Written: 07-12-1996
I have set up and maintain "Jay The Obscure's Page O' Reason" as my own little attempt to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the World Wide Web(WWW). What I mean by this is the following.
Here on the WWW, as well as on other media, there is a growing preponderance of pseudoscience, antiscience, quackery and utter nonsense masquerading as science, or at least trying to don a veneer of science's authority and respectability. The most common example of one of these pseudosciences is Creation Science (an oxymoron if ever there was one).
To help oppose the advance of this nonsense, I plan to maintain links to interesting and informative web sites; write and post my own essays on various scientific, philosophical and political subjects; maintain recommended reading lists and reviews of books and other media; and generally do what I can to advance the cause of science, logic and reason as well as combat the advance of nonsense, pseudoscientific and otherwise.
So you know where I stand let me state at the outset the following. I am a Secular Humanist and an Atheist. I find the scientific evidence for evolution sufficiently compelling that I believe to withhold acceptance of it would be irrational. I feel that science, logic and reason are the greatest tools we humans have ever created based on the many magnificent things they have enabled us to accomplish. I dislike illogical arguments on serious subjects of great importance. I thoroughly despise people who continue to use a logically fallacious argument after the fallacy has been pointed out to them. I consider such to be intellectual dishonesty, which is one of the greatest sins in my personal lexicon (right up there with ad hominem arguments). I enjoy reasoned, intelligent discussions (one of the things I'm hoping to get out of this web page are some interesting e-mail exchanges).
In closing, let me recommend that anyone who does want to start a discussion with me first read the information in the Talk.Origins Archive (there is a link to it on my Reason page), especially if you plan to take an opposing view. Anyone who throws FRN (Frequently Refuted Nonsense) at me that is shown false in the Talk.Origins FAQs(Frequently Asked Questions) will be referred back to the relevant FAQ if I'm feeling charitable or simply ignored if I'm not.
Thank you for your time and happy reasoning!
-Jay The Obscure