ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 29

Can a Computer Devise a Theory of Everything?

By Dennis Overbye Once upon a time, Albert Einstein described scientific theories as “free inventions of the human mind.” But in 1980, Stephen Hawking, the renowned Cambridge University cosmologist, had another thought. In a lecture that year, he argued that the so-called Theory of Everything might be achievable, but that the final touches on it …

Conservative Christians Reject Science, Ignore Holiday COVID Restrictions

By Michael Stone Anti-Science: Conservative Christians are rejecting science and choosing to ignore holiday COVID restrictions, placing themselves, those they love, and everyone else at risk. For example, Trump-loving megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress says he will ignore the scientists advice about Thanksgiving gatherings, declaring: I’m Listening to God, Not the WHO Newsweek reports: Pastor Robert Jeffress, …

Trumpism After Trump? How Fox News Structures Republican Attitudes

By PRRI Staff In the wake of President Donald Trump’s 2020 electoral loss, one key question is what kind of future the unique style of politics he carved out has in the Republican Party. Colloquially, this question is often put this way: What becomes of Trumpism after Trump? To answer that question, it is important …

Supreme Court Declines to Take Up Satanists’ Faith-Based Abortion Case

By Hemant Mehta This morning, the Supreme Court announced it would not hear a case brought to them by Satanists who were hoping to overturn Missouri’s medically unnecessary abortion laws. There was no explanation offered with the dismissal, as is typical. There simply weren’t enough judges who wanted to hear this case. Here’s the backstory: As the law stands …

Legendary Arecibo telescope will close forever — scientists are reeling

By Alexandra Witze One of astronomy’s most renowned telescopes — the 305-metre-wide radio telescope at Arecibo, Puerto Rico — is closing permanently. Engineers cannot find a safe way to repair it after two cables supporting the structure broke suddenly and catastrophically, one in August and one in early November. It is the end of one …

Appeals Court: For Now, a Nativity Scene Can Go Up Outside an Indiana Courthouse

By Hemant Mehta A Nativity scene outside a former Indiana courthouse will remain up this winter even though it was declared unconstitutional earlier this year. But that victory for conservative Christians may not last for long. Some background is helpful here: All of this takes place in the city of Brownstown at the site of …

Trump Judges Block Laws Banning LGBTQ “Conversion Therapy” for Minors

By Mark Joseph Stern A federal appeals court blocked bans on LGBTQ “conversion therapy” for minors on Friday, finding that two Florida cities violate the First Amendment with laws that seek to protect children from the harmful and discredited practice. Both judges in the majority are Federalist Society members appointed by President Donald Trump. Their …

The Latinx Culture War Is The Untold Story Of The 2020 Election

By Juhem Navarro-Rivera This year as turnout increased among all groups, and despite losing the popular vote again, Donald Trump gained over 10 million votes. Media narratives have placed a lot of attention on the Latinx vote since the president seems to have gained substantial support among this cohort. While two-thirds of Latinxs voted for …

Ex-Students at Seventh-day Adventist School Settle Abuse Claims for $52 Million

By Hemant Mehta Miracle Meadows School, a Seventh-day Adventist-run alternative school in Salem, West Virginia, made headlines for all the wrong reasons back in 2014. The year-round school encouraged parents to send kids there if they were dishonest, defiant, or experiencing “spiritual disinterest.” And many parents did, in part because the staff members were said to …

At annual meeting, U.S. Catholic bishops debate McCarrick report and whether it proves they need more lay oversight

By Michelle Boorstein One week after a bombshell Vatican report about the rise of ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick, U.S. bishops debated the report’s import Monday at their biannual meeting, with some saying it left out the role of money, others saying it shows the bishop-picking process needs fixing, and still others disagreeing about whether it showed …