Skepticism
Pharyngula
Category archives for Skepticism
A Skeptical Look at Aliens
Posted by PZ Myers on July 16, 2011 OK, I’m feeling guilty: I’m off at The Amaz!ng Meeting enjoying myself, and totally neglecting the blog readers who aren’t lucky enough to be here too. And since I’ve been getting lots of requests to put the full content of my talk online, I figured…yeah, sure, I can do that. So here you go, all…
I thought Iceland was more rational than this
Posted by PZ Myers on July 9, 2011 The town of Bolungarvik, Iceland has been engaged in a lot of public works construction projects, like a new road and building a barrier to protect them from avalanches. Unfortunately, there have been delays and accidents, and they’ve decided what’s causing the problem: Elves. Pissed-off, cranky elves. Some people pointed the finger of blame on…
No comments here, please
Posted by PZ Myers on July 5, 2011 I think we’ve reached the saturation point, so comments are closed on this article. However, I do think I need to link to Rebecca Watson’s summary of her recent absurdist travails. Or if you’d rather, try reading Schrödinger’s Rapist and be enlightened. This time, though, really, go over there if you feel the need to…
I think we’ve been insulted by American book publishers
Posted by PZ Myers on July 4, 2011 Richard Wiseman, the fabulously funny and enlightening skeptical psychologist, has written a book called Paranormality which is a fabulously funny and enlightening dissection of paranormal claims; I got an advance copy because I’m special and I recommend it highly, and so do Skepchicks. However, something strange happened. Wiseman is British, and he published in the…
Always name names!
Posted by PZ Myers on July 2, 2011 There is an odd attitude in our culture that it’s acceptable for men to proposition women in curious ways — Rebecca Watson recently experienced this in an elevator in Dublin, and I think this encounter Ophelia Benson had reflects the same attitude: women are lower status persons, and we men, as superior beings, get to…
Newage sewage flushed into the Atlantic
Posted by PZ Myers on June 28, 2011 The Atlantic published a rather contemptible apologetic for alternative quackery titled “The Triumph of New-Age Medicine, which basically declared victory for the altie wackaloons. The way it did this was devious, and reminded me so much of creationist tactics. First, it declares that “mainstream medicine itself is failing”; it doesn’t really have any evidence of…
From the land of Hume
Posted by PZ Myers on June 26, 2011 Edinburgh will be hosting Skeptics on the Fringe in August — three solid weeks of skeptical events. Danger! All of your illusions will be scoured away, the flamethrower of reason will turn all your generous delusions to ash, the bones of reality will be unclothed and exposed…I expect people will come staggering out of Scotland…
I’d rather listen to ZDoggMD than Dr Oz any day
Posted by PZ Myers on June 25, 2011 What is it with all the quacks on daytime TV?
Skepticon IV is open for business
Posted by PZ Myers on June 16, 2011 Registration is now open for Skepticon IV, to be held in Springfield, Missouri on 19-20 November. I don’t know how you’ll be able to afford it — it still has that extravagant price tag of $0. It’s a fun event! And if you get bored, you can always hop on a bus and go to…
Starting them young
Posted by PZ Myers on June 15, 2011 As one of those geezers in his grey, tired, wizened 50s, I’m torn between the cranky get-offa-my-lawn attitude and a patronizing bless-their-little-hearts when I see all these young’uns romping about at meetings nowadays. And the internet is even worse: look, it’s a literate 13 year old atheist and a hardnosed 16 year old skeptic! I’m…