This post is from Press Esc: The Pope's calls to save the environment [were] met with dismay by critics who have repeatedly pointed out that the Vatican's ban on contraception will effectively negate all attempts at protecting the environment and tacking climate change. "Care of water resources and attention to…
All of those people who take the Bible literally need to apply the proper rules for killing people by throwing stones. The process is quite straightforward. The purpose is to cause the stonees (the people being struck by the stones) to die of broken bones and hemorrhaging of blood. What are the…
"Imprecatory prayer"? I'd never heard of it until today, thanks to Ebonmuse at Daylight Atheism.
Despite the rhyming title, this is a serious topic. But not always a controversial topic . . . Sociobiology is an un-controversial field of study as long as we stick to studying animals other than human animals. Here's how John Alcock describes sociobiology in The Triumph of Sociobiology (2001): "Genetic differences help explain why people develop differences in at least some aspects of their behavior." (Page 53). Here's another way to put it: "Sociobiologists want to know the evolved function or purpose of whatever aspect of social behavior they are studying." Alcock is a prolific and highly respected biologist who teaches at the Arizona State University. His textbook, Animal Behavior, is currently on its eighth edition. I used his textbook when I took a class on animal behavior a few years ago. It is a terrific resource, highly organized and thoroughly researched. [More . . .]
Poet Sharon Olds has declined to attend the National Book Festival in Washington D.C. who won a National Book Critics Circle Award and who is professor of creative writing at New York University, was invited along with a number of other writers by First Lady Laura Bush. Here's her letter…