February 9, 2010
Category: Books • Evolution
People keep asking me for books on evolution for their kids, and I have to keep telling them that there is a major gap in the library. We have lots of great books for adults, but most of the books for the younger set reduce evolution to stamp collecting: catalogs of dinosaurs, for instance. I just got a copy of a book that is one small step in filling that gap, titled Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be(amzn/b&n/abe/pwll) by Daniel Loxton. It's beautifully illustrated, and the organization of the book focuses on concepts (and misconceptions!) of evolution, explaining them in manageable bits of a page or two. The first half covers the basics of evolutionary theory — a little history of Darwin, the evidence for selection and speciation, short summaries of how selection works, that sort of thing. The second half covers common questions, such as how something as complex as an eye could have evolved, or where the transitional fossils are. The book is aimed at 8-13 year olds, and it's kind of cute to see that most creationists could learn something from a book for 8 year olds.
I recommend it highly, but with one tiny reservation. The author couldn't resist the common temptation to toss in something about religion at the end, and he gives the wrong answer: it's the standard pablum, and he claims that "Science as a whole has nothing to say about religion." Of course it can. We can confidently say that nearly all religions are definitely wrong, if for no other reason than that they contradict each other. We also have a multitude of religions that make claims about the world that are contradicted by the evidence. It's only two paragraphs, and I sympathize with the sad fact that speaking the truth on this matter — that science says your religion is false — is likely to get the book excluded from school libraries everywhere, but it would have been better to leave it out than to perpetuate this silly myth.
Don't worry about it, though — take the kids aside and explain to them that that bit of the book is wrong, which is also a good lesson to teach, that you should examine everything critically, even good pro-science books.
Say, did you know that Darwin Day is coming up soon? Maybe you should order a copy fast for the kids in your life!
Posted by PZ Myers at 1:03 PM • 150 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Humor
It looks like a lot of people love xkcd.
Posted by PZ Myers at 11:13 AM • 46 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Weblogs
The Times Online has posted a list of science blogs of various sorts, which I was inclined to endorse since they did include me, and also some blogs I hadn't seen before — I am enchanted by 2d goggles, and want to spend the rest of the day reading the archives — but then I got to the end of the list and … Anthony Watts? Crank weatherman and climate change denialist? That's an anti-science blog, sorry. Now I'm a little embarrassed to be on it.
I note that the commenters on that site are similarly dismayed at the lack of discrimination in their final choice.
Posted by PZ Myers at 8:46 AM • 55 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Creationism • Humor
It's never going to end — Ben Stein's voice still makes me grind my teeth (oh, wait — Stein's voice did that to me even before he made Expelled). Now here's another parody of his horrible little movie, with a little name check of yours truly in there.
Posted by PZ Myers at 7:59 AM • 27 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Godlessness • Politics
Michael Nugent of Atheist Ireland made a few more videos of me babbling before I left, and has posted them to the website. I'm terrible in them — no fault to Michael, I was just worn out and burned out on the last night of my trip. You can poke fun at me if you want.
The interesting thing about them, though, is that they were made in the Oonagh Young gallery in Dublin, which is currently hosting an exhibit of blasphemous art, in blatant defiance of the blasphemy laws. Everything in there is offensive to someone; the exhibits mock religion and religious beliefs with words and pictures.
The Garda aren't storming the place.
That's the evil of the blasphemy laws: they make everyone a criminal, and are not being enforced, but they have the potential to be selectively enforced. That's a very useful tool in the hands of the state; an art gallery exhibit which defies the law can be overlooked, but if someone starts really shaking up the establishment, it will be another convenient truncheon to silence dissent. I personally felt no risk at all in traveling to Ireland, because I'm just an outsider with no power, and can be safely ignored. I'd worry more if I were part of an organization with some political influence that was growing and had some shot at helping to secularize Ireland, because right now critics have the tool to break the back of such organizations with strategically applied accusations of violations of the official blasphemy laws.
It's a very Christian approach. We're all sinners, therefore God is justified in any action he takes against us. We're all blasphemers, and give the state the power to condemn a common behavior, and they can be justified in the arbitrary exercise of the law.
Posted by PZ Myers at 7:40 AM • 26 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Creationism • Politics
Grassroots action can do wonderful things. Voters in Don McLeroy's district in Texas are organizing an ad campaign and are looking for contributions to help air radio ads opposing McLeroy's candidacy: as they say, "The ads will target moderate republicans who realize that to compete globally in the 21st century Texas needs smart students who are well educated, critical thinkers," which is exactly the right approach to take. We need to mobilize the sensible conservatives and get them to realize that their continued entanglement with raving nutbags has been a formula for short-term electoral success and long-term disaster.
Posted by PZ Myers at 7:28 AM • 29 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Religion
It's yet another Catholic sex scandal, this time a chronic pattern of sexual abuse by a few priests in Berlin that was known and tolerated by church leaders for almost 20 years. They've got a nice phrase for what was going on: "intimate, fatherly behavior."
Catholic church: you don't know what fatherly means, and none of you deserve the respectable title of "father" at all. I'm a dad, please don't taint me with your skeevy, repellent attitude towards men who actually care for their children.
Posted by PZ Myers at 7:17 AM • 38 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
February 8, 2010
Category: Creationism • Pointless polls
Dutch creationists have put up a foolish little poll — surprise them with a little adjustment.
Hoe is het leven op aarde ontstaan? (How did life arise on Earth?)
God schiep het leven in zes dagen (God created life in six days)
69.4%
Door Evolutie (By Evolution)
20.7%
Door Spontane Generatie (By Spontaneous Generation)
5%
God stuurde de evolutie (By god-directed evolution)
4.1%
God schiep het leven in langere tijd (God created life some time)
0.8%
Er is een intelligente ontwerper maar onbekend wie (There is an unknown intelligent designer)
0%
Posted by PZ Myers at 9:52 PM • 98 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Cephalopods • Humor
This article on why an octopus is more awesome than your mom is generally accurate and valid — octopuses probably are more awesome than your mom — but suffers a bit from an incomplete survey of moms. The author has not met the awesome mom of me, nor is he acquainted with the ferocious Trophy Wife™, who also happens to moonlight as the indomitable Trophy Mother™.
Otherwise, though, it is an acceptable overview of octopodal merits.
Posted by PZ Myers at 6:23 PM • 25 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
…and this is a 
