Nerds. Nerds EVERYWHERE...

[Matt Cavanaugh]

At the risk of bringing up something important....

You had to go and break the 'Pit, didn't you?

[Matt Cavanaugh]

Cheers! Andy Andy, Cheers!

[Brive1987]

Peez wants to be a horseman still? Don't think so. Have a look at his latest post "right-wing atheism dismantled"

Opens with:

Glenn Greenwald has a great long piece tearing Sam Harris’s ideas apart. It was so satisfying to see my own opinions reflected with such clarity and reason — I have to agree with it all. Read it. It is a thing of beauty.

Ends with:

I’m hoping Harris retires to doing nothing but touting New Agey pseudo-spiritualism. There’s good money there, I’m sure.

Peez even breaks out his red font ban hammer to silence non-recanted dissent.

All he is interested in is pissing into the open grave of new atheism in the hope that then he can be relevant.

[Kirbmarc]

Does anyone have more evidence about PZ's rants against "everyday sexism"? I'm too tired to read some Pharyngula posts.

[Pitchguest]

This talk about PZ and his hopes for becoming the fifth horseman makes me long for the days Hitchens still slapped fools on Fox News.

Save us, Hitchens, from his intellectual paucity! :pray:

[Tapir]

http://i.imgur.com/1mS8kvl.jpg

:lol:

[tina]

Does this image of Greta, at a previous Skepticon, sexually objectify women or empower and celebrate their sexuality?

Or did it just miss getting put on Matts shirt?

Wotevver. Greta thinks "I am officially, at age 48, hotter than I have ever been in my life. "Do not fuck with me. This basement is where I take people who try to tell me about Pascal’s Wager."

:whistle:

[piero]

* I referred to Myers' CV to note that his alleged rape of a student could have allegedly occurred at Temple or UU as well as UMM;

Ok, but is that really relevant?

* PZ' 'failure' as a scientist is relevant in the context of his inflated reputation as an 'expert'. He does no research, does not publish, and teaches at an obscure rural adjunct campus. The level of material he teaches would be taught in Europe to 16 year-olds;

Ok, but wouldn't it be enough to challenge his expertise without resorting to calling him "a failure"? There are people who actually enjoy teaching, and not everybody aspires to become a renowned scientist.

* It's also relevant in the context of his bid to be the "Fifth Horseman" of atheism, along with Dawkins, Hitchens, Dennett and Harris. Not only is Myers not in the same league, he's in a separate universe;

I fully agree, but I don't think it depends on his (lack of) academic prestige. Hitchens and Harris are well respected, but not for their significant contribution to the advancement of knowledge.

* Myers' bizarre version of evolution is also germane. It's decidedly unorthodox, riddled with error & misunderstanding of simple concepts, and verges on pseudo-science. Myers' also eagerly discounts established scientific fact to serve PoMo & radfem ideology. All of this makes him wholly unsuited as an advocate for science & reason over religious dogma.

I cannot comment on that, because I lack the necessary knowledge. I'll take your word for it. But even accepting that, it should be enough to rebut his arguments with facts, shouldn't it?

My concern is mainly to avoid making anybody's life miserable. I don't see what could be gained from that. Paraphrasing Harris: most of the people around you will be dead in a few years: why would you want to make an already short life even more painful?

[piero]

http://i.imgur.com/1mS8kvl.jpg

:lol:

It can't be true. Please tell me it's not true. Freeze the page!!!

[Parody Accountant]

http://i.imgur.com/1mS8kvl.jpg

:lol:

It can't be true. Please tell me it's not true. Freeze the page!!!

LINK!?

[bovarchist]

Wow, I can't believe the commenters over at Nugent's allowed Andy to so easily hijack the thread.

I can't believe the commenters at Nugent's allowed Andy to so easily get under their skin. Why even engage the twerp?

[Tapir]

http://i.imgur.com/1mS8kvl.jpg

:lol:

It can't be true. Please tell me it's not true. Freeze the page!!!

