Denialism

Month: November 2008

  • WhiteCoat Underground Note

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    MarkH
    in

    I number of my posts have links to my old blog. I’ve moved my old blog to a new server, and the permalinks no longer work (and I’m probably to lazy to hunt them all down). If I send you to a blind link, sorry ’bout that. Just go to whitecoatunderground.com and search by title.

  • Why male circumcision and female genital mutilation are not morally equivalent

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    MarkH
    in

    NB: Believe it or not, I actually had to close comments, the first time I’ve ever had to do it. They had become so offensive without any useful content that it’s no longer worthwhile to keep it going. Sorry. I have repeatedly vowed to stay away from this topic, but in defense of my colleague,…

  • Does alternative medicine have alternative ethics?

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    MarkH
    in

    We’ve talked quite a bit about ethics in this space, especially medical ethics and “blog ethics”. Today, though, we will specifically examine the nature of medical ethics as they apply to so-called alternative medicine. First, and perhaps most important, I am not an ethicist. I do not have the depth of reading, the knowledge of…

  • Personalities, honor, and such

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    MarkH
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    Let me start by saying that there is no “right” as such to anything on the internet. There is no blog law that allows for anonymity, etc. All we have are our evolving ethics, about which I recently wrote. As the ongoing dispute over anonymity continues (and continues to make me uncomfortable, but not in…

  • Is Anonymity Even Possible?

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    Chris
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    Sciblings are discussing the ethics of anonymity all over Scienceblogs. I want to pose a different question: practically speaking, is anonymity even possible? Consider: 1) There is no standard definition for what is anonymous or anonymized. For instance, AOL released a putatively anonymous database of search queries a few years ago, but it was soon…

  • A Problem with Using the Plastic

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    Chris
    in

    I have a love-hate relationship with credit and charge cards. They’re incredibly convenient, but my few puritan instincts tell me that they’re the spawn of satan. And the fees! The fees! No, not the ones for paying your bill late, or for paying your bill on time over the phone, balance transfer fees, application fees,…

  • Palin as Populist Chic

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    Chris
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    I am enjoying the news post election, because what was once news media “liberal bias” about Sarah Palin is now simply common sense. Even more fun is the frank conversation about the conservative movement. Today’s Journal has a must read by Mark Lilla on how the very conservatives who valued intellectualism and elites were corrupted…

  • Back into the storm—the pseudonymity lab

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    MarkH
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    When we get to ScienceOnline09 in January, Abel and I will be leading a session on blogging and anonymity. I agreed to get involved because it sounded interesting, but I had no idea it would become such a big deal. There have been active discussions at many of the Sb blogs on this issue, particularly…

  • Stop the RFK Jr. appointment NOW

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    MarkH
    in , , , ,

    I would beg everyone who reads the scienceblogs and cares about science to contact the transition team in the Obama administration as Orac has requested. It should be clear by now to readers of this blog that pseudoscience is not a problem of just the right. The left wing areas of pseudoscience are just as…

  • Migraines prevent breast cancer!!!!!!!

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    MarkH
    in

    When reporting on science, reporters and editors like sexy stories. Since most science isn’t particularly sexy, there’s usually a hook. If you can squeeze “risk” and “cancer” into a headline, an editor sees good headline. What I usually see is a sensationalist article that is going to get it very wrong. One of the questions…