Search results for: Identity politics

As well as several recent posts – [Secular Politics] [The Art of Freedom] [Freedom Regained] – there are a number of other items and events on the topic of freedom. [Still to publish a complete review of Baggini’s Freedom Regained, referenced in the above – but a recommended read.] Prompted to post this after seeing the headline “Atheism … Continue reading “The Freedom Agenda @BobChurchill @BenedictRogers @microphilosophy #ypfpspeakers”

How free should public communications be? General Simple fact is that free-speech in a free-democracy does need regulation and, if we are serious about that regulation, we do have to be prepared to enforce it and sanction transgressions, ultimately backed with the power of the law. Inescapable. What is appropriate in the rules of communications, … Continue reading “Social Media Free Speech?”

Politics likes simple slogans in these days of social media – “Trans Rights are Human Rights” has to be the most fatuous – Duh, obviously – but TWAW, Punch a TERF, Just Stop Oil, you name it. They all suffer from over-simplifying – reducing – something complex to a simple object in a wishfully “scientific” … Continue reading “Gender vs Sex Again … and again … and again!”

Despite my “STEM” core, avoiding anything remotely supernatural despite strong human spiritual interests, I’ve always been sympathetic to theists and theologists. (Full statement of my “Sacred Naturalism” stance here.) As thinkers, and carers for humanity, smart theists are at least as impressive – generally more so – as any public scientist / atheist types, when … Continue reading “Faith, Hope and Carnage”

Received and started reading Sexual Personae by Camille Paglia. The book that made her famous as a radical feminist but who also “identifies” as transgender and has been a critic of post-modernism’s consequences. Clearly someone of intellectual subtlety – and balls – on a topic that exemplifies our (21stC) modern polarisation predicament at a time … Continue reading “Camille Paglia – Sexual Personae”

Definition as a Coffin? “Hold your definition” is a plea by philosopher Daniel Dennett, often cited here on Psybertron, when dealing patiently with his scientific friends. Any discourse that starts with apparently clear definitions, manipulated solely by logic, is inherently limited by the fit between the history of those definitions and future of reality. At … Continue reading ““Definition as a Coffin” – Cybernetics to Systems Thinking”

Karl Sigmund Mentioned Karl Sigmund’s “Exact Thinking in Demented Times” in the previous Reading List post. To be clear its sub-title is: “The Vienna Circle and the Epic Quest for the Foundations of Science“ I’ve read 1/3 to 1/2 of it so far and it’s really very good. Interesting voice and turns of phrase, massively … Continue reading “Karl Sigmund and Demented Thinking”

Noting that my implicit reading list was growing faster with every reference read, I attempted an explicit booklist last year, to keep tabs. I didn’t share it widely, but family bought me a couple off the list for Christmas. Just updating it – striking out those acquired and adding new references – as I start … Continue reading “Reading List”

Misogyny is actually the title of my latest long-read draft of #GoodFences / #SomethingRottenInTheStateOfPolitics prompted specifically by the recent Afghan / Taliban debacle after a long series of “TERF War” examples. This isn’t it. Today’s prompting is the sentencing of Sarah Everard’s killer. Particularly serious from the point of view that if a woman, anyone, … Continue reading “Misogyny 0.5”

Getting the feeling more sensible voices are prevailing in this war at last. Maybe I can stop posting about it sometime soon. (To me – without specific skin in the feminist<>trans-gender debate aka “TERF War” – this is simply a raging example of my meta-agenda about received rationality in a world where everyone has rights … Continue reading “Back to the TERF War – at Last?”