LINK!?

http://www.freezepage.com/1416868098LHZWQLKUFU

[John Greg]

Well, bovar, he is sort of entertaining in that loose-tooth-hurts-good sort of a way.

[Suet Cardigan]

Does this image of Greta, at a previous Skepticon, sexually objectify women or empower and celebrate their sexuality?

Or did it just miss getting put on Matts shirt?

Wotevver. Greta thinks "I am officially, at age 48, hotter than I have ever been in my life. "Do not fuck with me. This basement is where I take people who try to tell me about Pascal’s Wager."

:whistle:

Yep, hotter than ever. There's nothing more sexy than a menopausal woman with thinning hair and a mad stare.

[piero]

http://i.imgur.com/1mS8kvl.jpg

:lol:

Phew! Mark was just trolling, and has (rightfully, I'd say) been banned by Myers.

[Parody Accountant]

Aww, at the link, he got banned right away. PZ isn't stupid all the time.

[dogen]

FYI, LIttle Paul's CV

2003- , Associate Professor, Division of Science and Math, University of Minnesota, Morris
2000-2003 , Assistant Professor, Division of Science and Math, University of Minnesota, Morris
1993-2000, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Temple University
1991-1993, Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology, University of Utah
1988-1991, Post-doctoral research associate with Dr. Michael J. Bastiani in the Department of Biology, University of Utah
1985-1988, VAX system manager and programmer for the Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon
1979-1985, Graduate research with Dr. Charles B. Kimmel at the Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon

Ignoring, for the moment, of where and when the "false accusation that almost happened" may have occurred, what the above tells me is that he failed to get tenure at Temple, which is how such a great scientist ended up at UMinn-Morris. The timing is exactly correct, as Temple has folks go up for tenure about 7 years in; plus he started his next job also as an assistant prof. And this explains quite a bit, if you're willing to make an inference: nothing will embitter an egotistical academic like being told by your colleagues that you aren't good enough to join the club. And being rejected for tenure by Temple is not easy; you have to be pretty pathetic to pull that off.

Nice catch, BSR. This does indeed look like PZ failed to get tenure at Temple, and had to settle for whomever would have him. That's a big knock to have to recover from.

[deLurch]

Speaking of SK7, they look to be about 5K short to recoup their costs. Looks like it's time for PZ to do his magic!

Pharyngulates assemble!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/skepticon- ... 2213397601

Did you know that if everyone who attended (online and otherwise) Skepticon donated only $25 bucks, we could easily pay for the event? If you think Skepticon is cooler than dinner out, four venus flytraps or even a brand new game of Cards Against Humanity, please consider donating today and help us make this FREE event possible!

2012 Attendance Numbers = 1,500
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skepticon# ... d_Speakers

1,500 * $25 = $37,500

They already get some grants to start off with. They were asking for $40k in total donations.

At registration they ask for a $25 donation to cover costs.

I can certainly understand if some high school students or some college students that live in the area can't afford it.

But if you are traveling in, be it by car or plane, staying at a hotel, hiking up your bar tab, and eating at the restaurants, why does $25 suddenly become out of reach? What is going on? Are people really that cheap? Or is there heavy local attendance to say one or two decent talks that just do that then flitter away to enjoy the rest of their weekend?

[deLurch]

http://i.imgur.com/1mS8kvl.jpg

:lol:

It can't be true. Please tell me it's not true. Freeze the page!!!

LINK!?

Here it is:
https://archive.today/86Vjh

Remember, https://archive.today/freethoughtblogs.com is your friend.

[screwtape]

I believe we have some military history buffs around the Pit, so I thought to share this YT link of a BBC Northern Ireland documentary about a WW1 soldier who took an illegal camera to the western front and proceeded to take some of the best photos of that war.

