Civics… My take on “Try that in a small town.” 24 Jul 202327 Jul 2023 Since everyone is talking about Jason Aldean's new song, "Try That in a Small Town," I figured I'd weigh in. Not that anyone asked, of course. These are just my…
4.2 The Fallacies, caveats, examples, and how to respond… Middle-ground (& other-ground) fallacy 6 Jun 202325 Mar 2024 Part 4.2 of the Critical Thinking Series (CTS): The Fallacies Middle-ground and other-ground fallacy, aka middle-ground fallacy; argument to moderation; false compromise. Definition and General Overview When people or groups…
Checkpoint quiz: introductory logic… A civil critical thinking quiz about the US firearm debate: fallacies, biases, and rhetorical tactics 2 Apr 202320 Dec 2023 Welcome! If this is your first time here, welcome aboard. I created a few other critical thinking quizzes, but none were subject-focused. This time, I developed this educational tool (with…
Additional Readings… dissent, patriotism, and skepticism versus twisted dissent, fake skepticism, and plastic patriotism 29 Jun 202213 Jun 2023 TL;DR: Dissenting against tyranny is patriotic, but this does not mean dissent for dissent’s sake is always patriotic. “Dissenting” against freedoms to impose tyranny is not congruent with patriotism or…
Climate… Yup, there is a consensus on climate change. Here is what that does & does not mean. 29 Jan 202210 Mar 2023 TL;DR: My political views once misled me to doubt climate change was human-caused. But after I learned that nearly every expert and study disagreed with me, I began to look…
Civics Vaccine requirements, a talk over beer 26 Jan 202228 Jan 2022 More info For more info, see here, here, and here. For more info For more info For more info, see here and here For more info, see here, here, here,…
Additional Readings… Stasis theory and Stalin: history’s cautionary tale of contrarian misinformation leading to bad policies 19 Jan 202227 Jun 2023 Stasis theory comes to us from the ancient Greeks. Unfortunately, it does not tell us how to wrap a kick-ass toga that will stay in one place. I make no…
Civics… This former antivax mom now helps others leave that community: an interview with Lydia Greene 15 Oct 2021 The WHO reports that as of October 2021, there have been more than 237.6 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, and the death toll is now more than 4.8 million deaths…
Civics Comment guidelines 16 Aug 202128 Mar 2024 . TL;DR We promote science, evidence, critical thinking, and civil discourse, thus, common sense etiquette applies. This includes no bigotry, threats, SPAM, etc. Research shows that social media is rife…
Science… COVID and Vaccines: Resources for separating the facts from misinformation. 10 Aug 202124 Jan 2022 Thank you for following (or perhaps only visiting) our content on Facebook, WordPress, Twitter, and Instagram. Below is an incomplete list of informative resources we have shared on our various…
Climate… Human-caused climate change in 21 infographics. 30 Jul 202130 Jul 2021 For more details check out this post as well as other climate posts here. Carpe Datum and Semper Sci!
Additional Readings… Quiz: 25 Fallacy Questions 21 Mar 202129 May 2022 Critical thinking is not merely using that lump of fat-coated neurons trapped in our skulls. Critical thinking is the systematic analysis of an idea, as well as analyzing how we…
Science… Astrology put to the test 2 Dec 202015 Jul 2023 It's ok to use astrology for fun or to feel culturally connected. My wife does this & we lovingly joke about her "woo-fuckery." If she didn't know my birthday, I…
Climate How can I trust climate models when the weatherman and Al Gore are wrong? 3 Oct 202021 May 2022 When I first started as a science communicator, I reflected on my own period of harboring doubts about human-caused climate change (see my article Climate Debrief: Q and A for…
Science… Brief Vaccine Q and A 15 Sep 20208 May 2024 [Note: This was original a post on my page on February 9, 2019. It has undergone some revisions for clarity, as well as continues to grow--which is why you might…
Climate… Facebook’s Climate Info: A Nice Step, But They Still Zuck-Over Scientists 15 Sep 202015 Sep 2020 TLDR: Recently Facebook started offering a climate information center, which is popping up at the top of user's feeds. While I'm pleased Facebook is offering this information center, it would…
Civics… This viral 6% COVID claim is highly misleading (at best) 6 Sep 20206 Sep 2020 Did some high-profile socio-political talking head get you worried that the CDC is lying about COVID because of this whole 6% statistic? Does this viral claims (so to speak) have…
Climate Climate Debrief: Q and A for the blue-collar American 29 Aug 202023 Jan 2024 SHOW/HIDE Table of Contents PART I: WELCOME PART II: THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: POLITICS PART III: IS EARTH WARMING BECAUSE OF HUMAN ACTIVITY? PART IV: SCIENTIFIC AGREEMENT PART V:…
Climate… Nuclear Power: Climate and Energy Savior? 29 Aug 202031 Aug 2020 To build energy security and provide emission-free energy for our growing energy needs, nuclear power is an option we are very likely going to need. This isn't to bash on…
Civics… A Short History of Real Fake News (Part 3 of the Fake News Series) 14 Aug 202014 Aug 2020 In this section of the fake news series, we will take a look at the history and consequences of some famous fake news events in American history. Though this section…