"The Way of All Flesh" by S. Butler.
In the course of reciting the dogmas of AGW, someone used the phrase "settled science" in regard to the theory that global warming has been caused by human activity. I foolishly started wondering what science is settled. There are matters that nearly everyone agrees on that might be called "settled", but when you scratch the surface there are questions. There aren't many people who don't believe the theory of gravity. Newton's law of universal gravitation states ...
Recently I have noticed that some words have peculiar meanings. Actually there's nothing new in that, but the word "free" used to seem quite straightforward. Languages often change as results of abuses of the language, and that might be going on, but it might also be that some people have trouble understanding what "free" means. I don't recall the exact mater that got me interested, because there are many things for which no direct payment is taken, and some people erroneously ...
Updated 02-01-2016 at 10:05 PM by PeterL
I recently ran across an article and a paper on determining the potential lifespans of conspiracy theories. It is an interesting idea, but I think there are problems with it so I posted a link and a comment on a forum to which I belong. Several people replied, but they ignored the paper and attacked my comments about problems with the method. Take a look at the paper and see what you think. I think that it is a method to make shooting from the hip look more dignified. Set up an equation to give ...
Updated 01-29-2016 at 08:36 PM by PeterL
There is a fairly common trend I have begun to notice. Oftentimes I will read a book of which I will really enjoy, and out of curiosity I will read other reviews, comments, critiques of said book to discover that the book is criticized for being sexist and my natural reflex reaction to such claims is to roll my eyes and think the people are being ridiculously oversensitive. It is true that when I am really enraged in a story and think the book is well crafted, and has a great plot, I am oblivious ...