25 MAY 2016 by ideonexus
Political Pragmatism
A reasonable and logical way of doing things or of thinking about problems that is based on dealing with specific situations instead of on ideas and theories. An approach to philosophy, primarily held by American philosophers, which holds that the truth or meaning of a statement is to be measured by its practical (i.e., pragmatic) consequences. William James and John Dewey were pragmatists.
Pragmatism in common usage may mean simply a practical approach to problems and affairs. But it’s al...Folksonomies: politics political philosophy
Folksonomies: politics political philosophy
1 26 SEP 2013 by ideonexus
Skepticism in Science has Grown
In 1982, polls showed that 44 percent of Americans believed God had created human beings in their present form. Thirty years later, the fraction of the population who are creationists is 46 percent.
In 1989, when “climate change” had just entered the public lexicon, 63 percent of Americans understood it was a problem. Almost 25 years later, that proportion is actually a bit lower, at 58 percent.
The timeline of these polls defines my career in science. In 1982 I was an undergraduate phy... 1 
notes
notesOver time people are growing more skeptical of scientific truth.
28 APR 2012 by ideonexus
Religion that Fears Science Dishonours God
The Religion that is afraid of science dishonours God and commits suicide. It acknowledges that it is not equal to the whole of truth, that it legislates, tyrannizes over a village of God's empires but is not the immutable universal law. Every influx of atheism, of skepticism is thus made useful as a mercury pill assaulting and removing a diseased religion and making way for truth. 1 notes
notesIt tyrannizes, but atheism is a cure.
05 JAN 2012 by ideonexus
Skepticism Means Wrestling with Issues Without Knowing if...
I use the word skeptical in an etymological or philosophical sense, because to be
skeptical does not mean that one doubts, but that one investigates or searches without the
need to find definite conclusion or affirmation. There are those who examine a problem
and feel they must find an explanation or a solution, whether it is accurate or not.
[...]
So then, they will say to me: “What is your religion?” And I will respond: my
religion is to look for truth in life and life in truth,...Folksonomies: skepticism spirituality
Folksonomies: skepticism spirituality
1 notes
notesMiguel de Unamuno rallies against what he calls the "spiritual laziness" of dogmatists and describes his quest for spiritual meaning.
10 AUG 2011 by ideonexus
Watson Admits to Misunderstanding Rosalind Franklin
Rosy's instant acceptance of our model at first amazed me. I had feared that her sharp, stubborn mind, caught in her self-made antihelical trap, might dig up irrelevant results that would foster uncertainty about the correctness of the double helix. Nonetheless, like almost everyone else, she saw the appeal of the base pairs and accepted the fact that the structure was too pretty not to be true. Moreover, even before she learned of our proposal, the X-ray evidence had been forcing her more th... 1 notes
notesHe mistook her skepticism for feminism and not scientific integrity.
18 MAY 2011 by ideonexus
Skepticism is Not Enough
As I've tried to stress, at the heart of science is an essential
balance between two seemingly contradictory attitudes - an
openness to new ideas, no matter how bizarre or counterintuitive,
and the most ruthlessly sceptical scrutiny of all ideas, old and new.
This is how deep truths are winnowed from deep nonsense. The
collective enterprise of creative thinking and sceptical thinking,
working together, keeps the field on track. Those two seemingly
contradictory attitudes are, though, in some ...We must also be open to new and challenging ideas.
18 MAY 2011 by ideonexus
Skepticism and Wonder.
Both scepticism and wonder are skills that need honing and
practice. Their harmonious marriage within the mind of every
schoolchild ought to be a principal goal of public education. I'd
love to see such a domestic felicity portrayed in the media,
television especially: a community of people really working the
mix - full of wonder, generously open to every notion, dismissing
nothing except for good reason, but at the same time, and as
second nature, demanding stringent standards of evidence; a...Folksonomies: skepticism wonder
Folksonomies: skepticism wonder
1 notes
notesWe must cultivate both virtues.
18 MAY 2011 by ideonexus
We Must Apply the Scientific Method to Ourselves
If it is to be applied consistently, science imposes, in exchange for
its manifold gifts, a certain onerous burden: we are enjoined, no
matter how uncomfortable it might be, to consider ourselves and
our cultural institutions scientifically and not to accept uncritically
whatever we're told; to surmount as best we can our hopes,
conceits and unexamined beliefs; to view ourselves as we really
are. Can we conscientiously and courageously follow planetary
motion or bacterial genetics wherever th... 1 notes
notesSkepticism must extend to ourselves, our culture, and our institutions.
06 APR 2011 by ideonexus
The Secularizing Power of Education
Regardless of how fundamentalists fine-tune their beliefs, there is unquestionably a powerful correlation between religious fundamentalism and a lack of education. Approximately 45 percent of those who have no education beyond high school believe in the literal truth of the Bible, while only 29 percent with some college—and just 19 percent of college graduates—share that old-time faith. Secularism, skepticism, and acceptance of mainstream science all rise with education; two thirds of col... 1 notes
notesThe more educated people are, the less prone they are to fundamentalist religious beliefs.
