I think today's xkcd describes my feelings on life pretty well.

Science is often criticized for not being able to address the supernatural. It is argued that by adhering to methodological materialism that we automatically preclude supernatural explanations. Some people see this as a weakness of science and argue that this blind spot gives religion some value in explaining our world. I believe that by looking at the concept of the supernatural that one can come to the conclusion that it is not a weakness for science at all. And even that it is largely irrelevant.

For something to be supernatural it must be outside of our world. Angels and demons and God are supernatural because most people see them as inhabiting a sphere of existence separate from our mundane physical reality. In other words, they are beyond nature, hence “super”natural.

I would argue that anything that acts on our world must be a part of our world, or at the very least become part of our world to have any impact. Therefore, anything that is truly supernatural would not be able to affect our world. How can something that is outside of nature have an effect on nature? Anything that can act on or in our world is therefore natural in origin and is therefore a valid target for scientific inquiry. If God exists and can affect our world then God must be natural, or at least have some natural component which means that science is perfectly capable of exploring the nature of God. If God exists and is truly supernatural, and thus beyond science’s grasp, then God cannot have an impact on our world. In which case God may as well not exist for all the difference it makes.

This lovely little quote comes from an official from the Catholic Church talking about the excommunication of a 9-year old Brazilian girl for getting an abortion after being raped by her stepfather (who was incidentally not excommunicated).

"'We have laws, we have a discipline, we have a doctrine of the faith,' the official says. 'This is not just theory. And you can't start backpedaling just because the real-life situation carries a certain human weight.'"

The Catholic Church has reached a point where I am willing to call the institution actively malicious. The Pope should no longer have any moral weight in the world and his teachings should be actively scorned.

And Bill Donohue can quote me on that.

The post I mentioned will have to wait till tomorrow. I was dragged out on a boat earlier today and am shortly going to be dragged out to a bar/bars, so it simply is not going to get typed up.

So I just got back from a week of camping, which I don't think I ever mentioned here, but whatever.

Anyway, I check my voice-mail and discovered that I did not get the job in Little Falls (which I also don't think I mentioned on here) where it was down to just me and another person. And yet they liked me so much that they tried to figure out how to create another position so they could "bring me on board." This idea was of course not gonna fly with the BOE in a budget crisis year, so the upshot is that I'm still unemployed...

Also I finally wrote a short bit on the supernatural I've been meaning to write for a long time while I was back in the woods. I'll slap it up here tomorrow at some point.

PZ shares an example of why science journalism is not well regarded by most scientists.

I think it is somewhat indicative of the sorry state of journalism overall too.

This is more for my own reference than anything else, but is likely a good read for the science-minded.

"You will not generate new Sagans by insisting on deference. You will not change a culture with a declining appreciation of science by demanding that scientists respect the beliefs of people who despise science the most."

Apparently Daniel Radcliffe is an atheist.

I don't need anymore similarities with this kid. I hear enough about Harry Potter from students as it is...

Totally did not see that coming.

I think this is the nearly the best thing Palin could do right now from a Democrats perspective. If she tries to run for President in 2012 she is going to find this move extremely hard to justify.

I don't even begin to understand where this is coming from. It's such a bizarre move, right up there with Gov. Sanford not resigning...

Study finds that we show less empathy for individuals in different social groups.

I'll be honest. I didn't read the article. The headline just makes me go "Well, duh."

Next on the agenda: scientists to determine if rain is wet.