Life as a skeptic is summed up in this parody documentary
This parody documentary skewers both the skeptic and the superstitious, and accurately shows what issues skeptics face.
- A video from QED 2018 has made the rounds on the internet, poking fun at skeptics and the credulous alike.
- It features a nearly perfect impression of Sir David Attenborough, jabs at peddlers of pseudoscience, and sharp British humor.
- The clip reminds us that while it can be difficult to be a skeptic in a superstitious world we must take a moment to laugh at these difficulties.
Is postmodernism really anti-science?
Postmodernists like to question the very foundations of our modern society. Does this make them anti-science?
- Postmodernism is often accused of being anti-everything.
- The questions that postmodernists raise about objectivity put them on a collision course with science.
- The problems of how postmodernism looks at science remind us that not every critique can be applied to every discipline.
What this epic obituary can teach us about living and dying
We tend to treat death and dying as a somber and serious event, but what if it doesn't have to be that way?
- An obituary published in Delaware for the late Mr. Rick Stein has the internet ablaze with discussions on how unique it is.
- It stands in marked contrast to the normal, drab announcements we make when someone dies.
- It reminds us that there are other ways to mourn than the typical all-black, dour funeral and dreary obituary that doesn't tell you much about who the deceased really was.
Why the scientific journal industry needs oversight
What an academic sting on humanities journals really means to the rest of us. And to academia.
- Helen Pluckrose, James A. Lindsay and Peter Boghossian
- A trio of academics have just admitted to writing nonsense articles and getting several of them published in scholarly journals.
- The articles were created to have phony data, absurd arguments, and conclusions that the journals' review boards would accept.
- It raises questions about academic rigor in some journals, but claims that this debunks entire branches of the humanities are unfounded.
Faith Is Fine, as Long as We Laugh at Our Own Beliefs
A religious person without a sense of humor? That's a dangerous combination.
How can each religion be right and have conflicting beliefs? That, says Dave Barry, is why a sense of humor is crucial for religions to peacefully co-exist. Being able to laugh a little at our own behavior keeps us flexible, and religion really only becomes a danger when it's too rigid or is imposed on others. When a situation is tense in any area of life, humor is one of the most reliable ways to defuse it and find common ground again. The same goes for religion. Dave Barry is the co-author of For This We Left Egypt?.
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