What, Why & How do we Know ?
Post from Michael Nugent of Atheist Ireland, disowning any association with PZ Myers. (Hat tip to @AMDWaters) I’ve had my run-ins with PZ Myers via his Pharyngula blog several times in the past often, if you look at the links, trying to give the positive benefit of the doubt that the rhetoric is worse than … Continue reading “Ireland dumps PZ Myers”
This is a version of my Rules of Engagement / Rules of Discourse page. Being updated to make it more explicitly obvious that these are also the rules of free-speech, more generally than lip-service to “freeze peach”. The mantra being parroted by followers of Elon Musk – topical in 2024 because he made it his … Continue reading “The Rules of Freeze Peach”
The hype around the Free Energy Principle and Active Inference is mushrooming at an amazing rate. This paper … : Designing Ecosystems of Intelligence from First Principles Karl J Friston, Maxwell J D Ramstead, et al (2 Dec 2022) … has several co-authors associates with VERSESÂ as well as AII and (Wellcome Foundation & UCL). The … Continue reading “Active Inference Entrepreneurship”
It goes on. The TERF wars continue to rage as the main game in Twitter-town when it comes to objective science and human classes talking past each other. Firstly, Angela Saini writing “What is a Woman?” in Prospect Magazine. I’ve had problems with Saini before, being too conservative in minimising sex/gender and race differences – … Continue reading “Grist to the #GoodFences Mill”
As a blogger since blogging was invented, I’ve maintained the idea of a blogroll in the side-bar – linking to other bloggers and sources of news and input I read and recommend. It’s long been redundant since all sources provide feeds not just through RSS but primarily via micro-blog channels – aka social media – … Continue reading “BlogRolled Over”
Last week, on BBC This Week, Jonathan Powell ex PM Blair’s Chief of Staff did the round up of the week (intro from about 7 mins in) and was thoroughly bludgeoned for his efforts by Andrew Neil in his own inimitable and entirely effective way. Several people re-tweeted Neil’s performance approvingly. I’m a big fan. … Continue reading “Invoking Godwin’s Law Too Soon? Maybe.”
“Hold that thought” quickie post only … Autism – Greta Thunberg case adds to the list of scientism driven by autism. Previous example is Chris Packham, but it’s a general issue historically with scientism and autistic economics and politics. People who are proud of their autism – which is fine as individual differences and contributions … Continue reading “And Another Thing …”
The environmental impact of Anthropogenic Climate Change is the biggest problem facing humanity, because it is the greatest consequence of humanity’s greatest failure. Our existential crisis. There is no Planet B. Don’t know about you, but until someone glued themselves to a DLR train this morning I’d never heard of global warming. — (((Dan Hodges))) … Continue reading “Down With This Sort of Thing”
It’s been a long time coming, and even now I’m having second thoughts writing this, but what is “normal”? Current context is LGBTI+ debates, especially around school curricula being cramped by those of dogmatic faith. Woman on Radio 4 just now talking about the schools gay lessons row insisting that she isn’t homophobic but saying … Continue reading “Reclaiming “Normal”?”
Helen Lewis conducted a long interview with Jordan Peterson for GQ Magazine and a 100 minute version is up on YouTube. The set-up is journalist “versus” controversial public person – “interrogates” them in a “dissection of masculinity” – was exploited by GQ, whatever Lewis’ own feminist agenda. Explicitly adversarial. (Lots of people commenting on the … Continue reading “Progress in Dialogue Again – Helen Lewis and Jordan Peterson”