RealityApologist

Author's details

Date registered: August 24, 2009
URL: http://

Latest posts

Jesus and Ronald Reagan Deliver the Constitution; Professors and Supreme Court Foiled Again — October 6, 2009
Where’s Your Missing Link Now? Oh, There It Is. — October 2, 2009
Are Atheists More Scientifically Literate Than Average? — September 20, 2009
Movie on Darwin Deemed Too Controversial For US Audience — September 13, 2009
A Book Review and Some Philosophy of Science — September 10, 2009

Author's posts listings

Oct
06

Jesus and Ronald Reagan Deliver the Constitution; Professors and Supreme Court Foiled Again

Reality Apologist

by RealityApologist

This is just too amazing to not?propagate. ?Pharyngula links to this spectacular piece of right-wing?kitsch that depicts Jesus (Caucasian, like he should be) personally delivering the Constitution to a group of awed on-lookers who include, children, school teachers, US Founding Fathers (including, ironically, notoriously atheistic Thomas Payne), Ronald Reagan, dead astronauts, black soldiers (specifically), and… Continue reading »

5 comments

Oct
02

Where’s Your Missing Link Now? Oh, There It Is.

Reality Apologist

by RealityApologist

There has, over the centuries since Darwin posited his theory of natural selection–and, more specifically, of the descent of man from early ape ancestors–been much wailing and gnashing of the teeth. ?One of the more frequently wailed notes (translated into language that can be understood by reasonable people) goes something like this: if Darwin was… Continue reading »

3 comments

Sep
20

Are Atheists More Scientifically Literate Than Average?

Reality Apologist

by RealityApologist

The Pew Research Center recently compiled a lengthy and exhaustive study on the state of science education in the United States. ?The project–which sampled about 1,000 randomly selected US citizens–tackled a variety of issues in the public perception of science. ?Some of the results were surprising–84% of Americans think that science’s impact on society has… Continue reading »

62 comments

Sep
13

Movie on Darwin Deemed Too Controversial For US Audience

Reality Apologist

by RealityApologist

In the second of what I suspect will be a scattered series of posts on Darwin–I’m TAing a class on him this semester–I bring you some facepalm-worthy news on this godless Sunday morning. ?The UK’s Telegraph reports that a new drama about the life and times of Charles Darwin has recently made its premier at… Continue reading »

1 comment

Sep
10

A Book Review and Some Philosophy of Science

Reality Apologist

by RealityApologist

Charles Darwin was 200 years old this February–or, rather, he would have been 200 years old if he hadn’t been ejected from the gene pool in 1882. ?Moreover, the 150th anniversary of the publication of his magnum opus, On The Origin of Species, is right around the corner: it was first published on November 24,… Continue reading »

2 comments

Sep
03

Attention New York City Atheists: See Richard Dawkins Live!

Reality Apologist

by RealityApologist

I’m a member of the New York Academy of Science, so I regularly get emails about the various (generally excellent) series of public lectures that they put on. ?Last Fall, the theme was neuroscience (hence my membership), and this Fall the theme is “Provocative Thinkers in Science.” ?Of course, nobody does provocative science like Richard… Continue reading »

1 comment

Sep
03

Bertrand Russell: Leaping Tall Proofs in a Single Bound Variable

Reality Apologist

by RealityApologist

Back when I was a human larva, Bertrand Russell was one of the first philosophers I ever discovered, let alone read in any depth. I was raised moderately Catholic, but by the time I was 11 or 12, I was wrestling with nascent feelings that Catholicism–and indeed, all of religion–might be terribly inadequate. One day,… Continue reading »

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Aug
31

Newsflash: Insane People Have Insane Policies

Reality Apologist

by RealityApologist

There’s nothing we academics hate more than apparent infringements on our essential freedom to babble about whatever the hell we want whenever the hell we want and get paid for it. ?Well, we also really hate it when meetings don’t provide free sandwiches. ?Or when the coffee machine is broken. ?Ooo, or when students show… Continue reading »

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Aug
27

Dawkins’ Show is “Bullshit!” Without the Bullshit

Reality Apologist

by RealityApologist

Since I talked a bit about Penn & Teller’s atheiskeptihumanist-style show “Bullshit!” yesterday, I thought this might be appropriate to mention. ?While I was rambling around the Internet last night, I came upon a short, two-part series that Richard Dawkins did in much the same vein. ?It’s called “Enemies of Reason,” and features much of… Continue reading »

1 comment

Aug
26

Penn & Teller: More Good Than Harm?

