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- 2. July 2010: Church and Inflatable Doll Sex
- 9. February 2010: My Passion
- 13. August 2009: Just Say No To Groups!
- 13. January 2009: Free markets take advantage of the wisdom of crowds
- 23. November 2008: Does IQ affect how we vote?
- 23. November 2008: Is the media biased?
- 13. November 2008: Given the frailty of memory, how can we trust in the accuracy of the Gospels?
- 8. November 2008: The beauty of the Electoral College
- 7. November 2008: God fares poorly in 2008 elections
- 1. November 2008: How will God vote?
Resources
Author Archive
Does IQ affect how we vote?
23. November 2008 by kuzyk.
How do voter trends correlate with IQ? To answer this question, I used the published average IQ per state from Social Quotient web site and the 2008 presidential election results from CNN. The results are shown below. (For details about the plot, see the website on Faith and Science.)
What does this all mean? You tell me!
Posted in Politics | No Comments »
Is the media biased?
23. November 2008 by kuzyk.
Claims of media bias increase during presidential elections, and the 2008 election is no exception. The stories that a news organization choose to cover is one form of bias. The difficulty with assessing such bias is having knowledge of what stories were not covered. Tim Groeling designed a simple study whose results are published in the December issue of the Presidential Studies Quarterly.
Groeling determined the percentage of in-house presidential approval polls that were aired by network news programs relative to the number of polls that were conducted by the major networks. The study spanned an 11 year period ending in February 2008. ABC, CBS, and NBC were found to have a democratic bias while Fox News was found to have a significant pro-Republican bias.
Posted in Politics | 1 Comment »
Given the frailty of memory, how can we trust in the accuracy of the Gospels?
13. November 2008 by kuzyk.
In her book “The Myth of Repressed Memory,” Elizabeth Loftus describes Ulric Neisser’s experiences with what are called flash-bub memories. The morning after the shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after take-off, Neisser asked students at Emory University to write about how they learned about the disaster. Two and a half years later, he asked the 44 students to recall that same experience.
While most of the students described their memories of the event as vivid, not one of the students gave an account that was completely in accord with their description that was recorded the morning after the Challenger disaster. And a third of the accounts were widely inaccurate.
Posted in Religion | No Comments »
The beauty of the Electoral College
8. November 2008 by kuzyk.
In a recent book by Michael Moore, he describes the Electoral College as a ploy by the founding fathers to safeguard our nation from the ignorant masses who might elect the “wrong” president. While this accusation may be true, I argue that the system has benefits. (The history of the Electoral College can be found at the US Elections web site. More information can be found on the Federal Register archives.)
The Electoral College emphasizes the role of the states in selecting the president. On the surface, this smells of disenfranchisement; but, not if we view the real source of power as residing in the state and local governments. The United States is too large and diverse for a top-down government. Political compromises often lead to ineffective and wasteful legislation. It is most practical to deal with local problems at the local level and let the federal government deal with the big issues such as civil rights, regulating interstate commerce, and providing national defense.
Posted in Government | No Comments »
God fares poorly in 2008 elections
7. November 2008 by kuzyk.
The election is over and the votes are in. Despite all the prayers from the religious right, Obama has prevailed. As a consolation, California’s Proposition 8 passed, making gay marriage illegal. However, the new law is being challenged by opponents who charge that it is unconstitutional. Although about $70 million was spent on P8 (according to the San Francisco Chronicle), in the end, the issue may be decided by the courts.
God did not do so well in other state initiatives. South Dakota voters turned down Measure 11, which would outlaw abortions but included exceptions for rape, incest and pregnancies that threaten the life or health of the woman. Colorado’s Amendment 48 was defeated by a 73% to 27% margin. It would have amended the Colorado constitution to define the term “person” to “include any human being from the moment of fertilization” and would have applied that definition to laws providing protection for natural and essential rights.
Posted in Religion | 1 Comment »
What does basic science do for me?
21. September 2008 by kuzyk.
Why should we invest in fundamental research? Basic science does not solve today’s problems, so how can we justify diverting valuable resources from immediate needs? Researchers in the most esoteric fields such as string theory and high energy physics have no idea how their work will lead to something practical.
There are two valuable consequences of basic science: (1) the generation of new knowledge and understanding that could not be anticipated by linear extrapolation; and (2) the training of bright minds that make direct contributions to our society. In short, science is an investment in the future. Most of the amazing technologies that we take for granted in the first part of the 21st century resulted from the fruits of basic science in the first half of the 20th century. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Science | No Comments »
When debate is pointless
16. August 2008 by kuzyk.
Public debate is an essential ingredient of democracy. By encouraging both sides to present the most convincing argument, the facts surface and allow the rest of us to make up our minds. However, this process only works if the individuals involved are interested in making an informed assessment of the issues. At some point the facts emerge and the debate is over.
Posted in Science | 1 Comment »
Argument against a personal God
6. August 2008 by kuzyk.
As I see it, there is no evidence that a personal God exists in the form described in “Holy” books such as the Bible. The basis of our belief in God is in ancient written records and oral tradition. Not only are these sources known to be an unreliable method of transmitting information; but if taken literally, one can find many statements that are inconsistent with reality.
Posted in Religion | No Comments »
Can science and faith lead to truth?
5. August 2008 by kuzyk.
I am always excited to learn new things, especially if I gain a deeper understanding about life. The best way to learn is to discuss and debate topics that make us uncomfortable. So, I started this site with the intension of communicating with others who have the same interest.s This blog is a companion to my other site, which will publish essays on science and religion., as well as provide useful information and links to resources.
My hope is to cover topics that go well beyond what most people would call science or religion. Stephen J. Gould argued that Science and Religion form two non-overlapping magisteria, or NOMAs (see a discussion on this topic at http://www.afterourtime.com/wiki/index.php?title=Science_and_Religion). For gaining understanding, science uses the scientific method while religion is based on faith. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Truth | No Comments »