LOGIC: “The Burden of Proof”
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Category Archives: Critical Thinking
ATHEISM: The Complete Idiots Guide to Atheism
REASON: George Carlin / “On Pride”
“Once again, respectfully I say to myself, what the fuck does that mean?”
MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX: Dusty Smith / “Fuck Israel!”
CHRISTIAN CHILD ABUSE (INTELLECTUAL STERILIZATION): Teaching Ignorance: The Continuing Infiltration of Creationism is Dumbing Down our Youth
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Mental Abuse…
I happen to agree with Dr. Richard Dawkin’s statement that teaching creationism to children is akin to child abuse. Lying to a child by teaching them that creationism in any of its forms is based on facts is pathetically inadequate because it is not just anti-science, but blatant scientific fraud.
Graduating classes are being sent into the world without a proper education, and countless students are being lied to and the core of the problem is ignorance on a national level. A recent survey by Gallup revealed that acceptance of creationism is on the rise and a majority of Americans are against evolution being taught in school, or at least in favor of providing ”specific evidence“ that supports creationism, creation science, intelligent design, etc. Apparently, the development of critical thinking skills is not important.
[…]
Creationism in any of its forms is not science but a religious doctrine that says “God did it.” The impact of teaching it in our classes results in the dumbing down of our kids, and is a direct insult to our educational system which should advance according to cumulative knowledge.
Truly, a new age is dawning. A very old new age. We seem to have moved, in many areas, from the twentieth century and about to embark upon the eighth.
Related articles
- Creationism harms America: Religion breeds ignorance (examiner.com)
- Tennessee Senate rejects science, promotes creationism in public schools (examiner.com)
IN MEMORIAM: Ray Bradbury / “‘Fahrenheit 451’ Author Ray Bradbury Dies At 91” / (AUDIO)
Ray Bradbury, author of The Martian Chroniclesand Fahrenheit 451, died Tuesday. He was 91. Bradbury was known for his futuristic tales — but he never used a computer, or even drove a car.
Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Ill., in 1920 and grew up during the Great Depression. He said it was a time when people couldn’t imagine the future, and his active imagination made him stand out. He once told Fresh Air‘s Terry Gross about exaggerating basic childhood fears, like monsters at the top of the stairs.
“As soon as I looked up, there it was, and it was horrible,” Bradbury remembers. “And I would scream and fall back down the stairs, and my mother and father would get up and sigh and say, ‘Oh, my gosh, here we go again.’ “
Bradbury dove into books as a child. Wild tales from authors Jules Verne and H.G. Wells captivated Bradbury — and made him dream of becoming a great author. So he started writing, churning out a short story every week during his teens. After his family moved to Southern California, he would escape to the basement of the UCLA library. There, he’d focus on his craft.
Related articles
QUOTE: Eric Hoffer, On Intellectual Sterility
Eric Hoffer a.k.a. “Longshoreman Philosopher” (July 25, 1902 – May 21, 1983)
American Social Writer, Author, Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
The blindness of the fanatic is a source of strength (he sees no obstacles), but it is the cause of intellectual sterility and emotional monotony. The fanatic is also mentally cocky, and hence barren of new beginnings. At the root of his cockiness is the conviction that life and the universe conform to a simple formula – his formula. His is thus without the fruitful intervals of groping [uncertainty], when the mind is as it were in solution – ready for all manner of new reactions, new combinations and new beginnings. (Between the Devil and the Dragon. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1982, p. 287)
PHILOSOPHY: Sam Harris / “Death and the Present Moment”
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE: Film / “In God We Teach”
A film by Vic Losick, “In God We Teach” tells the story of a high school student who secretly recorded his history teacher in class, and accused him of proselytizing for Jesus. The teacher, in danger of losing his job strenuously denied it. The specifics of the controversy lead directly to the church & state arguments that are in the news this election year. With Stephen Colbert, Alan Dershowitz, Neil deGrasse Tyson and others.
QUOTE: Oscar Wilde, On Disobedience
Oscar Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900)
Irish Writer, Poet, Classicist, Spokesman for Aestheticism, and Atheist.
Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress, and glittering conversation.
Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience and rebellion that progress has been made.
Always Question Authority 