Blog Stats
- 2,739,138 readers since June 2008
Recent Comments
- Pandora on Emily Dickinson, Lesbian?: Her Letter to Susan Gilbert, in June of 1852, Might Tell Us Less Than You Think
- Pandora on Emily Dickinson, Lesbian?: Her Letter to Susan Gilbert, in June of 1852, Might Tell Us Less Than You Think
- Pandora on Emily Dickinson, Lesbian?: Her Letter to Susan Gilbert, in June of 1852, Might Tell Us Less Than You Think
- xgenx on Free Will Objectivism Fail: Two Mathematicians Demonstrate that Ayn Rand’s Philosophy is Incoherent
- Naomi on Emily Dickinson, Lesbian?: Her Letter to Susan Gilbert, in June of 1852, Might Tell Us Less Than You Think
- Naomi on Emily Dickinson, Lesbian?: Her Letter to Susan Gilbert, in June of 1852, Might Tell Us Less Than You Think
- Graduate Degree Seeker on Emily Dickinson, Lesbian?: Her Letter to Susan Gilbert, in June of 1852, Might Tell Us Less Than You Think
- Graduate Degree Seeker on Emily Dickinson, Lesbian?: Her Letter to Susan Gilbert, in June of 1852, Might Tell Us Less Than You Think
- v on Emily Dickinson, Lesbian?: Her Letter to Susan Gilbert, in June of 1852, Might Tell Us Less Than You Think
- v on Emily Dickinson, Lesbian?: Her Letter to Susan Gilbert, in June of 1852, Might Tell Us Less Than You Think
- BThis on Adam Smith and Capitalism for Beginners
- BThis on Adam Smith and Capitalism for Beginners
- Cliff Wonderalt on Bart Ehrman: Liars Wrote Parts of the Bible
- Amanda on Clit Rubbing Bonobos: A Clue to the Evolutionary Origin of Human Homosexuality?
- notabilia on Woke Fanatics? Essentialists vs. Nominalists
Top Posts
- Emily Dickinson, Lesbian?: Her Letter to Susan Gilbert, in June of 1852, Might Tell Us Less Than You Think
- What is a Human, Really? Thinking about Definition via Aristotle
- What is an Etiological Narrative? And Might Confusion About Its Nature Be the Source for Fundamentalist Religion?
- What, Exactly, Is Wrong With Bestiality?
- Who Is Stephen Greenblatt? Why Should You Care?
- Clit Rubbing Bonobos: A Clue to the Evolutionary Origin of Human Homosexuality?
- Adam Smith and Capitalism for Beginners
- Kim Jong-il is Clinically Sadistic and Paranoid. And He Has A Bomb.
- "The Vision of Christ That Thou Dost See": William Blake on the Many Faces of Jesus
- My Daughter Won a Certificate of Merit from Her School for---Generosity!
-
Recent Posts
- Woke Fanatics? Essentialists vs. Nominalists
- A Mini-Course In Rhetoric For Writers. Concept 2.10: Emerson’s “Circles”
- A Mini-Course In Rhetoric For Writers. Concept 2.9: Imitation And Emulation With An Eye On Competition
- A Mini-Course In Rhetoric For Writers. Concept 2.8: Selection And Editing
- A Mini-Course In Rhetoric For Writers. Concept 2.7: Audience And Rhetorical Strategy
Recent Haiku Tweets
- AOC says it well. twitter.com/CNN/status/108… 10 months ago
- nytimes.com/interactive/20… 1 year ago
- RT @mrchan: So much has changed in America, and yet so much hasn't https://t.co/x2mthUr4Kc 1 year ago
- Perfect. twitter.com/newsundayheral… 2 years ago
- RT @goldenglobes: At tonight's #GoldenGlobes we honor Hollywood legend Meryl Streep with the prestigious Cecil B. Demille Award. https://t.… 2 years ago
Monthly Archives: December 2011
Islamic Herderianism is Coming to Egypt
As a result of recent Egyptian elections, the (so-called moderate) Islamic Brotherhood and (all agree fanatic) Salafists will represent two-thirds of the seats in the new parliament. Erik Trager of the New Republic interviewed seven of these election winners, all … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 2012, 21st century, coptic christians, Egypt, fundamentalism, Islam, islamic brotherhood, muhammad, salafists, theocracy
Leave a comment
H5N1: The Airborne Experiment Cannot Be Kept Secret
More bad news on the H5N1 airborne experiment front (from the Los Angeles Times yesterday): [Dutch virologist Ron] Fouchier [whose lab created airborne H5N1] said he was cooperating [with the US government], but he thought the [experiment sharing] strategy was impractical. When he … Continue reading
The Most Beautiful Sentiment I Encountered at Christmas 2011
I have to ignore the odious source (the pedophile enabling Pope Benedict XVI), but it’s quite insightful (if God exists). It comes from Benedict’s Christmas homily: Francis loved the child Jesus, because for him it was in this childish estate that … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged God, Jesus, love, pedophiles, pope benedict, the poor
Leave a comment
Catholic Church Christmas Bombing 2011: Boko Haram Means “Western Learning is Sinful”
The Islamist group that calls itself “Boko Haram”—northern Hausa language, meaning “Western learning is sinful”—and that blew up Catholics at a Christmas service yesterday, is described in the following manner by Reuters: The shadowy group from Nigeria’s Muslim north, blamed for … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged boko haram, Christmas, herderianism, holidays, Islam, Jesus, muhammad, nihilism, religion
1 Comment
Why It’s Better to Say “Happy Holidays” Than “Merry Christmas” to Strangers
