Atheist Planet: January 2010

Saturday, January 30, 2010

The Human Brain: How We Decide

"When Jonah Lehrer was in town to talk about his latest book, “How We Decide”, Calacademy snagged the opportunity to interview him for “Science in Action”.

He took the Visualization Studio through a tour of the brain as we make decisions whether in the cereal aisle or piloting a plane. Then the artists went to work, creating the brain visuals."

God, Your Animals Are Stupid...

(Thanks to Ritchie for the link)
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Wednesday, January 27, 2010

reddit.com Interviews PZ Myers

List of questions from redditors:

1. What should scientists be doing (that they aren't doing now, or aren't doing sufficiently) to combat anti-science theories like intelligent design?

2. Do your academic relationships ever suffer from your outspoken atheism?

3. How do you respond to people who claim that "evangelical" atheism is just as bad as evangelical Christianity?

4. Do you think mentioning morons like Ray Comfort and Ben Stein on your blog is just giving them exposure and feeding the trolls?

5. Do your neighbors and coworkers realize that you are a web-celebrity and outspoken atheist and does it affect their daily interactions with you?

6. What do you think of relativism and postmodernism being used as a way to attack Science?

7. What role should the university play in society? Do you have any concerns about the corporatization of research?

8. Do you think the current resurgence in atheism and backlash against religion is likely to maintain momentum, or will it fade in time once balance between secularism and religiosity has been restored? After all, atheism/naturalism/deism has been popular at various other points in the past.

9. I am 25 years old with a bachelors in Bioengineering. The company I work for, a well known medical device developer, is run by a gaggle of nutjob born-agains with AiG pamphlets strewn about their offices. I often flirt with the idea of returning to school for a PhD in Evolutionary Bio or at least an MS in Bioeng. My biggest fear is letting time get away from me as I cash checks and read pharyngula at work. What were you up to when you were 25? Do you have any words of advice for aspiring scientists torn between a lucrative career in the private sector and a potentially meager yet more emotionally rewarding life in academia? Do you have any plans or desire to leave Morris? Will a practice midterm be posted online?

10. What can I do to help combat the spread of pseudoscientific nonsense in my daily life without turning into a mad pariah and getting into fights?