Three conditions are necessary for SETI to succeed

Tom Hartsfield has a post up at Real Clear Science criticizing both the Drake equation and SETI: If you like science fiction, you're probably familiar with the Drake equation. This famous one-line formula solves for the number of intelligent alien civilizations within our galaxy with whom we might be able to communicate. Supporters of the … Continue reading Three conditions are necessary for SETI to succeed →

Students showing up at college understanding the fact value distinction is a good thing.

Justin P. McBrayer, an ethics and philosophy of religion professor, has an opinion piece in the New York Times bemoaning the fact that students are showing up for college not believing that moral rules are facts. What would you say if you found out that our public schools were teaching children that it is not true … Continue reading Students showing up at college understanding the fact value distinction is a good thing. →

Methane-Based Life Possible On Titan

ratamacue0 sent me this interesting Slashdot post: Methane-Based Life Possible On Titan - Slashdot. Randym writes: With the simultaneous announcement of a possible nitrogen-based, cell-like structure allowing life outside the "liquid water zone" (but within a methane atmosphere) announced by researchers at Cornell (academic paper) and the mystery of fluctuating methane levels on Marsraising the possibility of methane-respiring … Continue reading Methane-Based Life Possible On Titan →

Shoulder update, hopefully the last

Just a quick follow up on my previous shoulder update post on my recent shoulder pain struggles.  The second doctor thought the surgery recommendation was premature.  He recommended conservative treatment, including a cortisone shot and physical therapy exercises, followed by a second shot in a month or two, if needed.  Only if problems persisted after that would he … Continue reading Shoulder update, hopefully the last →

A close pass by a red dwarf star, and a note on interplanetary and interstellar distances

First, in case you haven't heard: 70,000 Years Ago, Another Star Flew by the Edge of the Solar System | RealClearScience. According to an international team of astronomers, about 70,000 years ago a red dwarf star -- nicknamed "Scholz’s star" for the astronomer who discovered it -- passed by our solar system just 0.8 light years … Continue reading A close pass by a red dwarf star, and a note on interplanetary and interstellar distances →

Twelve Angry Philosophers – Existential Comics

Click through for full version. continued at Twelve Angry Philosophers - Existential Comics. I think the final panels in the full version represent the end result of most philosophical debates.  Not that we shouldn't have those debates, but we should be conscious of the fact that many philosophical problems have no authoritative answer.  Some, and this … Continue reading Twelve Angry Philosophers – Existential Comics →

Religion, the Axial Age, and theoretic culture

I recently read the late Robert Bellah's 'Religion in Human Evolution: From the Paleolithic to the Axial Age.'  Although the title of the book seems to narrow it to just religion, in ancient societies, religion was just about everything, so the book ended up being about the development of cultures, which isn't too surprising given … Continue reading Religion, the Axial Age, and theoretic culture →