MetaFilter posts tagged with reason

Premanand will not recant

vanar sena — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 05:25:41 -0800

Basava Premanand, rationalist and founder of The Indian Skeptic, is dying. Premanand has been dispelling miracles and exposing charlatans for over fifty years, often facing persecution from the entrenched political and popular power of godmen in India. Now, his 79 year old body is shutting down. To counter already spreading rumours that he has recanted and accepted spirituality, he has issued a statement that despite being on his deathbed, he has no intention of finding God.

Baloney Detection Kit

homunculus — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:49:52 -0800

The Baloney Detection Kit. "With a sea of information coming at us from all directions, how do we sift out the misinformation and bogus claims, and get to the truth? Michael Shermer, Publisher of Skeptic magazine, lays out a 'Baloney Detection Kit' — ten questions we should ask when encountering a claim."

The seeming nonsensicalness of this incredible universe

l33tpolicywonk — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:50:13 -0800

"Workmanlike" astronomy: The Vatican Observatory, among the oldest astronomical centers in the world, brings a team of Jesuits to the papal summer residence. Its scientists play a large part in the church's efforts to reconcile faith with reason. [Previously.] George V. Coyne, SJ, former director of the observatory, writes:

The universe as we know it today through science is one way to derive analogical knowledge of God. For those who believe modern science does say something to us about God, it provides a challenge, an enriching challenge, to traditional beliefs about God. God in his infinite freedom continuously creates a world which reflects that freedom at all levels of the evolutionary process to greater and greater complexity. God lets the world be what it will be in its continuous evolution. He does not intervene, but rather allows, participates, loves. Is such thinking adequate to preserve the special character attributed by religious thought to the emergence not only of life but also of spirit, while avoiding a crude creationism? Only a protracted dialogue will tell.

The speech may have ruffled some cardinal feathers.

Philosophia Islamica

ageispolis — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:21:17 -0800

Meet the Islamic Philosophers. Arabic philosophy sought to reconcile the science and empiricism of Aristotle, the metaphysics of Neoplatonism, and the revelations of the Holy Qur'an. From the first thoughts of Abū Yūsuf Yaʻqūb ibn Isḥāq al-Kindī, to the 20,000 pages of Abū 'l-Walīd Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Rushd, the influence of these Muslim polymaths profoundly shaped Western thought. The "Golden Age" of Islamic Philosophy: 1. Al-Kindi (and the Mu'tazili) (c. 801–873 CE) - On First Philosophy. 2. The Brethren of Purity (Ikhwan as-Safa') (10th century). 3. Al-Farabi (“Second Teacher") (~872 - ~950) - The Philosophy of Plato and Aristotle. 4. Ibn Sina (~950 - 1037) - Remarks and Admonitions. 5. Omar Khayyam (1048-1123) - The Rubaiyat. 6. Al-Ghazali (1058 - 1111) Tahafut al-falasifah and The Mysteries of the Human Soul. 7. Ibn Tufail (1105 - 1185) - The Improvement of Human Reason. 8. Ibn Rushd (Averroës) (1126 - 1198) On the Incoherence of the Incoherence.

Science and the "Obama Restoration"

sarabeth — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:58:31 -0800

The Essential Parallel Between Science and Democracy. "[T]he restorative steps Obama has taken vis-à-vis science are praiseworthy not so much because they respect science as because they respect the grand institutions of democracy. This is no accident, because the very virtues that make democracy work are also those that make science work: a commitment to reason and transparency, an openness to critical scrutiny, a skepticism toward claims that too neatly support reigning values, a willingness to listen to countervailing opinions, a readiness to admit uncertainty and ignorance, and a respect for evidence gathered according to the sanctioned best practices of the moment."

America's Middle Class

blue_beetle — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 13:02:41 -0800

Livin' Large - To hear the Lou Dobbses and Bill O'Reillys of the world--not to mention politicians ranging from Ron Paul to Hillary Clinton--the middle class of America (however you define that term) has never had it so tough. Between credit squeezes, out-of-control immigration, rising costs of education and health care and everything else, it's all darkness out there for those of us who are neither millionaires nor welfare cases, right? (A video presented by Drew Carey and reason.tv)

Science and Technology in the 2008 Presidential Election

homunculus — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 15:00:07 -0800

Dr. President: "The next president of the United States of America will control a $150 billion annual research budget, 200,000 scientists, and 38 major research institutions and all their related labs. This president will shape human endeavors in space, bioethics debates, and the energy landscape of the 21st century." With the coming election, the AAAS has created a new website and devoted a section of their journal Science to the Democratic and Republican candidates' positions on science and technology issues. But to help further clarify their positions, some people are calling for the candidates to have a presidential debate on science and technology. [Via The Intersection and Wired Science.]

Come on Down

Curry — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 11:48:23 -0800

Drew Carey defends medical marijuana.

No one really misses Angelfire.

converge — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 04:01:35 -0800

So, are you feeling nostalgic? There's also an, uh, adult section. Of course. Yeah, I know this was wrong. I was just flabbergasted this sort of thing still exists in this form. And maintained, apparently.

More than fish wrapper

netbros — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 11:45:26 -0800

At rivertrout.com, the goal is to bring together people who nurture a passion for an old, and yet exquisite, form of literature: The writing of letters.

