Susan Jacoby: Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism
Excellent overview of the prominent role that freethinkers (atheists, agnostics, and deists) played in America's past, including the founding of our country, the abolition of slavery, and giving women the vote. (*****)
Sam Harris: The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason
One of the most frightening books I've ever read. Among numerous other topics, Harris argues that it is almost inevitable that atomic weapons will fall into the hands of religious radicals -- if not terrorist, then perhaps a nation with religious radicals in charge. (****)
Richard Dawkins: The God Delusion
Highly recommended. Despite what you might have heard, Richard Dawkins does not spew venom in this book. Flames do not shoot out when you open it, nor does bile drip from the pages. Far from being an hysterical, rabid diatribe against religion, it is a quite measured, logical explanation of the evidence against God and why religion should not be treated with such reverence. (*****)
Daniel C. Dennett: Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
I highly recommend this book for anyone who is about to embark on studying religion and atheism. Why do people enjoy music? Why do we like to socialize? Why do we sometimes become violent? Science has attempted to answer each of these questions. Dennett proposes that science attempt to answer another: Why are people religious? Even if one of the religions is true, that still means that billions of people believe religions that are not true. Why? What is it about our evolutionary past that makes us willing to believe? (*****)
Jared Diamond: Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
Why wasn't Europe invaded by ships carrying gun-wielding Native Americans or Africans, rather than the other way around? This is an excellent explanation of why some societies became quite advanced, while others remained primitive. (*****)
Richard P. Feynman: "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character
Very entertaining and thought-provoking collection of anecdates from the life of perhaps the best-known physicist of the 20th century. (****)
I really don't have anything insightful to say about this, but it is just too funny to not post. Here's Kevin Smith, the guy who wrote and directed the movie Dogma, talking about the time he participated in a protest against... the movie Dogma.
YouTube is down at the moment, so you get this image when you visit their site. I find the chemistry metaphor strangely amusing.
Ha! The same person who posted the human evolution mural on Flickr also posted this image, which I found quite amusing. I'm going to have to roam through the rest of his images and see what else is there.
Alas, I'm not nearly as evil as I would have expected. Definitely not as evil as PZ Myers of Pharyngula. So go on, take the test and let us know how evil you are.
Here's a funny bit of satire from The Rockall Times:
"I tried to answer each problem I was set by adhering to strict Trinitarian principles, but for some reason I kept getting the answers wrong. Eventually I realised: either the concept of the Trinity was flawed; or the entire basis of mathematics was invalid. Naturally I decided that the latter was the case and so I set about developing my new theory."
The new "Intelligent Math" incorporates the belief that 1 and 3 are equivalent, as implied by the concept of the Trinity. Therefore, 1 + 1 is 2... or 6... or 4. And so forth. (Via Evolving Thoughts.)
Greg Porter emailed this Human Being Recall Notice to me and I thought it was great! Here's an excerpt:
In an unprecedented move today, the US Department of Commerce and the European Commission on Product Safety (ECPS) announced a joint recall of the human race. Citing shoddy workmanship, poor design and premature failure of the units, the recall is meant to force the manufacturer, Intelligent Design Inc., to address these complaints.
This action follows a similar, independent lawsuit by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. When asked to comment on the joint US/EU action, he said "It is clear that this problem extends beyond US borders. All models of humanity have been plagued with numerous problems since the start. While early models were quite durable, with one example lasting 969 years, quality rapidly declined, and in many cases, units do not last for even the vaguely implied warranty of 'three score and ten years' listed in the fine print of the badly translated product manual."
Funny! I've sometimes heard claims to the effect that the perfection of the world around us is evidence of God -- and have wondered what planet these people are referring to as home! (Experiment: Ask a woman who is in the middle of delivering an 8 pound baby though a tiny little opening whether she can think of any improvements on the design of the human body.)
Link: Human Being Recall Notice.
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Carl Sagan: Demon-Haunted World
(*****)
Martin Gardner: Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science (Popular Science)
Another classic for new skeptics, this one focusing more on pseudoscience than on the paranormal. (****)
James Randi: Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions
This is a classic for those wanting an introduction to some of the basic topics tackled by skeptics. (*****)
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