Tuesday, September 29, 2015
School Issues Apology Over Assignment Asserting Evolution Opponents ‘Are Trying to Mislead You, Evolutionists Confess to Lying
If lying evolved as a fitness strategy, can we believe anything an evolutionist says?
In his blog entry “The Evolution of Lying” on The Conversation, Rob Brooks, a professor of Evolutionary Ecology and Director of the Evolution & Ecology Research Centre at University of New South Wales, gave half-hearted credit to a new theory on deception as a by-product of the evolution of cooperation. The open-access paper by two Irish evolutionists, Luke McNally and Andrew L. Jackson, was published by the Royal Society this week. It posits lying as an evolutionary strategy:
Our results suggest that the evolution of conditional strategies may, in addition to promoting cooperation, select for astute cheating and associated psychological abilities. Ultimately, our ability to convincingly lie to each other may have evolved as a direct result of our cooperative nature.
Brooks agrees that lying evolved, but feels the model of McNally and Jackson is too simplistic. “I would like to see if it can help us understand the fine-scale tensions between cooperation and dishonesty in human affairs,” he said. “There is a lot more to lying than simply misrepresenting the world.” The liar can deceive himself as well, for instance, in order to make the lie more believable.
From there, Brooks considered Sam Harris’s short e-book Lying, in which Harris advocates we all try to do better at overcoming our evolutionary tendencies, “arguing we can both simplify our own lives and build better societies by telling the truth in situations when we might be tempted to lie.” Here’s how Brooks concludes all this discussion about lies and truth (bold added, italics in original):
Harris gets bottom-up processes and the conflict between individual benefits and group functioning. His book is worth a read for his impassioned argument that each of us, as individuals, would benefit from resisting the urge to lie.
I’m not convinced. What would help right now is some theoretic and empirical evidence that showed the conditions under which Harris’ prescriptions might work. And that’s the beauty of papers like today’s one from McNally and Jackson.
Irrespective, a better understanding of how lying evolves, no matter how simple, might do enormous social good.
For one thing it might help constrain the worst dishonesties in politics, public relations and propaganda.
The question none of them are considering is, if lying evolved, and if self-deception is possible, and if deception can be very convincing, how are the readers to know who is telling the truth?
Imagine a liar so skilled, he convinces his listeners that he is 100% against the worst dishonesties in politics, public relations and propaganda. He tells you he wants to achieve enormous social good to provide a better understanding of how lying evolves. Now, add to it that he is self-deceived. Doesn’t his credibility implode? How could one possibly believe a word he says?
Brooks has the Yoda complex. So do McNally and Jackson. They believe they can look down on the rest of humanity from some exalted plane free of the evolutionary forces that afflict the rest of humanity. No; they need to climb down and join the world their imaginations have created. In the evolutionary world, there is no essential difference between cooperation and deception. It’s only a matter of which side is in the majority at the moment.
To see this, consider a majority of humans in a population that are self-deceived and believe that by giving magic Kool-Aid to the defectors, laced with cyanide, they will help them become cooperators. The few defectors in that situation who try to stop them would be perceived by the majority as the real liars and non-cooperators. By what standard would anyone in this Darwinian world know the difference between truth and lies?
Having no eternal standard of truth, the evolutionary world collapses into power struggles. The appeals by Brooks and Sam Harris to try to “resist our temptations to lie” are meaningless. How can anyone overcome what evolution has built into them? How can either of them know what is true?
Since all these evolutionists believe that lying evolved as a fitness strategy, and since they are unable to distinguish between truth and lies, they essentially confess to lying themselves. Their readers are therefore justified in considering them deceivers, and dismissing everything they say, including the notion that lying evolved.
