

Re: Steven Pinker’s Reddit AMA Recap

botti — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 22:37:28 -0000

***It’s possible, but I don’t think that evolutionary theory predicts that they should occur. It’s hard to think of an environment in which the human hallmarks of intelligence, sociality, and language would NOT be adaptive, which is why, as Ambrose Bierce put it, our species has infested the whole habitable earth and Canada. Intelligence just isn’t particularly dependent on geography.***

I find that hard to believe, especially given group differences in brain size. Also, Pinker himself has suggested the Cochran, Harpending & Henry hypothesis about selection for cognitively demanding roles leading to the high average cognitive ability amongst Ashkenazi Jews as quite plausble.

Re: The ten most median things about Easter

Andrew Marburger — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 09:32:42 -0000

great post! lol @ Arbor Day...

Re: The secular sky isn’t falling

Gerhard Prinsloo — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 02:03:12 -0000

"On the other, 'Hey, she's got a *&^%... Let's *&^% her.' " Really! Who is saying that? That is the standard accusation made against the 'faction' in opposition to the gender ideologues and it is usually an obvious lie used to squash criticism. I've followed this battle from it's inception and I have seen very little of that nature other than from random trolls. This is one of the aspects of this spat that I find so distasteful, that propaganda like this is being accepted by those not familiar with the facts. The misrepresentation has reached the point where young women in science are actually being discouraged from blogging by these lies.

Re: The secular sky isn’t falling

Edward Clint — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 19:49:56 -0000

Hi Sharon. I agree 100%, that the same goes for the skeptic movement. Thanks for writing it.

Re: The secular sky isn’t falling

IDoubtIt00 — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 19:13:39 -0000

The skeptic's sky isn't falling either. http://idoubtit.wordpress.com/...

Thanks for this, Ed.

Re: The secular sky isn’t falling

Clare45 — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 20:35:31 -0000

I worry about the perception of atheists by the wider public as well. The mainstream media are quick to pick up on the controversies. Hopefully the gender feminist zealots, who put their agenda ahead of the atheist one at their own admission, will continue to either boycott or be boycotted from the larger skeptic and atheist conferences. Let the feminist organisations fight this one out by themselves.