Monthly Archives: April 2014

Creation Myths

Posted on 3 April 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

The TV series Cosmos has gotten some flack from Christian conservatives who think their creationist ideas are being dissed. In a science show! This article at AlterNet details the many creation myths that Cosmos is not covering. The critics complaining … Continue reading →

Posted in Cosmology, Culture, Religion, Science | Comments Off on Creation Myths

Creationists and Flat-Earthers

Posted on 3 April 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

If you are a Creationist because Bible, you should also be a Flat-Earther, according to the citations in this article. Creationists endure rough few weeks: Why the flat-earth crowd is in trouble It’s remarkable enough that most of today’s creationists, … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion | Comments Off on Creationists and Flat-Earthers

A Telescope Is a Time Machine

Posted on 3 April 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

I like to think that the vast mysteries of the cosmos flabbergast (or offend) so many people just because they have never thought about anything outside the parameters of their own experience, or at best, beyond the scope of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cosmology, Culture, Films, Science | Comments Off on A Telescope Is a Time Machine

Gopnik on legitimate forms of knowledge and increasing prosperity

Posted on 2 April 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

In another article in the same issue of The New Yorker, Alan Gopnik reviews several books that provide both histories of atheism and apologetics of religion. What’s notable about the essay is that Gopnik doesn’t seem to have a horse … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Culture, Religion, Science | Comments Off on Gopnik on legitimate forms of knowledge and increasing prosperity

deGrasse Tyson on new ideas vs old, and battles against ignorance

Posted on 2 April 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Catching up on back issues of magazines, I came across this long profile of Neil deGrasse Tyson in the The New Yorker, by Rebecca Mead. A couple passages struck me. First, he’s chatting with a makeup artist who brings up … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Science | Comments Off on deGrasse Tyson on new ideas vs old, and battles against ignorance

Noah and the Advance of Civilization

Posted on 1 April 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

I haven’t seen Noah and am not particularly inclined to, but I was struck by an essay by David Plotz in Slate, Noah’s Environmental Views Are a Disaster. In the film’s worldview, according to Plotz, the corruption mankind brings across … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Films, Religion | Comments Off on Noah and the Advance of Civilization