A View from the Right Science, POLITICS, & Religion

A young Facebook friend (and fellow Christian) posted a status the other day, expressing his frustration with some legalistic Christian brothers who were giving him grief, telling him he was going to Hell because they deemed some of his speech and musical taste as unredeemably “unChristian”. One of those who (eventually) came to his defense […]

In previous years, I’ve reproduced and commented on Thanksgiving proclamations made by George Washington (1789) and Abraham Lincoln (1863). They are perhaps the two best-known such proclamations and very notable in what they have to say, particularly considering the difficult times that Americans were going through. I encourage you to check them out. If there […]

I know what you’re thinking. No, I didn’t stutter when I wrote the title of this post. You’ll see what I mean…. As an orthodox Christian, I obviously have many “problems” with Islam, and not just the violent, extremist version(s). Today, though, I specifically want to look at those addressed in Alex McFarland’s book 10 Answers […]

Part 8: Validity and Clarity “Most of the arguments to which I am party fall somewhat short of being impressive, owing to the fact that neither I nor my opponent knows what we are talking about.”  — Robert Benchley, American columnist & actor Hey, folks! Ready for another lesson in logic? Of course, you are!! […]

“Solid female characters, not just superheroes, are essential for the Arab world at this time of unprecedented violence against women.”  — Joumana Merhej, creator of female Muslim superhero “Malaak” (quoted by Salon editor/writer Prachi Gupta) A Facebook friend of mine posted an article announcing Marvel Comics’ new “Muslim Girl Superhero”, which will debut in January […]

“Statecraft is soulcraft.”  — Aristotle I usually read during my “lunch hour”. Whether working at a job or taking care of stuff at home (or just hangin’ out), that’s a time I usually set aside to get through at least a few pages in one of the books I have in progress. Lately, I’ve been […]

“But examine everything carefully, hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.”  — I Thessalonians 5:21 (NASB) I’m not really into Halloween. Haven’t been for years. Sure, in my early years, I did the whole trick-or-treating thing. I remember, when I was around 5 or 6, I went out dressed […]

Originally, I was going to use this in Sunday’s installment of my “Informal Logic 101” series. But, I opted not to, ‘cuz it wasn’t quite what I was looking for. It is still worth commenting on, though, so… An example of a bad argument can be found in a recent editorial in Connecticut’s New Haven […]

Part 7: Causes and Comparisons “Correlation does not equal causation.”  — many people, including me (‘cuz it makes me sound smart) We’re baaaaaaack, and we have a lot of ground to cover, so let’s get started! Clear thinking & reasoning require at least a basic understanding of causal relationships. Unfortunately, it’s also easy to make […]

It’s controversial holiday time, again. Yaaayyy!!! Columbus Day is celebrated as a U.S. federal holiday (since 1936) in honor of the intrepid explorer Christopher Columbus’ initial landing in the Bahamas and, therefore, the Americas. The facts that Columbus was a) not the first non-native to “find” the New World (ask Leif Erickson) and that b) […]