About Rationally Speaking


Rationally Speaking is a blog maintained by Prof. Massimo Pigliucci, a philosopher at the City University of New York. The blog reflects the Enlightenment figure Marquis de Condorcet's idea of what a public intellectual (yes, we know, that's such a bad word) ought to be: someone who devotes himself to "the tracking down of prejudices in the hiding places where priests, the schools, the government, and all long-established institutions had gathered and protected them." You're welcome. Please notice that the contents of this blog can be reprinted under the standard Creative Commons license.

Saturday, April 02, 2011

Michael’s Picks

by Michael De Dora
* Judith Warner is worried that the rise of the Tea Party has brought both a mainstreaming and a radicalization of antiscientific thought.
* Meanwhile, Dan Kennedy thinks Republicans are more intolerant than ever of secularism. I can’t necessarily disagree.
* The flourishing and study of species has been crucial to the survival of humankind, which has Richard Coniff wondering, “How can we keep them from disappearing?”
* David Dobbs discusses this question: is cognitive science full of crap?
* In an interesting follow up to my most recent essay here, Julian Zelizer writes that the “liberal tradition” is under assault.
* Roy Speckhardt argues that religious parents should not be allowed to escape prosecution for the preventable deaths of their children.
* David Cay Johnston says that taxpayers actually contribute nothing to public workers’ pensions. Rick Ungar has more.
* As much as it pains me to say this, I must: the Supreme Court has correctly ruled in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church.

3 comments:

  1. Republicans don't really believe their own propaganda against us atheists, much less against their other demons like gays and bohemians in the entertainment industry. They still offer to cut our taxes, deregulate our businesses and let us buy all the firearms and ammo we want.

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  2. I'm not at all certain what Julian Zelizer means when he says "liberal". According to my understanding of the liberal tradition, conservatives are no less liberal than progressives. In fact, Zelizer's move to defend the integrity of liberalism against hostile forces IS a conservative move. Is Julian Zelizer really convinced that he is both defending liberalism and a threat to it? It seems so.

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  3. As much as this church's members are crazy and sick, it is still free speech rights. Plus how much they are more crazy than any other churches?

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