Nothing as It Seems

  Here are some interesting articles I've read over the past week I think are worth checking out. Julian Baggini , “ If everyone has a right to be heard, why are some told to keep quiet? ”  16 Dec ,  The Philosophical Inquirer .  "All historically oppressed groups are rightly against having the values of their oppressors imposed upon them and no group has a right to tell another what to do. However, the remedy for this should be to give everyone equal voice, not to create new hierarchies of privilege." Stuart Ritchie, “ Autism isn’t always a superpower . ”  22 Dec,  UnHerd .  "All I ask is that, in our understandable desire to focus on the hitherto-forgotten talents of those with neurodivergent brains, we don’t forget the plight of those on the other end of the spectrum. Somewhere between thirty and forty percent of people with autism also have a learning disability, like the boy from my old job. Those with lower levels of functioning might never ...

  Here are some interesting articles I've read over the past week I think are worth checking out. Robert Allison, “ Sorry, Time magazine, but 2020 is not ‘The Worst Year Ever’ ”  10 Dec ,  The Post and Courier .  "I will take this year over any year before penicillin, indoor plumbing, electricity and regular trash collection." Kenan Malik, “ Ideas can be tolerated without being respected. The distinction is key . ”  13 Dec ,  The Observer .  "Drawing a distinction between people and ideas is essential both for the equal treatment of people and for the capacity to challenge and change ideas." John E. Hayes and Cara Exten, “ Daily DIY sniff checks could catch many cases of COVID-19 . ”  9 Dec,  The Conversation .  "[R]ecent analyses suggest that if you had to pick just one symptom, sudden smell loss may be the single best predictor of a COVID-19 diagnosis." Ed Yong,  “ How Science Beat the Virus . ”  14 Dec,...

Here are some interesting articles I've read over the past week I think are worth checking out. Finn McRedmond, “ We need to argue our way out of our ‘ideological bunkers’ ”  10 Dec ,  Irish Times .  "There are few among us who are not guilty of resorting to charged rhetoric, lambasting our opponents as cruel or ignorant. But if we care about our capacity to actually effect political change, then we know the medium of discussion must be a moderate one and must be one that appeals to the other party’s value system and sensibilities." Michael Huemer, “ Time to Stop Aging . ”  5 Dec ,  Fake Nous .  "We’re spending billions of dollars researching many other diseases, when we could be spending those resources finding a cure for aging, which would drastically reduce many different diseases all at once." Richard J. Evans, “ What the Hitler conspiracies mean . ”  2 Dec,  New Statesman .  Historian Richard J. Evans on why so many people appe...

  Here are some interesting articles I've read over the past week I think are worth checking out. Pat Leahy, “ Ireland is becoming more unequal? Wrong . ”  5 Dec ,  Irish Times .  "[T]he idea many people seem to have of Ireland as a uniquely badly governed and unsuccessful country -- a failed state, almost -- is one that our peers would not recognise. Nor is it, frankly, supported by a cool-headed look at Ireland and the world." David Robson, “ It's only fake-believe: how to deal with a conspiracy theorist . ”  29  Nov,  The Observer .  The five most common fallacies used by conspiracy theorists, and the best ways to respond to them. Wendy Orent, “ Want to avoid pandemics? Eliminate factory farming . ”  30 Nov,  Los Angeles Times .  "[T]he far greater threat to human health doesn’t come from spillovers in the wild. It comes from the way we farm and market animals." Morgan Schondelmeier,  “ The steaks are high for lab-...