Skeptical Observations

A terrorist attack may bring forth responses that are ugly, stupid, crazy, or all three, in various measures. But the most common response ...

People who believe crazy things are not necessarily crazy; but neither are beliefs sane just because the people who hold them are so. ...

A scientific theory that says nothing about the meaning, purpose, or value of human life is not for that reason a denial that there is any m...

The original version of this entry was written ten months after the death of a close friend. It is incomprehensible to me that anyone can ...

Announcing the renewal of posting on this blog. It is nearly two years since I last posted anything in this blog. During that time, I have...

A book arguing for the power of the concept of cognitive dissonance to explain “why we justify foolish beliefs, bad decisions, and hurtful a...

Lewis Black explains why Christians get the “Old Testament” wrong. I explain how Black gets George W. Bush wrong—to some degree. Here i...

How the saying “Everything happens for a reason” combines presumption with obtuseness. Last week, I posted an entry examining and de...