An even stupider notion came out of the Association for Psychological Science. This is the evolutionary story that “political motivations may have evolutionary links to physical strength” (see also Science Daily with its photo of a guy flexing his bicep). A group of Darwine-drunk psychologists are trying to convince the world that “Men’s upper-body strength predicts their political opinions on economic redistribution.” According to them, “an evolutionary perspective may help to illuminate political motivations, at least those of men.” Strong men oppose redistribution of wealth, namby-pamby men and women support it, they claim. It’s not clear if they intended to impugn Obama’s masculinity this way, and those of all his staff, but it doesn’t really matter how many biceps they measured in their survey of political opinions. (Exercise: list exceptions to their “rule” from world history.) You know their whole premise is false from their comment, “This is among the first studies to show that political views may be rational in another sense, in that they’re designed by natural selection to function in the conditions recurrent over human evolutionary history.” OK, their point is? If physical strength is a measure of fitness “designed” by natural selection, then anti-redistributionism is a measure of fitness, too. Get the wimps out of the way! They’re impeding evolutionary progress. Isn’t “self-interest” the highest good in Darwinism? We won’t belabor the misconception of conservatism they presented, because they already defeated their credibility by calling natural selection “rational.” Readers are justified in dismissing everything these quacks say, too, if they had any inclination left to trust the word of “evolutionary psychologists” about anything.
School Issues Apology Over Assignment Asserting Evolution Opponents ‘Are Trying to Mislead You’
DELTONA, Fla. — Officials at a middle school in Florida have issued an apology after parents expressed concern over a science assignment that told students that evolution is not a theory and those who would believe otherwise “are trying to mislead you.”
According to reports, an unspecified number parents of students at Heritage Middle School complained after learning that their children had been given the assignment. They state that their concern is not so much that their child was introduced to evolution, but rather that the lesson was “taking the [incalculation] rights away from the parents.”
“[T]he hair on the back of my neck stood up,” parent Jennifer Flinchum told WKMG-TV.
“Next time someone tries to tell you that evolution is just a theory, as a way of dismissing it, as if it’s just something someone guessed at, remember that they’re using the non-scientific meaning of the word,” the lesson at issue reads.
If that person is a teacher, or minister, or some other figure of authority, they should know better,” it asserts. “In fact, they probably do, and are trying to mislead you.”
Following opposition from parents, Principal Thomas Vaughn wrote a letter to parents of all eighth grade students apologizing for the assignment and promising that the lesson would not be used again.
“Recently in 8th grade science assignment titled ‘Not just a theory,’ was distributed in an attempt to address current science standards for differentiating scientific theory and scientific law,” he wrote. “The reading does meet this criterion up until the last two sentences that state, ‘If that person is a teacher, or minister, or some other figure of authority, they should know better… In fact, they probably do, and are trying to mislead you.”
Upon this coming to our knowledge, the lesson had been retracted,” Vaughn continued. “In fact, please know that we apologize for this resource being used and take comfort knowing that it will not be used again. At no time, is it our place to interfere with authorities of household beliefs.”
http://christiannews.net/2015/09/26/school-issues-apology-over-assignment-asserting-evolution-opponents-are-trying-to-mislead-you/
Black War On White's A Black Student Told a White Teacher He Would Rape Her… What Happens Next Is Unrea
A Long Island high school teacher who was threatened with sexual assault by a student claims in a new lawsuit that she was retaliated against by school officials in Hempstead for reporting the vile threat to authorities.
Lynne Albuquerque, a science teacher, alleged the backlash was racially motivated because she is white.
The student and the school officials are black.
The student, identified in the suit only by his initials “N.L.,” allegedly threatened Albuquerque in the classroom on May 9, 2014.
“When I get done ramming you, I’m gonna bag your daughter, then ram the bitch through the whole gang,” N.L. said, according to the suit filed in Brooklyn Federal Court.
Albuquerque notified the school district, the police and the Nassau County district attorney’s office.
The student was suspended for three days, but the penalty was later reversed, Albuquerque’s lawyer Steven Morelli said.
Albuquerque was accused by a school administrator of instigating the incident. The teacher was slapped with disciplinary charges by Assistant Superintendent Rodney Gilmore relating to a workers’ compensation claim she filed for emotional trauma.
Gilmore did not return a call seeking comment.
“Certainly to bring her up on charges after everything that happened is reprehensible,” Morelli said Tuesday.
Albuquerque is the third white employee of the Hempstead Union Free School District to file a federal suit alleging racial discrimination by district officials, Morelli said.
“It seems to me there is a serious problem in the district when white teachers and administrators are subjected to unfair treatment,” Morelli said.