Because saying “Happy Holidays” to a stranger is not “taking Christ out of Christmas”; instead, it’s acknowledging the plurality of ways that late December is treated in a world in which not everyone is Christian. “Happy Holidays” is a catch-all that … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 2011, agnostic, atheism, Christmas, etiquette, holidays, Jesus, life, merry christmas, new years, religion
2 Comments
Tim Minchin’s “Woody Allen Jesus” Christmas Song
The best new Christmas song of the year (by Tim Minchin): —- Unfortunately, though Tim Minchin’s segment was taped for the Jonathan Ross Show, it didn’t actually air. It was nixed as too controversial. But Minchin, given a copy of … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged atheism, christmas music, deconstruction, God, Jesus, muhammad, music, philosophy, religion, the Bible
2 Comments
Albert Mohler: Christopher Hitchens in Hell for Unbelief
Albert Mohler is President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and Darrel Falk, past President of BioLogos, calls Albert Mohler “among the most important evangelicals in the world” and a “giant” in evangelical and fundamentalist circles. In April of … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged agnostic, albert mohler, apologetics, atheism, atheist, certainty, Christopher Hitchens, God, heaven, hell, Jesus
8 Comments
H5N1: A Threat to Human Civilization in 2012?
It’s hard to imagine a nervier end-of-the-year story. H5N1 is a highly virulent strain of bird flu. If it ever went aerosol, transmitting itself between humans through coughing or sneezing, it would probably kill a billion people before a vaccine got … Continue reading
North Korea Mass Cult Watch: Weeping and Bowing Before the Golden Jackass
Below, North Koreans react to news of Kim Jong-il’s death. My first thought on seeing this was the Christian notion of Judgment Day (with Jesus, not Kim Jong-il, inhabiting the Big Brother space). Every knee shall bow and every tongue … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged atheism, atheist, Christianity, cultism, cults, Jesus, kim jong-il, north korea, religion
2 Comments
Bottom Line: Exercise 30 Minutes a Day
A must-see YouTube by Dr. Mike Evans of the University of Toronto:
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged discipline, exercise, fitness, habits, health, heart disease, life, new year resolutions
Leave a comment
The Passion of the Christopher: Hitchens’s Death Eerily Enacts That of Jesus’s
When I read the following portion of an account in the New York Times, by Ian McEwan, of Christopher Hitchens’s last days, I find myself in jaw-dropping awe: [T]his was a man in constant pain. Denied drinking or eating, he sucked on … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged angels unaware, atheism, atheist, Christopher Hitchens, death, hitch, hope, Jesus, life, love, the crucifixion
2 Comments
Christopher Hitchens’s Opiate: Not Religion, But Alcohol
Marx was right. Religion is an opiate. But Sophocles was right as well. In the furnace of this world, it’s understandable if, Oedipus-like, a person avoids too naked and persistent a confrontation with the world by plucking out her eyes. … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged alcohol, Allah, atheism, atheist, Christopher Hitchens, death, God, intellectuals, Jesus, obituary, Oedipus, wine
1 Comment
Christopher Hitchens on Billy Graham: An Antisemite Who Made of Lying a Career
An example of Christopher Hitchens telling it like it is. In an age suffused with fakery and obfuscation, Hitchens was a breath of fresh air.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged antisemitism, apologetics, atheism, atheist, billy graham, Christopher Hitchens, clergy, directness, Jesus, religion
Leave a comment
In Memoriam of Christopher Hitchens
On hearing of Christopher Hitchens’s death this morning, my first thoughts went to something he had once said as a play on Socrates: The unlived life is not worth examining. Christopher Hitchens lived a life worth examining. May his future … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged atheism, atheist, Christopher Hitchens, death, George Orwell, God, hitch, Jesus, life, Socrates
3 Comments
Burger King in Russia, Circa 2011
Thought experiment. Imagine resurrecting the following figures from the Russian and Soviet past: Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Czar Nicholas, and Lenin. Show them the ad below. Tell them this is what is being promoted to Russian youth as desirable in the year … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged burger king, capitalism, Communism, Dostoevsky, globalism, hamburgers, lenin, life, Russia, Soviet Union, Tolstoy
Leave a comment
In the Beginning Wasn’t the Word?
If you’re inclined to believe that your dog or cat has thoughts, but lacks a sophisticated vocal language for communicating them, Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker agrees with you. He argues that language isn’t, strictly speaking, necessary for thought. Interesting. ___
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged cats, dogs, language, life, philosophy, psychology, reason, steven pinker, thought
Leave a comment
