source: Vancouver Sun “The atheist, by merely being in touch with reality, appears shamefully out of touch with the fantasy life of his neighbours.” – Sam Harris Some atheists are delighting in a groundbreaking University of B.C. psychology report that suggests analytical thinking can be harmful to religious faith. The ABC News headline on their [...]
Last night I was fortunate enough to be at Brighton Skeptics in the Pub where the always entertaining Paul Zenon gave an excellent talk about mediums and psychics, such as Sally Morgan for example. For a bit of background on the whole Sally Morgan saga click here, here, and here. Obviously Paul could not discuss any [...]
I watch the Young Turks a lot, and it’s usually excellent, but this video is especially awesome. Cenk Uygur is a total badass, and after an initial introduction by Ana Kasparian, Cenk goes on a rant. A controlled, eloquent, well-said rant, and I think it’s brilliant. Everything he said about the Republicans wanting to give [...]
Not sure how our British Forces fare when it comes to having religious texts as a matter of course. It won’t be mandatory kit, but I suspect you can find one next to every bed – Gideon Style. In the US, the Bible is no longer listed as a requirement on the checklist for hospitality [...]
I love The Young Turks. It’s probably my favourite YouTube news show, and as a Brit, it’s refreshing to see that Fox News hasn’t managed to brainwash everyone. Ana Kasparian and John Iadarola of TYT University talked about the hatemail sent to Jessica Ahlquist a few weeks ago: I simply cannot find enough words to describe the irony of so much hate spewing [...]
It is one thing to question what an illness is, and how it manifests itself. It is quite another to challenge its existence in the face of evidence armed only with faith in the supernatural. However, this is what Channel 4 deem fit for public consumption, despite the consequences. Sufferers of depression have enough to [...]
I’m fascinated by neuroscience, and obviously a huge fan of Sam Harris. I think the brain is the key to everything that makes us human (and makes other animals “them”, obviously). The brain dictates when, why, and how we feel emotions such as love, sadness, and joy. It essentially is what ‘being’ is. What interests [...]
It’s nothing new, and it won’t be the last time, but yet again there has been some bitching and whining amongst ‘skeptics’ across the internet culminating in some people going too far. I wasn’t going to comment, as I’ve said my peace, but to sum it all up, I have the following points to make: [...]
(source: Reuters) Actors Sean Penn and Stephen Fry, novelist Salman Rushdie and dozens of other friends paid tribute to Christopher Hitchens on Friday in a New York memorial service held four months after his death. Vanity Fair magazine, for which the British-born journalist worked, said that popular songs of the 1960s and 1970s including “Both [...]
Being a charity means it must be struggling for cash, right? Ireland’s bishops won’t have to pay the controversial household charge that has hit every homeowner in the pocket. The Mail on Sunday has revealed that the Catholic Church will not pay a penny in household charges. The Church, widely acknowledged as the biggest property owner in [...]
Irish Blood, English Heart by Morrissey