Category: skepticism

Social Science Denialism: Global Warming Is About More Than Climate

By

Both sides in the debate over global warming are known for calling their opposition all kinds of derisive names.  Perhaps the worst is “denier” to describe those who allegedly deny that global warming is “real.”  The echoes of Holocaust denial are indeed offensive, particularly because the debate over global warming often conflates science with social … Continued

Quote Files: John Adams on Innocence, Guilt, and Punishment

By

“It is more important that innocence be protected than it is that guilt be punished, for guilt and crimes are so frequent in this world that they cannot all be punished. But if innocence itself is brought to the bar and condemned, perhaps to die, then the citizen will say, “whether I do good or … Continued

Do you “believe” evolution? You should.

By

be·lief – biˈlēf/ – noun 1. an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists; something one accepts as true or real; a firmly held opinion or conviction. There’s a popular meme among promoters of evolution that gets on my nerves, both as a matter of strategy and as a matter of fact. It’s a kind of … Continued

CBS Los Angeles Copies Creationist Talking Points

By

A CBS affiliate in Los Angeles appears to have copied substantial portions of an article about a creationist’s lawsuit against California State University, Northridge. Sentences and entire paragraphs seem to have been lifted directly from a press release of the Pacific Justice Institute, the conservative legal foundation that filed the lawsuit. The case concerns the termination of Mark Armitage, … Continued

Myths, Lies, and Other Nonsense About MH17: Conspiracy Roundup

By

Absolutely nobody should be surprised that conspiracy theories and bad reporting regarding the Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 tragedy sprang up almost as soon as the plane went down. And with complicated international politics at play, the conspiracies, misinformation and hoaxes came fast and furious. At this point, the most widely accepted theory is that Russian … Continued

The Scarcity of Black Atheists and the Limits of “Atheism”

By

Sikivu Hutchinson, founder of the Black Skeptics Group, has a very interesting blog at the Washington Post about the atheist community’s race problem. She notes that African Americans tend to be more religious than other Americans, and also that the self-described atheist movement tends to be overwhelmingly white, well-educated, and affluent. As a result, there is a mismatch between the … Continued

Conspiracy Theory Round-up: May

By

New conspiracy theories and affronts to critical thinking emerge on a depressingly regular basis. Some are worth devoting substantial time and effort into debunking, but others come and go so quickly that they’re only good for a mild look-in before we move on to the next anti-science horror. This post is a grab bag of … Continued