[Tribble]

FYI, LIttle Paul's CV

2003- , Associate Professor, Division of Science and Math, University of Minnesota, Morris
2000-2003 , Assistant Professor, Division of Science and Math, University of Minnesota, Morris
1993-2000, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Temple University
1991-1993, Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology, University of Utah
1988-1991, Post-doctoral research associate with Dr. Michael J. Bastiani in the Department of Biology, University of Utah
1985-1988, VAX system manager and programmer for the Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon
1979-1985, Graduate research with Dr. Charles B. Kimmel at the Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon

Ignoring, for the moment, of where and when the "false accusation that almost happened" may have occurred, what the above tells me is that he failed to get tenure at Temple, which is how such a great scientist ended up at UMinn-Morris. The timing is exactly correct, as Temple has folks go up for tenure about 7 years in; plus he started his next job also as an assistant prof. And this explains quite a bit, if you're willing to make an inference: nothing will embitter an egotistical academic like being told by your colleagues that you aren't good enough to join the club. And being rejected for tenure by Temple is not easy; you have to be pretty pathetic to pull that off.

During his entire time at Temple he was unable to secure even one grant or write one ZFIN paper that wasn't some sort of finishing-up-data/work paper from UO except one paper. On that paper he was the #2 author on a xenopus experiment even though his model is zebrafish. The paper used calcium imaging which is a tough technique until you master it.

I infer he got #2 because he was helping primary learn CI. Primary continued on in the xenopus model and has successful lab. Myers did not, nor does he have a lab or has ever had a lab.

Now he's at a college that's one-step better than a Community College while pretending to be a scientist though it's long passed him by...


So, anyway, he had no ideas. Or at least ideas anyone was interested in. And with such a lack-luster body of work, well, yeah there you have it.

[Lsuoma]

I believe we have some military history buffs around the Pit, so I thought to share this YT link of a BBC Northern Ireland documentary about a WW1 soldier who took an illegal camera to the western front and proceeded to take some of the best photos of that war.

Thanks, Screwy! Ever since my favourite UK TV torrent site closed, I've missed seeing things like this.

[Tribble]

FYI, LIttle Paul's CV

2003- , Associate Professor, Division of Science and Math, University of Minnesota, Morris
2000-2003 , Assistant Professor, Division of Science and Math, University of Minnesota, Morris
1993-2000, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Temple University
1991-1993, Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology, University of Utah
1988-1991, Post-doctoral research associate with Dr. Michael J. Bastiani in the Department of Biology, University of Utah
1985-1988, VAX system manager and programmer for the Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon
1979-1985, Graduate research with Dr. Charles B. Kimmel at the Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon

Wait - he went from neuroscience to fish?

Fish?!?

So how come he didn't recognise the word schizophasia when I used it?

- Shatterface

lol. No. You do neuroscience on the Zebra fish. They're a really good and easy to work with model.

[Aneris]

Steven Pinker on Good Writing, 78mins (Published Oct 16, 2014)

[youtube]9GubdYZPYPg[/youtube]

[comhcinc]

Does this image of Greta, at a previous Skepticon, sexually objectify women or empower and celebrate their sexuality?

Or did it just miss getting put on Matts shirt?

Wotevver. Greta thinks "I am officially, at age 48, hotter than I have ever been in my life. "Do not fuck with me. This basement is where I take people who try to tell me about Pascal’s Wager."

:whistle:

Yep, hotter than ever. There's nothing more sexy than a menopausal woman with thinning hair and a mad stare.

She needs to put those glasses back on. Then will do.

[Patriarchy's Queen]

Anyone who is FB friends with Dan Fincke might be interested in seeing Stephanie Zvan get her rear end handed to her over a blog post she wrote titled "Why I Am Not A Rationalist". Some guy is comparing her to anti-feminists. :-)

[Returning to lurker mode]

[comhcinc]

I can certainly understand if some high school students or some college students that live in the area can't afford it.

But if you are traveling in, be it by car or plane, staying at a hotel, hiking up your bar tab, and eating at the restaurants, why does $25 suddenly become out of reach? What is going on? Are people really that cheap? Or is there heavy local attendance to say one or two decent talks that just do that then flitter away to enjoy the rest of their weekend?

