Are you a bored scientist looking to spank a few confused creationists for money? Then why not take up this challenge: Dr Joseph Mastropaolo, who says he has set up the contest, the Literal Genesis Trial, in the hope of improving the quality of arguments between creationists and evolutionists, has pledged to put $10,000 of his own money into an escrow account before the debate. His competitor would be expec ...

Here's an old presentation from Neil some of you may not have seen yet. In the talk, Neil discusses the history of Intelligent Design, and why it still persists in society. While I've always liked Neil, and I'm fascinated by his idea that we should carefully study why some scientists are religious, I think at the end of the day, the answer will be quite dull and not very informative: mainly that when you're ...

If you don't know who Scott Lively is, he's the monster who authored The Pink Swastika, a book I've derided in the past for its pseudo-historical claim that Nazis were a secret gay organization intent on destroying heterosexuality. It ranks about as high as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion in terms of historical verisimilitude. In March of 2009, Scott and a posse of other Evangelical Christians traveled ...

You know what's great about being an 'Intelligent Design' scientist? You get to save all of the money you would normally be spending on electron microscopes, computers, DNA sequencing machines or a host of other expensive equipment. Why bother to invest in technology when your premise is the world of make-believe is more real than the physical one? The only 'equipment' you need is a lab coat, a Bible, and a ...

For some odd reason, I love the idea that there are religious believers out there who try to convert atheists back to religion. I can't imagine a more pointless exercise. They really think there must be some magical argument to 'win us' back to the fold. They can't understand our decision not to believe in God is the result of years of slow and gradual change, ultimately leading to the conclusion that the p ...

You all know by now that the educational system in Louisiana is rapidly deteriorating thanks to Governor Bobby Jindal and his relentless crusade to institute voucher programs that end up benefiting religiously run schools. He may have come out recently begging for the GOP not to become the 'stupid party', but he's actively working to ensure his constituents are ever more ignorant about the real world. The p ...

I'm all for expressing one's opinion (I wouldn't be doing this web shit if I didn't), but I feel it's my duty to remind young people that the Internet never forgets, and it has a tendency to shame your ass whenever you say something stupid. Do you honestly think the opinions you express as a teenager will carry on to adulthood? I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm kind of glad the Internet and its am ...

This week, my special guest is Dr. Andy Thomson, author of the book Why We Believe in Gods, and a psychiatrist with his own private practice in Charlottesville, VA. When he's not also teaching students at the University of Virginia, he's also a forensic psychiatrist and writes on evolutionary psychology. We talk about his book, Lee Harvey Oswald and the JFK conspiracy, and the future of psychology. Don't mi ...

This week, we confront my 'Ageism' and discuss 'generational theory' and why the world is as crappy as it is. Plus, more on the Tea Party and who comprises their ranks. It's a must for any political junkie. SHOW NOTES Introduction: Lecture on Tea Party by Prof. Theda Skocpol lecture at Oxford:[5] 1980-2000 - Millennials or Generation Y 1965-1979 -  Generation X 1946-1964 -  Baby Boom 1925-1945 -  Silent Gen ...

When I was a teen, I bought into the bullshit that is Qi (sometimes spelled 'chi'). I couldn't help it: if you've ever watched the Shaolin Monks do their thing, you might understand why I thought their impressive physical feats were only made possible because of some superhuman element. Fueled by the mythology of comic book heroes, I desperately wanted it to be true (which I was to later learn is the first ...