FrackNation screening
Seen Josh Fox’s Gasland, on shale gas and hydraulic fracturing? If so, you should try to also watch Phelim McAleer’s documentary FrackNation, that
debunks many of the claims Gasland made against drilling for gas.
South Africa’s “Satanic” panic
We can take crimes committed in the name of Satanism and the occult seriously without trading in misrepresentation and caricature of those who subscribe to minority religions. In fact, taking those crimes seriously demands that we do so.
FSI conference 2013
Help me find great speakers for an upcoming secular humanist conference.
Don’t contaminate your water with water
If you aren’t careful, all of your “blank” water might mysteriously turn into “medicine”. Which you couldn’t tell apart from water, but never mind that.
Freedom of speech doesn’t come with a guaranteed audience
We know that there are many odious views out there, especially ones involving bigotry of various sorts. It’s not censorship to refuse to air them – and in fact, airing them might sometimes run contrary to editorial responsibilities.
UCT vs the Twitterati
Twitter brought out it’s pitchforks yesterday and pointed them at UCT, who it thought had betrayed the interests of Joseph Khohlokoane. But UCT has nothing to be ashamed of – instead, the Twitterati might want to think more carefully about whether their moralistic hysteria has any merit.
All the fish (including oysters)
It’s important to manage oyster fisheries “in a manner that would please, praise and glorify that one who provided and gave man the power to rule over the fish (including oysters)”. Apparently.
So atheists are people too?
Progress in reaching common ground between what appear to be irreconcilable viewpoints often happens in slow increments. But our attention spans and fondness for hyperbole gets in the way of recognising this, and perhaps perpetuates unnecessary disagreement.
A culture of dying
Even though we’re not yet at the halfway mark of the annual initiation ceremonies in Mpumalanga, as many people have already died there as in the Boston bombings. Yet by contrast to the bombings, the Mpumalanga initiation deaths were easy to anticipate and prevent.
Dennett’s ‘seven tools for thinking’
Dennett’s new book “Intuition pumps” contains many useful tips for improving our thinking, including using Rapoport’s rules as the “best antidote for the tendency to caricature one’s opponent”.
