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The Island of Doubt

An irregular exploration of the struggle between the power of rational discourse and the scientific method on one hand, and the forces of superstition and dogma on the other.

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me-fergus.jpg James Hrynyshyn is a freelance science journalist based in western North Carolina, where he tries to put degrees in marine biology and journalism to good use.

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for 9 July 2007

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Other Doubtful Blogs

Inspiration

The Demon-Haunted World:
Science as a Candle
in the Dark, by Carl Sagan
(A review)

The Doubter's Companion:
by John Ralston Saul (Excerpts)

Skeptic Magazine: www.skeptic.com

Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal: www.csicop.org

A poem by Yehuda Amichai:
The Place
Where We Are Right


The Meaning of the
Island of Doubt


Author's site: cyamid.net


Add to Technorati Favorites! Penetrating so many secrets, we cease to believe in the unknowable. But there it sits nevertheless, calmly licking its chops.
--- H. L. Mencken

By doubting we come to inquiry; and through inquiry we perceive truth.
--- Peter Abelard

Undisguised clarity is easily mistaken for arrogance.
-- Richard Dawkins

As for evolution, it happened. Deal with it.
-- Michael Shermer.

More blogs about island of doubt.

August 29, 2008

Sarah Palin?

Category: climate

Does anyone really think it appropriate to run with a backup whose c.v. — less than two years as governor and a stint as mayor of a suburb of 9,000 — is as weak as Palin's?

Read on »

August 28, 2008

Sen. Dole vs. the atheists

Category: religiosity

As far as I can tell, North Carolina's no different from the rest of America when it comes to religion. About a tenth of the population is free of religious conviction. That's not a big slice, but it could, in...

Read on »

Free Us. Now.

Category: climate

The We Can Solve It campaign has a new ad. Subtle it is not. One could argue that clean electricity in 10 years is far too ambitious a schedule, but you know what they say about a journey of 10,000...

Read on »

August 27, 2008

Again with the corals

Category: climate

It's a race between the genes controlling my son's growth hormones and falling pH levels in the ocean.

Read on »

August 26, 2008

How to admit you're wrong

Category: climate

If you're going to argue that an entire field of scientists got it wrong, you really should know something about the subject.

Read on »

August 22, 2008

You can't say that on the radio

Category: climate

Two non-scientists really have no business debating a scientific issue on talk radio.

Read on »

August 20, 2008

Amazing alt-energy overview at Nature

Category: climate

The news department of the journal Nature has just published an impressive round-up of all the major clean energy technologies — installed and theoretically capacity, prices, challenges, everything you need to know. Plus an inspiring editorial. A must read for...

Read on »

August 19, 2008

What should Gore do at the Democratic convention?

Category: climate

Gore should take to that stage next week and make the most inspiring, couragous and audacious speech of his life.

Read on »

August 15, 2008

Ah, Carbon Capture; we hardly knew ye

Category: climate

The fact is, CCS isn't the only tool at our disposal. We don't have to keep burning coal just because it's cheap and easy to find.

Read on »

August 13, 2008

More melting news

Category: climate

One of things you learn living in the Great White North is just how fast conditions can change.

Read on »

August 12, 2008

Star Trek whales redundant

Category: cetacea

Looks like we won't be needing a team of aging, time-traveling Starfleet officers to save the humpbacks after all. The IUCN has downlisted (I hate that word!) (Megaptera novaeangliae) from Vulnerable to Least Concern. Only took 25 years of keeping...

Read on »

August 10, 2008

Meet the John McCain of ScienceBlogs

Category: religiosity

By now we've all seen the John McCain ad that juxtaposes Paris Hilton and Britney Spears with Barack Obama. Most of us probably recognize it as disingenuous use of imagery to make a flawed argument. Sadly, the same technique is...

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August 8, 2008

Jim Hansen on offshore drilling

Category: climate

"That's a wrong place to be looking for a solution. Trying to get every last drop of oil is not worth the effort."

Read on »

August 6, 2008

Coal. Need I say more?

Category: climate

No politician hoping to attract national support can embrace the notion of an immediate moratorium on new coal-fired plants.

Read on »

August 5, 2008

You gotta have thick skin

Category: climate

It's finally time to comment on Gore's Law: "As an online climate change debate grows longer, the probability that denier arguments will descend into attacks on Al Gore approaches one."...

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August 4, 2008

Obama caves in to big oil

Category: climate

It is easy to be disappointed with Barack Obama's recent reversal on the acceptability of new offshore drilling. But unless this is your first presidential election, then you shouldn't be too surprised. Fans of any candidate have to be prepared...

Read on »

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