Reality Apologist

by RealityApologist

As you probably have heard if you follow our news feed, the Catholic League is calling for Penn & Teller’s Showtime show?“Bullshit!” to be cancelled after an (as-yet unseen) season finale attacking Catholicism. ?For those who haven’t had the pleasure of seeing “Bullshit!”–which, as you might be able to tell already, I quite enjoy–I suppose… Continue reading »

2 comments

Aug
25

The View From the Trail: Introducing Natural Philosophy

Reality Apologist

by RealityApologist

Who am I?? Why am I here?? It seems only appropriate that a philosophy blog begins with these questions; Dan Dennett says that it’s an occupational hazard of the profession that we philosophers get asked to define the meaning of life over dinner (or over the Interwebs, as the case may be).? That’s not what… Continue reading »

1 comment

Atheist News Group

Greyhounds: The Coolest Commercial On This Planet May 15, 2012
Featuring the recent Absolut Vodka commercial and the Swedish House Mafia. Human potential to this very day is still uncharted to a fascinating degree. With such a high threshold of creativity, one might wonder why our… […]
Evil For All Time
Pope Benedict Wants Catholic Colleges To Ensure That Faculty Are Faithful To Church Doctrine (HuffPost) May 8, 2012
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday (May 5) called on Catholic colleges and universities in the United States to do more to affirm their "Catholic identity," particularly by ensuring the doctrinal orthodoxy of their faculty and staff.Speaking to a group of bishops from Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Wyoming, who are in Rome on a reg […]
Loren Miller
The Clergy Project - Clergy losing their faith May 7, 2012
When Religious Leaders Lose Their Faith Teresa MacBain was pastor of a United Methodist church. In March, she made a confession: She is now an atheist. MacBain, NPR religion correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty and Jerry DeWitt, executive director of Recovering from Religion talk about how losing faith changes lives and communities.… […]
annet
It's Official, Jesus Doesn't Heal Cancer May 4, 2012
"The New Zealand Advertising Standards Authority made a no-brainer of a decision earlier this week when they determined that a church billboard reading, “Jesus Heals Cancer,” violates advertising standards. Thank you, Captain Obvious! According to The New Zealand Herald: The [ASA] complaints board acknowledged the church had no intention of causing… […]
Aaron S. (USA)
North Carolina Pastor Sean Harris: Parents Should 'Punch' Their Gay-Acting Children (HuffPost) May 2, 2012
A North Carolina pastor's horrific anti-gay tirade is making the blogosphere rounds.Sean Harris, senior pastor of Berean Baptist Church in Fayettesville, spoke at length in support of North Carolina's proposed Amendment 1, which would outlaw same-sex marriage, during an hour-long sermon on Sunday. In this clip, provided by Jeremy Hooper of the blog […]
Loren Miller
Are Homophobes secretly gay? May 1, 2012
New study intends to prove that homphobes are secretly gay […]
Chris Dodds
Emily Herx, Teacher Claims She Was Fired From Catholic School For In Vitro Fertilization (HuffPost) April 26, 2012
INDIANAPOLIS -- An Indiana teacher who says she was fired from a Roman Catholic school for using in vitro fertilization to try to get pregnant is suing in a case that could set up a legal showdown over reproductive and religious rights.Emily Herx's lawsuit accuses the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend and St. Vincent de Paul school in Fort Wayne of discr […]
Loren Miller
Taxpayer-funded pregnancy centers using religion to oppose abortion April 24, 2012
Taxpayer-funded pregnancy centers using religion to oppose abortion You can't even join them unless you're a Christian. The Founding Fatehrs must be spinning in their graves at hyperspeed. […]
Chris Dodds
Catholics Called to Witness Political Video April 19, 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=D9vQt6IX...! i'll post this to the Videos section as well. while the video never explicitly states who to vote for, it is certainly implied. this is a Catholic organization (Catholics Called to Witness) which no doubt enjoys tax exempt status and is encouraging an entire voting block to vote f […]
matthew greenberg
Santorum to suspend campaign, sources say (CNN) April 10, 2012
Washington (CNN) -- Rick Santorum will suspend his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination Tuesday, campaign sources told CNN. The development means that Mitt Romney is now the certain GOP nominee to take on President Barack Obama in November, as Santorum was his main challenger. While Romney still needs to win several hundred delegates to clinch […]
Loren Miller