It is a lot of local high schoolers and college students. And just from talking to people that have gone to it in the past, most of them don't really realize the crowd that is putting it on. They are so happy to be going to something that isn't chruch up the ass conservative bullshit that they don't look further than that.

[CuntajusRationality]

So if it's so damn rare how come he won't work alone with women?

We judge people on how they act not what they say. He acts like 'bitchez be crazy'.

- Shatterface

In the interest of fairness and accuracy, it must be noted that (unless I missed it) Myers did not single out women - rather what he said was that he doesn't meet privately with students. It may seem like a minor point, but continually repeating that he won't meet privately with women seems a bit misleading when compared to what he actually said.

I don't mean to single you out as I've seen this repeated by several people, and I also don't mean to suggest that there is any deliberate attempt to mislead. With years worth of blog posts, comments, and tweets, it's near impossible to keep it all sorted, but accuracy and fairness are important and I'd like to see this point clarified in the future.

I won’t meet privately with students either — I always keep my office door wide open, and when I’m working with students in the lab, I find excuses to move out and let them work on their own if it turns into a one-on-one event. I just can’t afford the risk.

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... ent-824608

[BlueShiftRhino]

Wow, I can't believe the commenters over at Nugent's allowed Andy to so easily hijack the thread.

I can't believe the commenters at Nugent's allowed Andy to so easily get under their skin. Why even engage the twerp?

At this point, anything that entertains while we wait for PZ's reaction is fine. However, if engaging Andy "not Adam" Andy is in any way providing PZ with a cover, then I'm back to being very much against it. I, personally, believe that Andy "not Adam" Andy should be mocked, instead of answered, but no-one does (or should) listen to me.

[Parody Accountant]

It seems Andy is getting beaten up rather thoroughly at the moment.

[BlueShiftRhino]

PA -

Do you remember the pink pillows in Crystal Quest - an early Mac game (that was still waaaay better than, say, Depression Quest) - that you'd hit again and again, but nothing would hurt them? Well, many FtB folks reminds me of those and Andy "not Adam" Andy is near the top of the latest version of that list. Beat him (up) all you wish; he is impervious.

[Parody Accountant]

PA -

Do you remember the pink pillows in Crystal Quest - an early Mac game (that was still waaaay better than, say, Depression Quest) - that you'd hit again and again, but nothing would hurt them? Well, many FtB folks reminds me of those and Andy "not Adam" Andy is near the top of the latest version of that list. Beat him (up) all you wish; he is impervious.

Meh, the beating is for any friends he might want to show. Or the lurkers. Or the fence-sitters. Etc.

He's a useful idiot.

[ConcentratedH2O, OM]

I believe we have some military history buffs around the Pit, so I thought to share this YT link of a BBC Northern Ireland documentary about a WW1 soldier who took an illegal camera to the western front and proceeded to take some of the best photos of that war.

Thanks, Screwy! Ever since my favourite UK TV torrent site closed, I've missed seeing things like this.

UKTV.com? I miss it too.

I now use TunnelBear to give me a UK IP to access BBC iPlayer. I think it also works for ITV and C5.

[comhcinc]

I believe we have some military history buffs around the Pit, so I thought to share this YT link of a BBC Northern Ireland documentary about a WW1 soldier who took an illegal camera to the western front and proceeded to take some of the best photos of that war.

Thanks, Screwy! Ever since my favourite UK TV torrent site closed, I've missed seeing things like this.

UKTV.com? I miss it too.

I now use TunnelBear to give me a UK IP to access BBC iPlayer. I think it also works for ITV and C5.

I use eztv.it just a all around good tv site.

[BlueShiftRhino]

I only half agree.

Idiots are useful when their idiocy is very clear. The problem with the comments on MN's blog is that there are too many of them. It's easy for Andy "not Adan" Andy to dance and dodge, because so many people are engaging at once. Imagine, instead, that only one sensible person was replying, such that the conversation remained focused and Andy "not Adam" Andy's replied were more clearly bullshit. Then he'd be useful.

