Daylight Atheism » Economics

Book Review: God, No!

Ebonmuse — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 10:42:24 +0000

(Author's Note: The following review was solicited and is written in accordance with this site's policy for such reviews.)

Summary: Just what you'd expect from its author: outspoken, boisterous, crude, frequently vulgar, often hilarious. Unapologetically atheist, but more about Penn Jillette the person than about atheism per se.

God, No! is written by Penn Jillette, the louder half of Penn & Teller who's well-known for ... [visit site to read more]

Weekly Link Roundup

Ebonmuse — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 05:59:42 +0000

The storm may rage and the winds may howl, but I'm still here! (So far.) Here's a couple of interesting stories I didn't have time to write more about this week:

• Following Rick Perry's urgent prayers for rain in his drought-stricken state, Tropical Storm Don formed in the Gulf, headed toward Texas, and then dissipated ... [visit site to read more]

Tax Breaks for Ignorance

Ebonmuse — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:49:42 +0000

As you doubtless already know, America is suffering through an unprecedented economic disaster. With millions of people jobless and millions of homeowners underwater, the economy is stagnant and its prospects are dim. Which is why, in these hard times, nothing is more important than shoveling more taxpayer dollars into the gaping maw of the fundamentalist carnival sideshow:

A group ... [visit site to read more]

Photo Sunday: Madrid

Ebonmuse — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 18:09:19 +0000

As I've mentioned, my wife and I took a trip to Spain last month to celebrate our first anniversary. I'm not going to inflict all my vacation photos on you, but we did see some sights that are relevant to the kind of thing I usually write about on Daylight Atheism. If you're interested in seeing more, click through to view the rest of the post.

... [visit site to read more]

Weekly Link Roundup

Ebonmuse — Wed, 18 May 2011 01:11:33 +0000

I noticed a few stories this week that I haven't had time to write more about, but wanted to mention briefly:

• So-called "psychics" defraud their gullible customers out of thousands of dollars, usually through laughably obvious ploys in which they claim the client's money needs to be "cleansed". Can we please visit site to read more]

On the Morality of: Investing

Ebonmuse — Wed, 11 May 2011 11:24:51 +0000

I haven't written a post on morality in a while, and this one's a little different than past entries. This is an issue where I haven't made up my mind, and I'm hoping that people's comments can illuminate the issues and help me reach a final decision.

Through the economic chaos of the past two years, I have to admit I've been more fortunate than a lot of Americans. I have a high-yield savings account with ING Direct - ... [visit site to read more]

The Looters Win Again

Ebonmuse — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:13:21 +0000

As we all know, Ayn Rand is the greatest genius in the history of the human race, and her book Atlas Shrugged is her highest achievement and therefore the highest achievement of our entire species. Thanks to her, we've learned that sheer determination can surmount any obstacle, up to and including the laws of thermodynamics, to create value and earn its bearer a profit. All of which makes it inexplicable that visit site to read more]

The Financial Ignorance of Religious Texts

Ebonmuse — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 11:52:55 +0000

Among the many other prohibitions in the Old Testament, there are several verses that prohibit charging interest on loans (at least to one's fellow Israelites - foreigners are apparently OK to gouge). Some of them are:

"You shall not lend upon interest to your brother, interest on money, interest on victuals, interest on anything that is lent for interest. To a foreigner you may lend upon interest, but to your brother you shall not lend upon interest..."

—Deuteronomy ... [visit site to read more]

Wednesday Link Roundup

Ebonmuse — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 00:45:19 +0000

I may write more about some of these stories over the weekend, but in the meantime, I just had to make quick mention of them:

• Prominent evangelical pastor John MacArthur, whom Daylight Atheism readers have heard about before, has a visit site to read more]

Using Purchasing Power for Good

Ebonmuse — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 17:06:30 +0000

Since 'tis the season for commercialism, shopping sprees and big-ticket purchases, I thought I'd write a post that I've had in mind for a long time. It's less about atheism per se, more about rationalism and being aware of the ways our choices shape the world around us.

We may scoff, and rightfully so, when the Supreme Court uses free speech as an excuse to lift campaign-finance restrictions on huge multinational corporations. But it's true, nevertheless: Money is a form of speech - and not ... [visit site to read more]

Climbing the Mountain of Atlas Shrugged

Ebonmuse — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:32:33 +0000

As sharp-eyed readers may have noticed from my sidebar, I've decided to take up the challenge of reading Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged - all 1,074 pages of it, in my softcover edition. Say what you will about the woman, but no one will ever accuse her of failing to deliver a low price-to-word ratio.

I've expressed my differences with Ms. Rand in the past, but I can't see any harm in giving her one ... [visit site to read more]

How to Think Critically: Anchoring

Ebonmuse — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 11:47:09 +0000

I'm pleased to announce the first-ever holiday edition of How to Think Critically. If you're planning to do your Christmas shopping soon, this post might just save you some money!

The mental phenomenon called "anchoring and adjustment" was first described in the 1970s by the psychologists Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman. When we're trying to estimate an unknown quantity, such as judging whether a price tag is reasonable or guessing what percentage of the population belongs to a certain age ... [visit site to read more]