Sociology

Debate vs Inquiry and “Reasonable Debate” as a silencing tactic

Debate is not inquiry. Argument is not skepticism. Fetishizing debate makes us less knowledgeable as a culture and even as a movement, not more.

<okay, sure, we’ve been having these debates for decades now. But let’s dredge it up again. Let’s treat the basic bodily autonomy of people with uteruses** as a subject that’s up for discussion, a subject that reasonable people can disagree about. And let’s be calm and reasonable about it.

The Church Of Bob

There are the beginnings of a promising SFF fandom TOD developing over at Scalzi’s joint, for those who have spare popcorn lying around.

SIgnal Boosting: Surly Amy’s Skeptic and Atheist Do Better Challenge

As an atheist, I do not get to find solace in the idea that I have an afterlife to plan for. I have to make peace with the idea that this one life is all that I have and that every single solitary moment counts right now. It counts in moments, that are slowly ticking away. And while I also have to realize that while there is no God keeping track of those moments and my actions within them, that none-the-less they matter.

Signal Boost: Wonder Women!

This coming Saturday at the Mitchell Library, in Sydney, there will be a screening of a new American-made documentary about the history and influence of Wonder Woman. Afterwards there will be a panel discussion with some amazing local wonder women: Nicola Scott, Feisty Cuffs, Queenie Chan and Mystic Medusa will be chatting with filmmaker and journalist Daz Chandler.

Signal Boost: Pamela Denoon Lecture

People who can get to Canberra: this year’s Pamela Denoon lecture is the 25th Anniversary of the event. The speech will be given by Wendy McCarthy AO, and many previous speakers and committee members will be attending for this special occasion.