As of now, pretty much everyone looks pretty silly.

[Parody Accountant]

BSR: Look at the last few comments. He's killing me hahaha.

[BlueShiftRhino]

Please don't make me go back to MN's blog. Post #185 actually caused me physical pain.

[BlueShiftRhino]

Great. I go back and what do I find? A misuse of "begs the question" - a serious pet peeve of mine. People who use "begs" for "raises" should not be allowed to beg children.

Oh, wait....

[Parody Accountant]

Yeah what a retard.

[Tigzy]

I only half agree.

Idiots are useful when their idiocy is very clear. The problem with the comments on MN's blog is that there are too many of them. It's easy for Andy "not Adan" Andy to dance and dodge, because so many people are engaging at once. Imagine, instead, that only one sensible person was replying, such that the conversation remained focused and Andy "not Adam" Andy's replied were more clearly bullshit. Then he'd be useful.

As of now, pretty much everyone looks pretty silly.

Or imagine, even, that some of Myers' vaunted 'Horde' actually sprung the balls to go over to Nugents blog and back Andy up. That'd even things up a bit.

Saying that, I think we should draw lots, or something, on who gets to deal with Nerd of Redhead should he ever emerge from the safety of Peez's rump. Cos let's face it, we're all gonna want a piece of that hide should we ever catch him in the wild.

[Parody Accountant]

BSR check PM

[John Greg]

Tigzy: :dance:

:lol:

[ConcentratedH2O, OM]

http://i.imgur.com/1adrc6Y.png

Possible new sighting of Cainaji's latest morph. Her previous characters have not been spotted in a while.

One of this person's posts contained a linguistic motif often used by Cainaji.

We will monitor the situation.

(Spotted on PZ Meyers's Thunderdome which, hilariously, seems to also be being pre-modded at the moment. At least, this person's first comment got held back for pre-mod review. Thunder-fucking-dome gets pre-modded now? :lol: :lol: :lol: )

[Skep tickle]

So if it's so damn rare how come he won't work alone with women?

We judge people on how they act not what they say. He acts like 'bitchez be crazy'.

- Shatterface

In the interest of fairness and accuracy, it must be noted that (unless I missed it) Myers did not single out women - rather what he said was that he doesn't meet privately with students. It may seem like a minor point, but continually repeating that he won't meet privately with women seems a bit misleading when compared to what he actually said.

I don't mean to single you out as I've seen this repeated by several people, and I also don't mean to suggest that there is any deliberate attempt to mislead. With years worth of blog posts, comments, and tweets, it's near impossible to keep it all sorted, but accuracy and fairness are important and I'd like to see this point clarified in the future.

I won’t meet privately with students either — I always keep my office door wide open, and when I’m working with students in the lab, I find excuses to move out and let them work on their own if it turns into a one-on-one event. I just can’t afford the risk.

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... ent-824608

Thanks for pointing that out - it's one of a couple things that have been bothering me, but I was going to keep them to myself.

Another is people writing "They think..." or "[so and so] thinks..." when actually you don't know what someone else thinks, only what he/she/they say/write/do in public. Or on FB. But "seems to think" is okay, so therefore my concern about "think" will seem pedantic to some.

(Speaking of which, can anyone give more info on what's going on at FB w/ Zvan & Fincke?)

[ConcentratedH2O, OM]

Saying that, I think we should draw lots, or something, on who gets to deal with Nerd of Redhead should he ever emerge from the safety of Peez's rump. Cos let's face it, we're all gonna want a piece of that hide should we ever catch him in the wild.

http://i.imgur.com/6tqHxlm.jpg

[Tigzy]

(Speaking of which, can anyone give more info on what's going on at FB w/ Zvan & Fincke?)

What's this??? Sounds juicy - got a link?

[Tigzy]

@CH20

No. Mine.

http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-content/ ... s-want.gif

[Skep tickle]

(Speaking of which, can anyone give more info on what's going on at FB w/ Zvan & Fincke?)

