You can be moral, and distinguish between fantasy violence and the real world. Some prefer to keep it that way from start to end.

The arms manufacturers are actually anything but shady in the article, as they've been transparent about the entire process (the games industry would have looked a lot better in this article if they had acted the same way, rather than acting defensively, although we've no way of knowing exactly what questions they were asked).

This article does a great job pointing out the 'shadiness' of the NRA's about-face in participating in the video games industry, then turning around and declaring it the root of all evil. I think really, what this article demonstrates though if anything, is that the average consumer doesn't stop to think about how every realistic item that appears in media is probably either licensed or promotional.

That's not the People's Front of Judea, that's the Judean People's Front.

I suppose the proceeding post might be funny in different ways, depending on whether or not one perceives the difference between clearly defined procedures, -tools- (like hammers, saws, and the scientific method), and -beliefs- (religion, solipsism, logical positivism). Of course, when it comes to belief systems, I am not an atheist, so I'm not entirely sure how the schisms in their alliances work. I have read very interesting criticisms of scientific methodology and empiricism (eg Alfred North Whitehead), however they typically are rooted in understanding its mechanisms and history.

That is a paper I'd like to read!

I often notice that amongst the so-called educated they quote science that leans in their favor, and then outright dismiss science that challenges their beliefs. I'm not talking about creationists or global warming deniers. I mean something less obvious and more insidious that can be found across political spectrums. A friend of mine who teaches history is oft to mention his belief that we are leaving an era of reason behind in favor of an era where 'gut' feelings and authenticity rules supreme. These people espouse a brand of empiricism that would set us back pre-Descartes, actually make that the medieval period. And their numbers are growing.

This isn't merely scientific ignorance. These people have been raised around science, but just like creationists, they've built up a straw-man caricature of science in their heads and that's what they go by, based on their feelings. They don't actually test out their assertions in a structured way beyond surfing websites that agree with them. You'll find examples of that brand of opportunism, even occasionally while browsing up through this thread. You'll find it on biased environmentalist activist websites that espouse long-term damaging solutions to complex problems, or on alternative medicine websites that attack 'science' for 'being fundamentalist' while engaging in fundamentalist behavior, people who think Autism is not an illness, or a technology that has the potential to feed billions (GM) is evil, etc etc. You'll find such bias anywhere there is an identity to protect, an ego to feed or a website to promote. Since it cherry picks, and goes by what 'feels' good, it is ultimately self-serving, hence it's 'epistemological opportunism'.

What do you think can be done to counteract these populist attitudes on science that seem to be taking over? When people collapse complex problems (like medicine, cancer, mental health, GM crops etc) into black and white issues without stopping to look at all the issues, what do you do? Is there ways of raising awareness re critical thinking and proper scientific methodology? It's so easy to demonize scientists with coy phrases or genetic fallacies. Do some approaches work better than others in explaining basic scientific concepts to the public?

An obvious historical example is the Moors, Al-Andalus.

I'm more worried about Christian theocracy at this point. I'd be worried about the dismantling of science. At least Muslim schools teach evolutionary biology...

Actually there's a lot of other things I'm far more worried about. I'm more worried about dogmatic political ideologies taking over as they do every bit as much harm as theocracy. Muslims are barely a minority, and like I said, l do live integrated with them and for the most part I don't see what the big deal is aside from lots of what if's and bogeymen.

Last I checked there's been a fair amount of protests throughout Muslim nations in the media over the past while.. they're hardly all brain dead dangerous followers... but go ahead, believe they are all the same, believe in your invented bogeyman. You do realize that not too long ago Muslims were actually romanticized, not feared?

Montreal is not the fourth Century in the East, it is the 21st century in the West. That's a terrible analogy--by that logic I could prove anything I wanted, just draw a specious analogy with vastly alien historical situations to prove anything evil. After all, history is violent and nobody is innocent if you go back far enough and make ridiculous comparisons. What you are doing is akin to religious people who try to claim Atheism is evil by citing the massive amount of deaths in China. It's irrelevant.

You have to look at the reality that exists in the now. We've far, far more pressing social issues here than oh so scary Muslim families who are going to their mosques and working their day jobs.

Look, there are real problems and challenges with immigration but when you oversimplify things into grandiose claims like these, you make the real problems worse. I live in the heart of multiculturalist Canada (in the same town this article took place in). We do occasionally have issues with small pockets of Muslim immigrants who want to enforce their religion, but this is a rarity. The vast majority of Muslims you meet in this town are polite and mind their own business. I sit next to them everyday on the metro and I assure you, they are the opposite of scary. Media hype and the availability heuristic..we should be old enough to see past these things by now.

For NaNoWriMo I started writing a story about 'The Great Migration' and realized that rather than describing early human evolution, it was perfectly suited to describe the coming decades.

Also, I suppose camping out makes for a great action film.