Near-Death Out-Of-Body Experiences Explained
Or perhaps I should say “explained further” since I’ve previously posted a good deal of interesting information on this subject and related issues. (For details, see the entry I posted on Aug 26, 2007 along with the related links.)
The bottom line is that these so-called mystical events that a lot of people point to as [...]
Free Will Revisited
“brain research reveals that the moment we perceive to be our moment of choice is actually (and apparently always) preceded by unconscious brain activity of the sort that apparently reveals our “choice” to be an effect rather than a cause” I’d be interested to know where you mentioned or found this research. – Just.Enough [...]
Mano Singham Speaks Out!
The New War Between Science And Religion (Mano Singham/The Chronicle Of Higher Education; May 9)
There is a new war between science and religion, rising from the ashes of the old one, which ended with the defeat of the anti-evolution forces in the 2005 “intelligent design” trial. The new war concerns questions that are more profound [...]
Sam Harris: Science can answer moral questions
Questions of good and evil, right and wrong are commonly thought unanswerable by science. But Sam Harris argues that science can — and should — be an authority on moral issues, shaping human values and setting out what constitutes a good life.
Jeff Schweitzer On Nicholas Wade
Does that sound dirty? Sorry.
If you haven’t read my previous entry yet, you might enjoy this one more if you go back and read it first. (Then again, you might not.)
If you *have* already read my previous entry and left a note on it, thanks. It’s always great to feast my eyes on the wisdom [...]
Nicholas Wade On Religion
The Evolution Of The God Gene (Nicholas Wade/The New York Times; Nov 15, 2009)
In the Oaxaca Valley of Mexico, the archaeologists Joyce Marcus and Kent Flannery have gained a remarkable insight into the origin of religion.
During 15 years of excavation they have uncovered not some monumental temple but evidence of a critical [...]
A Modest Petition
I generally don’t like petitions but this one seems to be a good and easy way to express our support for reason and science:
Please Sign Our Petition Urging President Obama To Recognize Darwin Day (International Darwin Day Foundation)
We need our elected leaders to speak out about the importance of scientific knowledge and its contribution [...]
Religion & Happiness Revisited
The Least Religious Nations Are The Happiest, Study Finds (The National Secular Society; Dec 4)
A new study (pdf) into the correlation between religious belief and contentment and security shows that the less religious a society is the happier and more secure it becomes.
The study, by Gregory Paul, published in Evolutionary Psychology [...]
Evolution Hall Planned for Smithsonian
Someone passed on to me a clipping from a newspaper (yes, a real one made out of actual paper and ink) that mentions the planned opening of a hall in the National Museum of Natural History dedicated to human evolution.:
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History plans to open a hall next year dedicated to [...]
Darwin & Eugenics
Charles Darwin’s relationship with “eugenics” (meaning well born) is often misunderstood or mischaracterized. The term itself was invented and first fully articulated by Sir Francis Galton – Darwin’s cousin – in 1883 (a year after Darwin died). Galton defined it as “the study of all agencies under human control which can improve or impair the [...]
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