What's this??? Sounds juicy - got a link?

Posted here ~40 minutes ago, this is all I've heard:

Anyone who is FB friends with Dan Fincke might be interested in seeing Stephanie Zvan get her rear end handed to her over a blog post she wrote titled "Why I Am Not A Rationalist". Some guy is comparing her to anti-feminists. :-)

[Returning to lurker mode]

[free thoughtpolice]

Tigzy said:

Or imagine, even, that some of Myers' vaunted 'Horde' actually sprung the balls to go over to Nugents blog and back Andy up. That'd even things up a bit.

Well, Jackie the social justice WIZZARD !!!, Giliell, antepro, Chas C Peterson, Sili, and Jacob Schmidt are talking about the thread on the rough and tumble Thunderdome. Odd that a bunch of heavy hitters like that can't go in there and show Nugent the error of his ways.

[deLurch]

At the risk of sounding all JohnD-ish, I'd like to point out to SK7 that the ability to merge back-of-office look with front-of-office function will not be an asset on your CV.

Rego and welcome desk:
http://i.imgur.com/v3x91W2.jpg

Eh. Free conference staffed by volunteers. If they can get the job done, I sure as hell won't quibble about a non-professional front face.

[Tigzy]

(Speaking of which, can anyone give more info on what's going on at FB w/ Zvan & Fincke?)

What's this??? Sounds juicy - got a link?

Posted here ~40 minutes ago, this is all I've heard:

Anyone who is FB friends with Dan Fincke might be interested in seeing Stephanie Zvan get her rear end handed to her over a blog post she wrote titled "Why I Am Not A Rationalist". Some guy is comparing her to anti-feminists. :-)

[Returning to lurker mode]

Just seen it. No big deal, Zvan is just having a spat with some dude called Wes in the comments section. The usual fare from Zvan - ie, spitting razors because someone has the temerity to challenge her. Meh.

[Patriarchy's Queen]

(Speaking of which, can anyone give more info on what's going on at FB w/ Zvan & Fincke?)

What's this??? Sounds juicy - got a link?

Posted here ~40 minutes ago, this is all I've heard:

Anyone who is FB friends with Dan Fincke might be interested in seeing Stephanie Zvan get her rear end handed to her over a blog post she wrote titled "Why I Am Not A Rationalist". Some guy is comparing her to anti-feminists. :-)

[Returning to lurker mode]

Finke praised (with some caveats) a blog post by Zvan titled "Why I Am Not A Rationalist" on his FaceBook. A couple of people apparently more knowledgeable about philosophy have been taking her to task for being sloppy and vague. Also at least one of them has been comparing her to certain anti-feminists in the way she argues her points.

[Tigzy]

Tigzy said:

Or imagine, even, that some of Myers' vaunted 'Horde' actually sprung the balls to go over to Nugents blog and back Andy up. That'd even things up a bit.

Well, Jackie the social justice WIZZARD !!!, Giliell, antepro, Chas C Peterson, Sili, and Jacob Schmidt are talking about the thread on the rough and tumble Thunderdome. Odd that a bunch of heavy hitters like that can't go in there and show Nugent the error of his ways.

You know, there's one Pharynguloid who actually should never, ever comment at Nugent's again: Theophontes. After likening Rebecca Watson to Nelson Mandela, and making it clear that he did so in all seriousness, if he had even the slightest sense of shame, he'd have hidden himself away from that place, and possibly the whole internets, forever.

'Nelson Mandela, Dude...'
http://i.imgur.com/19taNFL.jpg
'...he compared her to Nelson Mandela.'

[BlueShiftRhino]

In the interest of fairness and accuracy, it must be noted that (unless I missed it) Myers did not single out women - rather what he said was that he doesn't meet privately with students. It may seem like a minor point, but continually repeating that he won't meet privately with women seems a bit misleading when compared to what he actually said.

