Jan 19, 2021Forgiveness and Reckoning: Preserving American Democracy in the 21st CenturyOn January 6, 2021, a mob of frenzied insurrectionists, fueled by the lies of Donald J. Trump and his allies in the Republican Party, stormed the U.S. Capitol building. Their aim, it has become clear, was to overturn the outcome of a free and open election by force of violence. …Capitol Riot13 min readCapitol Riot13 min read
Apr 4, 2019Can’t We All Agree to Just Not F*@king Touch Each Other?Everyone’s seen the headlines by now. Grabby grandpa Joe Biden is in trouble for making a growing list of women feel uncomfortable with his unhinged displays of physical affection. …Introvert3 min readIntrovert3 min read
Oct 11, 2018What Critics Get Wrong (and Right) About ‘Sokal 2.0’Much has been written about the recent hoax perpetrated against segments of postmodern academia, most of it fairly binary. People are either enthusiastic fans or strident critics. For my part, I’m in the former camp. The fields targeted by the hoax are, at best, silly and indulgent. Less generously, a…Identity Politics12 min readIdentity Politics12 min read
Oct 5, 2018An Expansive Sokal-Style Hoax Exposes Academic FraudulenceAn impressive Sokal-style hoax came to light this week and, frankly, I could not be more pleased. The same should be true of anyone who value evidenced-based reasoning and thoughtful, honest scholarship. It took aim at the ideological fanaticism, rampant bias, and pseudo-intellectualism poisoning large swaths of the humanities. There’s…Philosophy6 min readPhilosophy6 min read
Oct 4, 2018Atheism and the Public SphereReligious liberals and conservative moderates often recoil in the face of hard atheism. To them, atheism represents a sort callous disdain for an inoffensive source of succor and support. Why, they wonder, are people subjected to such rancorous ridicule for believing in something that brings them comfort? Doubtless this reaction…Religion4 min readReligion4 min read
Oct 3, 2018How Liberal PC Culture Feeds the Conservative Persecution ComplexPC Police and Conservative Persecution Complex A lot of conservatives are under the impression that they are a widely maligned, politically persecuted group in the United States. Read this delusional piece by professional fabulist Dennis Prager as a good for instance. If you’re partial to statistics, this might do the…Politics8 min readPolitics8 min read
Oct 2, 2018Dennis Prager is an Idiot and the Republican Party is a CultA High Priest in the First Church of Anti-Liberalism Let me tell you about a man named Dennis Prager. An extreme right-wing pundit, Dennis Prager is an idiot cloaked in a thin-veneer of intellect — a white-knuckle blowhard who has troubled telling the difference between loud voices and good arguments…Dennis Prager14 min readDennis Prager14 min read
Oct 1, 2018Climate Change: A DialogueAn aide walks into a Republican Senator’s office. She has just finished a report on climate change and is giving the Senator a brief summary of her findings: Aide: If we continue to burn fossil fuels, there’s a good chance we’ll cause significant ecological, political, and economic disruption. …Climate Change2 min readClimate Change2 min read
Oct 1, 2018McCarthy Muddles the Origins of LanguageHere’s an old but interesting bit of news. A few months back Cormac McCarthy wrote an article for Nautilus on the nature of human language. It was a largely speculative, rangy piece, enjoyable and thought-provoking in its own way. …Cormac Mccarthy2 min readCormac Mccarthy2 min read
May 2, 2018Avengers — Infinity War: Adventures in InnumeracyThanos’ motivations in Avengers: Infinity War make absolutely no fucking sense. Cast as something of benevolent maniac, Thanos wants to kill half the life in the universe to restore “balance”. Putting aside the question of whatever the fuck balance might mean, Thanos seems to be driven by the belief that…Marvel3 min readMarvel3 min read
