blog.michael-lowry.com
Veritas: The five stages of climate denial
http://blog.michael-lowry.com/2014/05/the-five-stages-of-climate-denial.html
The five stages of climate denial. Global warming is not happening. Okay, global warming may be happening, but it’s part of a natural cycle, and human activity has an insignificant effect. Alright, human activity may be causing climate change, be we shouldn’t try to fix the problem because the planet will take care of itself. And besides, doing anything would be too costly, and would harm productivity, growth, comfort, etc. Stage 5 applies only to apocalyptic religious fundamentalists.). Yes we can make ...
blog.michael-lowry.com
Veritas: Interstellar: unanswered questions
http://blog.michael-lowry.com/2014/11/interstellar-unanswered-questions.html
Here are some unanswered questions from Interstellar:. Why build a rocket silo inside an office building? Wouldn’t the exhaust make an awful mess? If a big rocket is required to lift one Ranger shuttle from Earth into space, how can the same shuttle lift off unaided from a planet whose gravity is 1.3x greater than Earth’s? Moreover, how can the ungainly Landers even land, much less lift off? Fail to notice the giant waves when they were a safe distance from the planet? This would have been safer and woul...
blog.michael-lowry.com
Veritas: More handwaving from Reza Aslan
http://blog.michael-lowry.com/2014/10/more-handwaving-from-reza-aslan.html
More handwaving from Reza Aslan. In the very first sentence of this interview. On The Young Turks, Reza Aslan claims that he does not read Sam Harris’ writings. He then proceeds to criticize Harris and modern atheism at length, making several deliberate misrepresentations:. Atheism is an intractable and inflexible belief system. Atheists believe that they are under siege. Harris would certainly have reason to. Atheists are among the most widely distrusted groups. Aslan makes this clear in his next remark...
blog.michael-lowry.com
Veritas: Modesty, shame & sexual propriety
http://blog.michael-lowry.com/2013/08/modesty-shame-sexual-propriety.html
Modesty, shame and sexual propriety. The furor over Miley Cyrus’s performance at the VMAs the other night truly surprised me. I expect a fair amount of screaming and wailing from the idiots in the cheap seats. But even some people I love and respect couldn’t stop themselves from joining in, leveling not just artistic criticism at Ms. Cyrus, but also personal insults and accusations of immorality. Because Cyrus used sex to shock, to get attention, and to make a point. Still others say they just don’...
blog.michael-lowry.com
Veritas: Freedom vs. equality
http://blog.michael-lowry.com/2013/03/freedom-vs-equality.html
Freedom vs. equality. Consider the following statement:. Parents should work hard to provide their children with the love, care, education, and resources they need, so that they grow into well-adjusted adults and productive members of society, and so that they have the best possible chance at a successful, fulfilling, and happy life. Do you agree with this statement? I’d wager that the vast majority of people do. Next, consider another statement:. Selfishness for the sake of one’s children is still...
blog.michael-lowry.com
Veritas: Why you should stop using the word ‘mansplaining’
http://blog.michael-lowry.com/2014/07/why-you-should-stop-using-word.html
Why you should stop using the word ‘mansplaining’. In a post from last week, Melissa A. Fabello of Everyday Feminisim. Offers 5 Simple Ways Men Can Better Respect Women. I like her suggestions, but I do have one quibble: Fabello uses the gendered pejorative ‘mansplaining’ to describe the phenomenon wherein men presume to understand and explain the experiences of women. I honestly cannot understand why reasonable people think it’s acceptable to use this word. The key thing to remember if you want to avoid...
blog.michael-lowry.com
Veritas: Reasonable fear, self defense, and murder
http://blog.michael-lowry.com/2014/05/reasonable-fear-self-defense-and-murder.html
Reasonable fear, self defense, and murder. An article in the CSMonitor reviews the state of stand-your-ground. Laws in the U.S. Here’s a salient quotation from criminologist and gun policy expert Edward Leddy, professor emeritus at St. Leo University in Florida:. 8220;If somebody breaks into your house in the middle of the night, the presumption is you have the right to assume that they are armed and intend to do you harm. How reasonable is that presumption? A worldview based on fear is self-fulfilling.
blog.michael-lowry.com
Veritas: Sex and scouting
http://blog.michael-lowry.com/2013/02/sex-and-scouting.html
Recently, the Boy Scouts of America announced that it was considering changing its longstanding policy of discrimination against gays. A news report on the radio covered the protests outside the BSA’s headquarters in Irving, Texas. Asked for his opinion, one protestor commented:. 8220;Allowing homosexuals in scouting would send the wrong message. The Boy Scouts is not a place for any. Kind of sexuality.”. The BSA’s fear of gays is grounded in. Its general discomfort with sex. As one of the few remaining ...
blog.michael-lowry.com
Veritas: Nuance and context, but just for me
http://blog.michael-lowry.com/2015/04/nuance-and-context-but-just-for-me.html
Nuance and context, but just for me. There is a special species of hypocrisy oft exhibited by ideologues and pundits:. A person makes an outrageous, insulting, thoughtless, or simply foolish statement. When called out for it, he chastises his critics for their failure to. Understand and appreciate the context and nuance of his position. Then the selfsame person lambasts, labels, and denigrates his critics and ideological opponents ruthlessly, with nary a thought to nuance or context. Michael A. Lowry.
blog.michael-lowry.com
Veritas: Vladimir Putin’s M.O.
http://blog.michael-lowry.com/2014/04/vladimir-putins-mo.html
Vladimir Putin’s M.O. If the people are against me, then to hell with them. I’ll do what I want, and justify it based on the law. If the law is against me, then fuck the law. I’ll do what I want, and justify it based on the clamoring mob fired up by my propaganda. What else would you expect from a paranoid, Machiavellian. Posted by Michael A. Lowry. Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom). Michael A. Lowry. View my complete profile. Michael on the net. Vladimir Putin’s M.O. Mdash; My main web log.