I don't mean to single you out as I've seen this repeated by several people, and I also don't mean to suggest that there is any deliberate attempt to mislead. With years worth of blog posts, comments, and tweets, it's near impossible to keep it all sorted, but accuracy and fairness are important and I'd like to see this point clarified in the future.

I won’t meet privately with students either — I always keep my office door wide open, and when I’m working with students in the lab, I find excuses to move out and let them work on their own if it turns into a one-on-one event. I just can’t afford the risk.

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... ent-824608

Thanks for pointing that out - it's one of a couple things that have been bothering me, but I was going to keep them to myself.

I'm sorry, but you (two) need to read what Myers wrote in context, which simply means putting the previous sentence back into the quote:

That’s not just a gay thing, MAJeff. I won’t meet privately with students either — I always keep my office door wide open, and when I’m working with students in the lab, I find excuses to move out and let them work on their own if it turns into a one-on-one event. I just can’t afford the risk.

You should also then go on to read the rest of the post:

I was also subject to accusations of harassment, once upon a time. A female student came into my lab when I was alone, unhappy about an exam grade, and openly threatened me — by going public with a story about a completely nonexistent sexual encounter right there.

Zoom, I was right out the door at that instant; asked a female grad student in the lab next door to sit with the student for a bit, and went straight to the chair of the department to explain the situation. I had to work fast, because I knew that if it turned into a he-said-she-said story, it wouldn’t matter that she was lying, it could get dragged out into an investigation that would easily destroy my career, no matter that I was innocent.

I was in a total panic, knowing full well how damaging that kind of accusation can be. Fortunately, I’d done the right thing by blowing it all wide open at the first hint of a threat, and getting witnesses on the spot.

It is abundantly clear - to me, at least, given Myers' sexual orientation and the entire comment as a package - that Myers was speaking of women. So, while you are correct that he didn't say it, himself, in no uncertain words, I don't think that those of us who have interpreted Myers as having admitted to treating his female students differently from his male students are wrong.

[ConcentratedH2O, OM]

Finke praised (with some caveats) a blog post by Zvan titled "Why I Am Not A Rationalist" on his FaceBook. A couple of people apparently more knowledgeable about philosophy have been taking her to task for being sloppy and vague. Also at least one of them has been comparing her to certain anti-feminists in the way she argues her points.

https://archive.today/nHREX

[BlueShiftRhino]

https://archive.today/nHREX

She really is an idiot.

Empiricism without rationalism is just descriptive statistics. Real science - as in: the testing of theories - always involves a mix of empiricism and rationalism. Those that eschew rationalism, for whatever reason (and it usually boils down to: "rationalism can prove that I'm an idiot"), will never see anything beyond what is directly in front of them ... they will never contribute anything ... they will not be remembered.

[Matt Cavanaugh]

I referred to Myers' CV to note that his alleged rape of a student could have allegedly occurred at Temple or UU as well as UMM;

Ok, but is that really relevant?

It's of interest when trying to evaluate Myers' story about his alleged raping of a student.

I agree with BSR, Tribble, Dogen & others that the CV also provides insight into Peez' state of mind, which I consider a valid topic for the 'Pit;

PZ' 'failure' as a scientist is relevant in the context of his inflated reputation as an 'expert'. He does no research, does not publish, and teaches at an obscure rural adjunct campus. The level of material he teaches would be taught in Europe to 16 year-olds;

Ok, but wouldn't it be enough to challenge his expertise without resorting to calling him "a failure"? There are people who actually enjoy teaching, and not everybody aspires to become a renowned scientist.

And at Nugent's, I just presented Myers' (lack of) qualifications without calling him a failure.

I come from a family of teachers. I'm a teacher. My ex-GF's dad was a chemistry professor at a junior college for 40 years. He was entirely fulfilled by that. When he died, hundreds of colleagues and former students attended his memorial.

