Category: Psychology

The issue of the dark triad in the debates over design — the danger of cossetting an asp of evolutionary materialism-driven cold, manipulative narcissism, machiavellianism and sociopathy from Alcibiades to today

“Cool” is often presented as the iconic, somewhat glamorous state of being calm, collected, in control.  It is often viewed as highly desirable, sexy, balanced, stylish, just plain “right.” Oh, soo, desirable . . . But, beneath the surface of “cool,” there too often lurks a reptilian coldly amoral ferocity that marks all the difference… more

Hard left trend of social psychologists now documented

The critical problem isn’t just the ideology. It is the huge amount of outright fraud that has plagued the discipline in recent years – in part as a direct result. more

Psychology association – target of a bunk watch, no less! – fronts politics as “brain wiring”

So, if voters are losing their jobs because of government decisions, the best way to understand their response is to theorize about neuroscience findings? Hither, bunkwatch! more

Trying to understand the psychology of fraud

” … a bigger puzzle remains: How did Toby’s fraud spread? How did a lie on a mortgage application balloon into a $7 million fraud?” more

Researchers claim: Atheists confronting death become more receptive to religious belief

Maybe this will make some atheists think twice about setting much store by these kinds of studies. more

Yale historian: Materialist cognitive scientist Steven Pinker’s book is “unscientific”

“He provides horrifying descriptions of premodern killings, but not of their modern counterparts, which generates a certain narrative bias.” more

How can we end the scandals in science if we misrepresent their cause?

We are awash in attention-getting studies claiming all kinds of rubbish. more

Was Norway shooter a Social Darwinian terrorist?

Breivik instead hails Charles Darwin, whose evolutionary theories stand in contrast to the claims of the Bible, and affirms: “As for the Church and science, it is essential that science takes an undisputed precedence over biblical teachings.

[Note: Also, the Finnish school shooter and the Columbine shooters attributed their actions to Darwinism. Barry Arrington here was the lawyer for the Columbine victims and … more

How ID sheds light on the classic free will dilemma

The standard argument against free will is that it is incoherent.  It claims that a free agent must either be determined or non-determined.  If the free agent is determined, then it cannot be responsible for its choices.  On the other hand, if it is non-determined, then its choices are random and uncontrolled.  Neither case preserves… more

Coffee!! Human nature vs The Experts

Remember this as you direct your aid dollar wisely: Are there really more than a billion people going to bed hungry each night? Our research on this question has taken us to rural villages and teeming urban slums around the world, collecting data and speaking with poor people about what they eat and what else… more

Does Good come from God II – Harris vs Lane

The debate: Does Good Come From God II by Sam Harris vs William Lane Harris 7 April 2011 at Notre Dame is now on YouTube. Part 1 of 9 – Harris vs Craig – Does Good Come From God more

Psychologist: Human freedom holds up to scientific scrutiny

In “Jules Evans on Neuroscience and Polytheism”, psychologist Evansoffers that we can make too much of claims that humans are ruled by unconscious motives (April 6, 2011). Such a claim forms a basis for “neurolaw” and “neuromarketing” ( also here (law and marketing as if you didn’t really exist). He notes, The ancients’ idea that… more

From Theories, Inc. You only favour ID because you are afraid to die! (And we, your Darwinist superiors, can just make stuff up with impunity)

Well some profs say, in this recent academic push poll (“Death Anxiety Prompts People to Believe in Intelligent Design, Reject Evolution, Study Suggests,” ScienceDaily, March 30, 2011). They did an experiment that they say demonstrates it: Researchers at the University of British Columbia and Union College (Schenectady, N.Y.) have found that people’s death anxiety can… more

Freud and Darwin II

I was originally going to post this as a response to David Coppedge’s post, but it got too long. The relationship between Freud and Darwin – both intellectually and institutionally – is more complicated than has been suggested here. Although Freud had top-notch academic credentials, his career was always that of an outsider, whose main… more

Freud down, Darwin next?

Sigmund Freud had immeasurable impact on modern culture.  Along with Marx and Darwin, he was one of the great modern thinkers, whose “science” of psychology and treatment, psychoanalysis, defined modern concepts of human nature for generations.  His theories (based largely on Darwinism) brought new words into popular vocabulary–id, ego, super-ego, the unconscious.  His ideas influenced… more

SETI Gets New Toys!

Quest to find life beyond Earth gets technological boosts By Andrea Pitzer, Special for USA TODAY 8/19/09 The search for intelligent life in the universe is still on. Despite the absence of interstellar tourists to date, astronomers at the SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) are hoping that we are not alone. And with new… more

Correlation does not imply causation unless Darwin is involved

You have probably heard the saying, “correlation does not imply causation.” In other words, just because two things are associated, it does not mean that one causes the other. Perhaps this time-honored standard of scientific investigation should be amended based on what is often practiced by Darwinists. I propose, “correlation and Darwinian storytelling imply causation.”… more