Monthly Archives: May 2010
It's a mystery
Since the earliest times in recorded Graecoroman history, there have been mystery cults. Every cultic practice for a god had secret rituals and spaces, and there were a number of mystery religions, known as the Eleusinian mysteries, that developed that … Continue reading
Linkagery
P. D. Magnus has released a new edition of his open access book on logic, forall x: An introduction to logic. It is concise and accessible. Information Landmine discusses the Critchley piece on what a philosopher is. Epiphenom notes a … Continue reading
Filed under Creationism and Intelligent Design, Philosophy, Religion, Science
Linkabillies
Mickey Mortimer on nomina dubia and indeterminate taxa. Nick Xenophon wants to remove tax exempt status for cults. I want to remove it for any institution, and apply it to stated activities, like social welfare work or charitable activities. Why … Continue reading
Filed under Pop culture, Religion, Systematics
Ruminations after Oxford
So, it is a day or so after the final conference day, and I am now in Maidenhead, in Windsorshire (did I get that right?), next door to some head of state’s home. I visited Louis Constandinos (now there’s a … Continue reading
Filed under Epistemology, Philosophy, Religion, Social evolution
Demons!
Doing the rounds are complaints. All sorts of complaints. Steve Jobs is controlling. Child porn is everywhere and will eat your children. Games on computers are destroying the moral fabric. And now Facebook is a threat to your safety. Take … Continue reading
Filed under Rant, Sermon, Technology
Sterelny reviews book on Gould
Kim Sterelny is perhaps the most significant philosopher of biology working today, although he is not I think much of a fan of Stephen Jay Gould, who many think is significant too. This review of a book about Gould indicates … Continue reading
Filed under Book, Evolution, Philosophy, Science
Off to the wilds of Oxfordshire
So, tomorrow I fly to Oxford (well, to Heathrow, and bus to Oxford) to this conference on religion and toleration. It looks to be an interesting conference, and I am commenting on a paper by one of my favourite anthropologist/psychologists, … Continue reading
Filed under Administrative, Evolution, Philosophy, Politics, Religion
Testing universal common ancestry
A long time ago, a young graduate student wandered into the festering cesspool of creationists and evolutionists known as talk.origins and offered to write a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions page) on whether or not macroevolution and common descent were supported … Continue reading
Filed under Creationism and Intelligent Design, Epistemology, Evolution, Genetics, Philosophy, Science