Albuquerque is described in the suit as a dedicated and effective teacher — every one of her students passed the state Regents exam in the 2014-2015 school year, the suit said.
http://conservativetribune.com/student-teacher-rape-is-unreal/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=TeaPartyNewsletter&utm_campaign=AM2&utm_content=2015-09-29
Monday, September 28, 2015
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Saturday, September 26, 2015
STUDENTS BOYCOTT, DESTROY NEWSPAPER THAT CRITICIZED AL Sharpton BLACK LIVES MATTER
A group of students at Wesleyan University are demanding “safe space” for students of color and declaring they intend to “dispose of” copies of the school newspaper found on campus until their demands are met. The demands arose after the paper ran an opinion piece critical of the Black Lives Matter movement last week.
Wesleyan student Bryan Stascavage wrote a piece titled “Why Black Lives Matter Isn’t What You Think,” which was published in the student newspaper, the Argus, last Monday. His piece offers comments from a police officer and also from a supporter of the BLM movement. Stascavage says he supports the movement’s goals but concludes, “It boils down to this for me: If vilification and denigration of the police force continues to be a significant portion of Black Lives Matter’s message, then I will not support the movement.”
Stascavage read the comments to his article, expecting it would create some discussion but was surprised the feedback instantly turned personal. He described what he was seeing to the Student Press Law Center, saying, “It wasn’t constructive. It was (that) I’m racist, I should never publish again.”
But the response to Stascavage wasn’t limited to the comments section of the newspaper. He estimates students took up to half of the 1,000-issue print run of the newspaper containing his opinion piece and destroyed it. One female student confronted Stascavage in a cafe. The argument became so heated that one of his friends was preparing to dial 911.
Without consulting Stascavage, the newspaper’s staff bowed to student pressure and published an obsequious front-page editorial, apologizing for the hurt feelings and suggesting that they had not properly fact-checked the opinion piece. The editorial stopped short of withdrawing the piece or saying it had been a mistake to publish it, but the tone was definitely one of retreat.
To his credit, University president Michael Roth took a tough stance in defense of free speech, even criticizing those who claimed to feel unsafe because of someone else’s published opinion:
Some students not only have expressed their disagreement with the op-ed but have demanded apologies, a retraction and have even harassed the author and the newspaper’s editors. Some are claiming that the op-ed was less speech than action: it caused harm and made people of color feel unsafe.
Debates can raise intense emotions, but that doesn’t mean that we should demand ideological conformity because people are made uncomfortable. As members of a university community, we always have the right to respond with our own opinions, but there is no right not to be offended. We certainly have no right to harass people because we don’t like their views. Censorship diminishes true diversity of thinking; vigorous debate enlivens and instructs.
So far, 167 students and some staff have signed a petition which threatens to boycott the newspaper (including destruction of its print run) until their demands are met. The group also wants all student funds cut off until the university creates a work/study position that would allow students to get credit for writing for the paper. Also, the group wants “once-per-semester Social Justice/Diversity training” and an open space on every front page dedicated to “marginalized groups/voices.” In the event the newspaper received no submission in a given week, it is to leave this space blank.
Michael Ortiz, a 17-year-old who signed the petition, told the Argus, “That the Argus chose to give this man somewhere to share his disrespectful opinion and to then have the Argus and its staff members defend the publication, hiding behind the argument of ‘well it’s not my opinion but he’s allowed to have it’ is frankly a great disappointment.” Ortiz added that the publication of the piece was “a silent agreement with its content, and a silent agreement to the all too prevalent belief that black [and] brown people do not deserve a voice, and that we are not worthy of respect.”
Paul Singley, President of the Connecticut Society for Professional Journalists, offered an opposing opinion in defense of free speech. He told the Argus, “I think it’s a dangerous thing when you have the people that are controlling your purse strings determining what kind of opinions you’re going to allow to be shared in your publication.” He added, “You shouldn’t be second guessing whether you should publish something that you certainly have the right to just because you’re going to lose funding. That’s an unhealthy situation.”
http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2015/09/24/students-boycott-destroy-newspaper-criticized-black-lives-matter/
Friday, September 25, 2015
PETA Files Copyright Suit on Behalf of Monkey?
You can’t find fifteen liberals to take a stand against Planned Parenthood, but when it comes to the rights of photography-inclined monkeys, watch out. The domestic terrorism organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals filed a lawsuit this week in federal court on behalf of Naruto the monkey, claiming he owns the copyright on “selfies” he took in 2011.
