Category Archives: Science

How to Understand How the World Actually Works

How pediatricians deal with Trump’s advice; How the shooters aren’t necessarily right-wing or left-wing, but simply internet trolls (and anyway, Trump is lying); While there are right-wingers vowing to take out “progressive leftism”; Headlines about Trump’s corruption, Hegseth’s warrior culture … Continue reading

Posted in conservatives, Lunacy, Politics, Religion, Science | Comments Off on How to Understand How the World Actually Works

Most Beliefs Aren’t About What’s Real, They’re About Conforming to Tribal Mythology

Three more core principles today, illustrated by an essay by a “former creationist” and how she found “following the science” clashed with her culture — and how this conflict is born of ancient biology; How universities would like to teach … Continue reading

Posted in Evolution, Psychology, Religion, Science | Comments Off on Most Beliefs Aren’t About What’s Real, They’re About Conforming to Tribal Mythology

Jerry A. Coyne: FAITH VS. FACT, post 5 and last

Subtitled “Why Science and Religion are Incompatible” (Viking, May 2015, xxii + 311pp, including 46pp of acknowledgements, notes, references,and index) (Earlier: post 1; post 2; post 3; post 4) Comments first this time: The final chapter of this book asks, … Continue reading

Posted in Book Notes, Religion, Science | Comments Off on Jerry A. Coyne: FAITH VS. FACT, post 5 and last

Jerry A. Coyne: FAITH VS. FACT, post 4

Subtitled “Why Science and Religion are Incompatible” (Viking, May 2015, xxii + 311pp, including 46pp of acknowledgements, notes, references,and index) (Earlier: post 1; post 2; post 3) Summary: Chapter 4: Faith Strikes Back Faith sometimes claims that it can deduce … Continue reading

Posted in Book Notes, Religion, Science | Comments Off on Jerry A. Coyne: FAITH VS. FACT, post 4

Jerry A. Coyne: FAITH VS. FACT, post 3

Subtitled “Why Science and Religion are Incompatible” (Viking, May 2015, xxii + 311pp, including 46pp of acknowledgements, notes, references,and index) (Earlier: post 1; post 2) Summary: Chapter 3: Why Accommodationism Fails This chapter explains why you can’t have your religion … Continue reading

Posted in Book Notes, Religion, Science | Comments Off on Jerry A. Coyne: FAITH VS. FACT, post 3

Jerry A. Coyne: FAITH VS. FACT, post 2

Subtitled “Why Science and Religion are Incompatible” (Viking, May 2015, xxii + 311pp, including 46pp of acknowledgements, notes, references,and index) (Earlier: post 1) Summary: Chapter 2: What’s Incompatible? This chapter considers science, religion, their incompatibility, and their conflicts of method, … Continue reading

Posted in Book Notes, Religion, Science | Comments Off on Jerry A. Coyne: FAITH VS. FACT, post 2

Jerry A. Coyne: FAITH VS. FACT, post 1

Subtitled “Why Science and Religion are Incompatible” (Viking, May 2015, xxii + 311pp, including 46pp of acknowledgements, notes, references,and index) For this next book, I’m going to split summary and notes up into multiple posts. And include some general comments … Continue reading

Posted in Book Notes, Religion, Science | Comments Off on Jerry A. Coyne: FAITH VS. FACT, post 1

Suicide of American Greatness

Stephen Greenblatt on how a scientific superpower is destroying itself; Scientists demolish Trump’s DOE report; Short items about the search for anti-Christian bias that’s turned up only petty grievances; Jim Wright wonders what Trump or MAGA actually *like* about America; … Continue reading

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Human Nature, Science | Comments Off on Suicide of American Greatness

Jesse Bering, THE BELIEF INSTINCT

Subtitled: “The Psychology of Souls, Destiny, and the Meaning of Life” (Norton, hardcover, 2011, 252pp, including 47pp notes, additional reading, and index.) (UK title The God Instinct: The Psychology of Souls, Destiny and the Meaning of Life, also 2011) I … Continue reading

Posted in Book Notes, Psychology, Science | Comments Off on Jesse Bering, THE BELIEF INSTINCT

Secular Values, and Reality as Evil

Two thematic follow-ups to yesterday’s post. OnlySky, Bruce Ledewitz, 20 Aug 2025: Can people thrive in a secular society?, subtitled “Are secular values the cause of our malaise?” Yesterday’s post extended a theme on this blog concerning a range or … Continue reading

Posted in Cosmology, Meaning, Philosophy, Physics, Science | Comments Off on Secular Values, and Reality as Evil