Metafilter links to a bunch of podcasts from modern historians and philosophers of science. I've linked to Mefi rather than the podcasts as there are some interesting comments from valkyryn in the thread, on what Shapin and Schaffer were saying about the role of trust in the scientific community. (tags: audiosciencemetafilterhistoryphilosophy)
"I am X, and I am different from Y. Other people are ignorant of the difference between X and Y. They must be educated. People, you must call me X and respect my difference from yourself, and from Y. You must refer to me by the term I have chosen to refer to myself by, and stay tuned for any changes I choose to make in this label, and new terms you must use to describe me — those new terms which the stigma treadmill or reclamation of previously-taboo terms may, from time to time, make it necessary for me to substitute." (tags: identitypoliticsgenderfeminismtransexualism)
Andrew Brown: "A bill currently before the Ugandan parliament (pdf) proposes seven year prison sentences for discussing homosexuality; life imprisonment for homosexual acts; and death for a second offence. Sober observers believe it will be passed. The Anglican church in Uganda appears to support it, and the Church of England in this country is absolutely silent." (tags: homosexualitymoralityanglicanismreligionchristianitysexugandajohn-sentamusentamu)
Christian commenter on Unreasonable Faith: "All ex-Christians are in league with Satan and are fully aware of it, don’t let yourselves be fooled into believing otherwise." Bugger, I've been rumbled. Time to buy a red cape… (tags: atheismex-christiande-conversionsatanlolxianschristianityreligion)
Richard Norman on the "New Believers": Terry Eagleton, Karen Armstrong and such like, the people who say religion is not remotely about believing stuff. "I cannot see how, in the end, a distinctive religious identity can be possible unless it is based on the acceptance of at least some non-metaphorical factual beliefs – beliefs about the existence of a personal deity and about how his intentions and purposes explain our world. Those beliefs do, inescapably, need to be rationally defended. And they can’t be. On that point, certainly, Dawkins is right." (tags: richard-normanbeliefreligionkaren-armstrongterry-eagletoneagletonrichard-dawkins)
Dennett on his project to interview clergy who no longer believe but are closeted (Dennett explicitly makes the analogy with gay people in the 1950s), on "deepities" in theology (interestingly, he rejects criticisms that other 3 horsemen don't know enough theology or philosophy), and on how we needn't suppose some people sat down and conspired to make up religions. (tags: religionvideodennettevolutiondaniel-dennetttheologymemesdeepity)
Did you by any chance catch Radio 4 yesterday afternoon (I think) talking about research on twins? There’s been a big comparative study of identical vs non-identical twins, which appeared to have some fascinating results, including a suggestion that predisposition to religion is genetically influenced…
Did you by any chance catch Radio 4 yesterday afternoon (I think) talking about research on twins? There’s been a big comparative study of identical vs non-identical twins, which appeared to have some fascinating results, including a suggestion that predisposition to religion is genetically influenced…
Alas, I didn’t (I don’t listen to the radio much). Do you happen to remember which programme it was? Might be on Listen Again.
Brother Mine, from 2.45pm yesterday. (I must listen to the rest of it — I only caught part!)
Note to self: make pw201 a red cape…