Do you ever wonder if you slipped into a comedic tragedy at some point? Like, surely this isn’t the real world, is it? Back on Original Earth, they’re facing serious issues, promoting common sense, and living in harmony with logic. Here on Bizzaro Earth, they’re arguing that boys can be girls, unborn humans aren’t humans, and monkeys are basically just people with alternative lifestyles.
Naruto, a rare macaque monkey who resides in Sulawesi, took the pictures with photographer David Slater’s camera. Absurdly, Slater actually thought he could take those pictures and sell them, clearly ignorant of the fact that he was living on Bizarro Earth. And PETA isn’t his only enemy. Even Wikipedia argues that since the monkey took the picture, they have the right to use the photo as they please without compensating Slater.
“The facts are that I was the intellect behind the photos, I set the whole thing up,” Slater said in response to the suit. “A monkey only pressed a button of a camera set up on a tripod — a tripod I positioned and held throughout the shoot.”
- See more at: http://www.fixthisnation.com/conservative-breaking-news/peta-files-copyright-suit-on-behalf-of-monkey/#sthash.zJ2LBFB0.dpuf
FEMINISTS VS FACTS & LOGIC: THIS IS GONNA GET UGLY Feminist Says Rape Allegations Should Be Believed Without Evidence You Mean Like, Sexual Abuse Cover Up at Planned Parenthood?
Live Action went undercover to document Planned Parenthood’s willingness to repeatedly violate mandatory reporting laws for statutory rape that protect children.
Results
Investigations found eight Planned Parenthood clinics in five different states were willing to cover-up sexual abuse, disregarding mandatory suspected statutory rape reporting laws. Clinics also provided instructions on how to circumvent parental consent laws.
Clinic Details:
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
Investigative Results from 2007: Planned Parenthood of Los Angeles Fails to Report Child Sexual Abuse Case, Violating State Law
Download the Videos
Live Action gives you permission to broadcast these videos as long as the content is used in a legal and accurate manner and with attribution to “LiveAction.org”. Right click on links and select “Save Link As” to save videos.
#2b: Is Indiana Planned Parenthood under-reporting Abortions?
#3: Minor Sexual Abuse Cover-up at Tucson, AZ Planned Parenthood
#3a: Misleading Counsel: Planned Parenthood of Arizona Falsely Says Abortion Images Are “Not Real”
#4: Minor Sexual Abuse Cover-up at Phoenix, AZ Planned Parenthood
#5: Memphis, TN Planned Parenthood Tells Minor Girl to Lie
#6: Minor Sexual Abuse Cover-up at Birmingham, AL Planned Parenthood
#7: Minor Sexual Abuse Cover-up at Milwaukee, WI Planned Parenthood
#8: Minor Sexual Abuse Cover-up at Louisville, KY EMW Surgical Center
#8b: False Medical Counsel at Louisville, KY EMW Surgical Center
#3: Minor Sexual Abuse Cover-up at Tucson, AZ Planned Parenthood
#3a: Misleading Counsel: Planned Parenthood of Arizona Falsely Says Abortion Images Are “Not Real”
#4: Minor Sexual Abuse Cover-up at Phoenix, AZ Planned Parenthood
#5: Memphis, TN Planned Parenthood Tells Minor Girl to Lie
#6: Minor Sexual Abuse Cover-up at Birmingham, AL Planned Parenthood
#7: Minor Sexual Abuse Cover-up at Milwaukee, WI Planned Parenthood
#8: Minor Sexual Abuse Cover-up at Louisville, KY EMW Surgical Center
#8b: False Medical Counsel at Louisville, KY EMW Surgical Center
Full Investigative Footage
Minor Sexual Abuse Cover-up at Indianapolis, IN Planned Parenthood
Memphis, TN Planned Parenthood Tells Minor Girl to Lie
Minor Sexual Abuse Cover-up at Milwaukee, WI Planned Parenthood
Minor Sexual Abuse Cover-up at Louisville, KY Planned Parenthood
False and Manipulative Abortion Counseling at Milwaukee, WI Planned Parenthood
Memphis, TN Planned Parenthood Tells Minor Girl to Lie
Minor Sexual Abuse Cover-up at Milwaukee, WI Planned Parenthood
Minor Sexual Abuse Cover-up at Louisville, KY Planned Parenthood
False and Manipulative Abortion Counseling at Milwaukee, WI Planned Parenthood
Bonus Material:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)