I don't believe PZ is fulfilled by his job at UMM, & thinks of himself as a failure. Beyond teaching, PZ aspired to be things he could not achieve. His actions & words indicate someone who is deeply unsatisfied and angry at the world. Again, I consider speculation on what motivates PZ to act out is a valid topic for the 'Pit;

It's also relevant in the context of his bid to be the "Fifth Horseman" of atheism, along with Dawkins, Hitchens, Dennett and Harris. Not only is Myers not in the same league, he's in a separate universe;

I fully agree, but I don't think it depends on his (lack of) academic prestige. Hitchens and Harris are well respected, but not for their significant contribution to the advancement of knowledge.

For their advancement of atheism and secularism, they are. Myers claimed as his domain the promotion of atheism on the internet. Five years on, he has failed miserably in that respect. His energies are now almost entirely devoted to tearing down A/S luminaries more successful than himself;

Myers' bizarre version of evolution is also germane. It's decidedly unorthodox, riddled with error & misunderstanding of simple concepts, and verges on pseudo-science. Myers' also eagerly discounts established scientific fact to serve PoMo & radfem ideology. All of this makes him wholly unsuited as an advocate for science & reason over religious dogma.

I cannot comment on that, because I lack the necessary knowledge. I'll take your word for it. But even accepting that, it should be enough to rebut his arguments with facts, shouldn't it?

When & where possible, Windy, Ape+Lust, Jan Steen and others have been exposing 'neutrals' to Myers' bad science. I have a much-delayed post on the subject sitting in draft. Even lay enthusiasts of genetics will, once exposed to them, recognize Myers theories as bizarre and pseudo-scientific;

My concern is mainly to avoid making anybody's life miserable. I don't see what could be gained from that. Paraphrasing Harris: most of the people around you will be dead in a few years: why would you want to make an already short life even more painful?

Myers will be miserable no matter what, as his misery is generated from within. I'm not into hurting someone just for shits and giggles, or revenge. But Myers has harmed, and continues to harm, causes I care deeply about. He inserted himself into a position of influence for which he is wholly unqualified. He's a leading figure in the SJW attempt to hijack A/S. He needs to be exposed and ridiculed, his reputation brought into line with his real self, his influence brought to an end, his putsch crushed. If that hurts his feelings, TFB.

Myers, otoh, is all about hurting others. When he doxxed Skep tickle, he wanted to damage her career. My reputation is secure, but Myers publicly accused me of intending on stalking a 15 year-old girl. My job on occasion includes giving teenage girls riding lessons. Tell me again why I should pussyfoot around Myers' reputation? The quicker his power is removed, the sooner he'll be unable to hurt others.


Gentle when stroked; fierce when provoked.

[BlueShiftRhino]

And at Nugent's, I just presented Myers' (lack of) qualifications without calling him a failure.

While, I, in contrast, got a huge kick out of reminding folks that his research is utterly unfundable. Too bad that got buried so quickly in a comment section that is seriously going to hell in a hand-basket (with some help from me and this bottle of impudent red wine).

[HoneyWagon]

Erdogan says women not equal to men: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30183711

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

Who cares? He's not offering coffee, is he?

From the story:
"Mr Erdogan has previously urged women to have three children, and has lashed out against abortion and birth by Caesarean section."
I had to look that up, because that is odd.
I thought, maybe he was so radical that he thought that was going against god's will or some shit.
He thinks it is bad for future fertility though.

But if he gets his way, he wants women to have MORE kids, but make it harder if they need a safer delivery option.
(A case can be made a lot of hospitals overuse cesarean section, but when they are really needed, they are really fucking needed.)

[d4m10n]

Finke praised (with some caveats) a blog post by Zvan titled "Why I Am Not A Rationalist" on his FaceBook. A couple of people apparently more knowledgeable about philosophy have been taking her to task for being sloppy and vague. Also at least one of them has been comparing her to certain anti-feminists in the way she argues her points.

https://archive.today/nHREX

It's hard to be sure, since Zvan doesn't explain her terminology, but it looks like she's basically just having a go at the Less Wrongers, who are obsessed with Bayesianism. Hopefully Carrier will bring his intellectual payload to bear on this problem.