Slaves to Superstition

chuckdarwin — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 04:42:43 -0800

Episode one of controversial evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins' new series Enemies of Reason premieres on Channel 4 tonight. Here's a list of topics.

Science and Islam

homunculus — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 15:00:19 -0800

Science and the Islamic world—The quest for rapprochement. "Internal causes led to the decline of Islam's scientific greatness long before the era of mercantile imperialism. To contribute once again, Muslims must be introspective and ask what went wrong."

What science can, and can't, tell us about the insanity defense.

Sticherbeast — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 17:06:03 -0800

'You Can't See Why on an fMRI.' Brian Doherty explores the vagaries of the insanity defense, centering on the sad cases of Andrea Yates and Eric Clark.

In Defense Of Foreign Policy Reptiles

Sticherbeast — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 11:01:16 -0800

Learning From Ike: What a Republican realist could teach George Bush. "If we hope to succeed, we manage evil. We minimize, mitigate, and manipulate evil. But efforts to pre-emptively eliminate evil are prone to end in overreaction and destabilization, with consequences that are often worse than the original problem."

20 questions for 20 politicians.

Sticherbeast — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 14:01:35 -0800

Let's play 20 questions. 20 candidates for President, 20 personalized questions.

This is a way nerdy analysis of the cost of shopping at drugstores vs. Wal-Mart vs. the gas required to get to them.

Mr. Gunn — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 16:47:13 -0800

Now this is what you call an alpha nerd. I remember this guy from his inspiringly, excruciatingly detailed analysis of various routes he took into work, collecting data over a year.

Reasonable Thoughts on Operation Iraqi Freedom

digaman — Mon, 03 Apr 2006 10:11:33 -0800

Hindsight on Iraq is 20/20 -- but views diverge. Reason magazine asks notable libertarians, conservatives, and academics -- from Instapundit Glenn Reynolds (one word: "win") to Illuminatus! author Robert Anton Wilson ("Bush has used [the invasion] as an excuse to destroy the last few tattered remnants of the Bill of Rights") -- if they would have chosen differently in 2003, knowing how the war would develop.

Best of the logical web

Gyan — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 23:21:29 -0800

Fallacy Files

...plainly jinxed by whatever faith he cringes before ...

amberglow — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 12:25:35 -0800

President Jonah --an essay/history lesson/bible lesson/etc by Gore Vidal. ...We have also come to a point in this dark age where there is not only no hero in view but no alternative road unblocked. We are trapped terribly in a now that few foresaw and even fewer can define ...

Happy 90th, Klan Deuce!

Sticherbeast — Sat, 03 Dec 2005 15:52:37 -0800

Hooded Progressivism: The secret reformist history of the Klu Klux Klan.

"Today the Federal Reserve is more likely to be the object of a Klan conspiracy theory than the source of its favored candidate for president. Today, for that matter, when a movie inspires people to create odd organizations and dress up in costume, they're more likely to end up at a convention devoted to Star Trek than a convention devoted to nominating a presidential candidate. A lot can change in 90 years. "

No, you're wrong! No, YOU'RE wrong!!

JHarris — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 16:30:17 -0800

If You're a Christian, Muslim or Jew - You are Wrong - A rant over at the Huffington Post.
And let's be clear about this, it IS a rant, and a beaut at that. But it's a sentiment that's run through the head of everyone who isn't a member of the three mentioned groups. No one in the mainstream media says things like this, I wonder why?
The post is made. Let the emphatic agreements, and the vicious denials... begin!

The culture war continues...

AlexReynolds — Wed, 13 Apr 2005 02:24:13 -0800

An antidote to theocracy - A celebration of rational thought over government-sponsored, populist ignorance, religious tolerance over an encroaching theocracy, it's just one more salvo in the constantly shifting culture war within America.

The End Of Faith

nofundy — Sat, 19 Mar 2005 13:21:32 -0800

The End Of Faith

A belief is a lever that, once pulled, moves almost everything else in a person’s life. Are you a scientist? A liberal? A racist? These are merely species of belief in action. Your beliefs define your vision of the world; they dictate your behavior; they determine your emotional responses to other human beings. If you doubt this, consider how your experience would suddenly change if you came to believe one of the following propositions: 1. You have only two weeks to live. 2. You’ve just won a lottery prize of one hundred million dollars. 3. Aliens have implanted a receiver in your skull and are manipulating your thoughts.

Stephenson Expounds!

kliuless — Thu, 10 Feb 2005 03:33:35 -0800

Reason interview with Neal Stephenson containing (among other things!) libertarian-statist-terrorist triangulation, the epidemiology of domination systems, praise for 17th century financial & philosophical sophistication and... oh and an apologia for his endings :D [via SE, also see :]

And I pray you can make it better down here. I don't mean a big reduction in the price of beer

amberglow — Fri, 11 Jun 2004 15:38:51 -0800

Pray For Reason is a call to Americans of all religions and belief systems who want to see their country's policies at home and abroad based on facts, history, and reasonable thought processes.
My favorite: Dear God (in all your forms), protect us from those humans among us who wish to direct the destiny of the world for their own gain. Bring them humility, compassion and enlightenment, and allow them to see the interconnection of all beings. (Or bring down upon them a rain of burning rocks, whichever strikes your fancy.) Amen