Brute Reason

LATEST ARTICLES ( 570 )

• Viewing History Skeptically: On Shifting Cultural Assumptions and Attitudes

  I’ve been reading Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers, Lillian Faderman’s sweeping social history of lesbians in 20th century America (this is the sort of thing I do... Read more

  Posted on 24 March 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• How (Not) to Respond When People Change Their Minds

  I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the process of changing one’s mind. For those of us who like to try to persuade people, it’s important to think about... Read more

  Posted on 20 March 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• Come to Skeptech on April 5-7!

  As I’ve mentioned previously, I’m going to a new student conference in at the University of Minnesota this April. It’s called Skeptech and it’s being organized... Read more

  Posted on 18 March 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• More About Justice and Less About Revenge: On Reading the Steubenville Coverage...

  [Content note: sexual assault]I don’t want to hear anything more about the “ruined futures” of Trent Mays and Ma’lik Richmond. The verdict did not ruin their... Read more

  Posted on 17 March 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• Does Telling People to “Think Positive” Actually Help? An Informal Survey and...

  Positive thinking is the bane of my existence. Not because I can’t do it, but because I’ve so often been exhorted to do it in the most unhelpful of ways. Read more

  Posted on 14 March 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• On “Sincerely Held Religious Beliefs” and Being a Counselor

  Via JT, here’s a new bill that recently passed in the Tennessee State Senate Education Committee by a 7-2 vote:Republican state Sen. Read more

  Posted on 12 March 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• Stop Hating On Female Condoms For No Real Reason

  

  Every time I do this I feel like I’m a really lazy blogger who’s just going for the low-hanging fruit*, but I feel compelled to once again criticize a Jezebel... Read more

  Posted on 12 March 2013 LOVE & SEX, SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• Occasional Link Roundup

  First, updates from Miri’s Grad School Saga: it’s over! I’m going to Columbia University next year, which means my very very long-awaited move to New York City... Read more

  Posted on 11 March 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• Blaming Everything On Mental Illness

  The Associated Press has revised their AP Stylebook, the guide that most journalists use to standardize their writing, to include an entry on mental illness. Read more

  Posted on 09 March 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• [Liveblog] Real World Atheism Panel at DePaul University

  In a little under two hours, my friend Andrew Tripp and his student group, the DePaul Alliance for Free Thought, is hosting a fantastic panel called Real World... Read more

  Posted on 08 March 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• Totally Unsolicited Advice For Feminist Guys

  Jezebel has a pretty good piece up about feminist men and what “we” (by which I take it the author means feminist women) want from them. Read more

  Posted on 06 March 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• [guest Post] Sorry, You Don’t Own Marriage

  My friend Seth, who’s becoming somewhat of a regular around here, returns with some observations about the same-sex marriage “debate” (if you could call it... Read more

  Posted on 28 February 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• “We Saw Your Boobs” and Distorted Views of Female Sexuality

  I’ll leave it to others to thoroughly excoriate Seth MacFarlane’s performance at the Oscars. What I want to address specifically is his gloating “We Saw Your... Read more

  Posted on 28 February 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• Is It Wrong To Help Someone Cheat?

  A while ago, a great blog called Polyskeptic had a post about the ethics of helping someone else cheat. Dan Savage had said on an episode of his podcast that... Read more

  Posted on 25 February 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• Teachers Can Be Bullies, Too

  [Content note: bullying]There’s a beautiful video that’s been making the rounds on the internet. It’s an animated version of a spoken word piece called “To... Read more

  Posted on 22 February 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• Occasional Link Roundup

  First of all, news! Thanks to the incredible generosity of Marcus Ranum, a frequent commenter on FtB, I’m going to Women in Secularism 2 for free! If you’re... Read more

  Posted on 20 February 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• “Consent Is Sexy” Is Useful But Also Kind Of Gross

  

  Credit: Take Back The Night at Boston UniversityI’m at the University of Chicago’s Sex Week, where I’ve seen a bunch of great talks, including one by Cliff... Read more

  Posted on 17 February 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• I Really Strongly Dislike Valentine’s Day!

  

  The only good thing about VDay: condom roses.Hey everyone! I’m going to poop on your parade. Don’t worry, I’ll be cheerful about it. Read more

  Posted on 14 February 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• [Forward Thinking] What Would You Tell Teenagers About Sex?

  

  Libby Anne and Dan Fincke are doing this cool thing called Forward Thinking where people blog about values. This week’s question is, what would you tell... Read more

  Posted on 08 February 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• [in Brief] On Instagram and Elitism

  

  My Instagram of snow falling on my campus today. Haters gonna hate.I think what bothers me most about the snarking and condescension people often express about... Read more

  Posted on 08 February 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES