Society
When skepticism collides with human experience. The societal implications of scientific skepticism.
Science can be a candle in the dark, as long as you’re not actively trying to avoid the light
When people become over-invested in their beliefs, they can develop intellectual photophobia: an active resistence to any evidence that might shed uncomfortable light
Elizabethan Skepticism: How “A Discoverie of Witchcraft” pushed back against a moral panic
While still a product of it's time, Reginald Scot's "A Discoverie of Witchcraft" in 1584 offered common-sense challenges to the moral panic around witchcraft
Abortion isn’t murder – despite their rhetoric, even the American religious right know it
It is abundantly clear that the so-called 'pro-life' movement in the US don't genuinely believe abortion is murder, they simply want power and control
The right to an abortion isn’t just about extreme, horrific cases – it’s about our bodily autonomy
Discussing abortion rights on the terms of the religious right is a damaging mistake - the right to an abortion isn't just about ‘morally acceptable’ reasons like assault or medical emergencies
The Dangerous Dogs Act, with its emphasis on how a dog looks, is wholly unscientific
The Dangerous Dogs Act was brought in to protect people from dangerous dog breeds, based on aesthetics rather than genetics - and it does more harm than good
Cultural literacy is a vital tool in enriching our ability to communicate with one another
When it comes to cultural literacy - the shared pool of references that enrich our communication - we have to ask: which cultural touchpoints do we declare essential?
In modern-day Scotland, there should be no mandatory acts of worship in schools
Religious observance in school does more harm than good - we'd serve our children far better if we taught them about religion, without the indoctrination
The Russian Game: the conspiracy mongering propaganda techniques designed to stoke division
Many might assume Russian propaganda is a modern phenomenon, but conspiracy theories throughout history have found a helping hand in Moscow.
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