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A Republican House Will Launch “Witch Hunt” on Science

By Lauri Lebo

…gh with their plan, it sounds like we could be in for a witch hunt against science. And I suspect it’s unlikely that the attacks on science would end with energy policy. Many of the same people who question the scientific validity of climate change also seem to drink from the same trough as fundamentalist creationists. As science writer Chris Mooney pointed out in a Friday piece in Miller-McCune, this time the attacks on science will be coming fro…

Why Science Needs “Neurodiversity,” Autism Included

By Andrew Aghapour

…science columnist George Johnson had the epistemological grumps last week, about what he titled “The Widening World of Hand-Picked Truths.” It once seemed inevitable that science would replace our faith-based understanding of the world, he argues, but “that dream seems to be coming apart.” The culprit? It’s not organized religions— though they’re trying their best— it’s our postmodern acceptance of “alternate” and “personal” truths. Humanity can’t…

Meet the “New Age” Stephen Colbert

By Andrew Aghapour

…scientific, because of their dogmatic beliefs. Wait, are you implying that science is a religion? Science is perhaps the most religious religion. It’s the most fundamentalist. The Lord and savior of science is physics, so gravity is the deity that all religious practitioners of science worship. Is there room in Ultra Spirituality for scientific discoveries? Absolutely not. In fact, science is the enemy of true Ultra Spiritual growth. I’m personall…

Louisiana Students Must Choose: Religion or Science

By Lauri Lebo

…s “supplemental materials” to be used alongside textbooks in public school science class. Forrest and the Louisiana Citizens for Science lobbied fiercely against the creationist language, but, in the end, only three members of the House voted against it because they feared crossing Jindal, who is closely allied the Louisiana Family Forum, the chief lobbyists of the bill. Until recently, the fight had been over how the wording will be implemented a…

You Are More Than Your Brain: A Revolutionary Theory of Consciousness

By John Stoehr

…ghts on religion as its new enemy,” Glaser observes. Yet, as Glaser notes, science can’t say much about faith, because faith isn’t about verifiable, replicable evidence in support of universally applicable hypotheses. It’s about, well, faith. It’s something that doesn’t need to be tested—at least not via scientific method. That, however, hasn’t stopped people like Jared Diamond and Daniel Dennett, who are convinced that religion is a delusion and…

Ask the Dust: Unbelievers, Bunker-Dwellers, Anti-Natalists

By The Editors

…nder high-pressure tactics. You’ll want to remember the phrase “I’ll think about it and get back to you” before you commit to anything. It is also helpful when trying to avoid buying a timeshare. Write a note now reminding yourself about what a cult looks like. The Dust recommends a top ten list of “I’m probably in a cult because… I feel compelled to buy all new clothes, books, décor, access to life-altering knowledge with money I don’t have or sh…

Among the Problems with Trump’s Proposed Ban: Who is a Muslim?

By Michael Schulson

…g. In that light, it’s important to examine what Trump means when he talks about Muslims, and about what it would actually take to put a ban in place. Mapping Islam The simplest description of a Muslim is anyone who identifies as Muslim. Or you could describe a Muslim as anyone who subscribes to the teachings of Islam. That leaves quite a lot of gray area, though, and plenty of room for dissent among self-identified Muslims. Is someone who drinks…

RDBook: There is Nothing New About the New Atheism

By Ibrahim Abusharif

…enient, though most people who find solace in atheistic arguments based on science mostly likely do not really understand science, its methodologies, and vulnerabilities. There are many things to like about Reitan’s book. Similar to more recent replies to new atheism, such as David Bentley Hart’s book Atheist Delusions (Yale University Press), Reitan’s work chops away at the “new” of new atheism. The subtle notion of “new” suggests in itself some…

Was a Teacher Disciplined for Refusing to Apologize for Teaching Science?

By Lauri Lebo

…int, facts be damned, is it wrong for a teacher, in the course of teaching science, to correct the student’s misinformed worldview? Or, in the interest of not offending the child and parents, must the teacher coddle such ignorance? Because it’s a simple fact that the realities of science contradict a literal belief in the Bible. And not just on the subject of evolution. Heliocentrism, for instance? “He has fixed the earth firm, immovable.” (1 Chro…

Modernity’s Fraternity: What Dan Brown Gets Right

By Samuel Biagetti

…stronomers, and physicists; nevertheless, they saw what we would call real science as continuous with pseudoscience—chemistry was compatible with alchemy, astronomy with astrology, physics with occult magic. Mason-scientists, Ben Franklin among them, were obsessed with fire and electricity—the two sources of light on Earth, which held a mystical significance for them. Franklin’s experiment with the kite in the lightning storm was part of a larger…