06/19/09

Next meeting posted.

Neal


05/28/09

Interesting case.

Jim Valentine, who I believe used to be associated
with MMAH, is involved in an American Atheist
lawsuit in KY. He is looking for any atheists
who have the time to take a ride out there and
show support for this separation of Church and State
issue. Details of the complaint can be found here:
http://www.atheists.org/upload/aavky.pdf

Neal


05/27/09

Woohoo!! There will be a meeting this month!
So late in the month didn't think it was going to
happen. =)

Anyway, if you haven't made plans for the
weekend, be there. I will post in events,
you can also find it here:
http://atheists.meetup.com/453/
Notice that we have a new venue
for the meeting.

New blog post if anyone cares:
http://mid-michiganatheistshumanists.blogspot.com
/2009/05/i-want-fucking-burger-with-my-atheism.html

or:
http://www.thinkatheist.com/profiles/blogs/
i-want-a-fucking-burger-with


Hope everyone has an awesome summer.

Neal



05/16/09

Nice to finally have the time to start
updating the site. Will be changing the
theme of the website over the next few
weeks constantly until I get a look that
the group enjoys. If anyone is really
attached to the old look, not a problem
going back to that theme.

Have started blogging on atheism, if
anyone is interested or would like to
be a guest blogger let me know. The
blog is at:
http://mid-michiganatheistshumanists.
blogspot.com/


Have also been experimenting with different
social networks, we have a group spot on "Think
Atheist" at:

http://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/
MidMichiganAtheistsHumanists

and my personal one at:
http://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/Neal

Heck, I've been everywhere, grabbed a name for
us on twitter:

http://twitter.com/MidMiAtheist
and my personal one:
http://twitter.com/Freethinking09.
Those are profiles, you need to start an
account with twitter if interested. After you
get yourself logged in you can "follow" the
MidMiAtheist or Freethinking09.

No meeting to post yet, hopefully soon. Hate
waiting to the last minute before that data
becomes available, especially since I am
always in the dog house for not posting the
meeting. You all know the drill, it will be the
last Sunday of the month.

Neal



04/26/2009

Busy guy, my apologies to all as usual.
Have been distracted by being pushed
into early retirement. Have been meeting
with congressmen, lawyers, union and
keeping a blog updated while the union
was canvassing to represent the workers
at my previous work place. Vote is done,
union won. A happy guy I am. I will be
able to spend more of my time updating
our sites and adding more features.

Next meeting is tonight at the Nuthouse.
I am familiar with the venue, should be nice.
Weekend easier to find parking, which is
the only problem with this location. Will
post in
Events on this site, also published
on Meetup at
http://atheists.meetup.com/453/

Neal



02/20/2009

Well, didn't post the January meeting.
We did have one though. February
meeting is now posted.


Neal



11/25/2008

Last meeting of the year now posted.

Neal



10/24/2008

Next meeting posted.

Neal



09/24/2008

Next meeting posted.

Neal



08/19/2008

Next meeting posted.

Neal



07/21/2008

Next meeting posted.

Technical difficulties, just back on line.

Neal



05/14/2008

Due to popular demand;

Meetings will be, once again, posted on this site.

Meetings are posted in events.

Neal



03/29/2008

Next meeting not posted.

Slacker I am. Didn't post last months meeting, just getting to tomorrow's.
Meetings published on the Meetup site, not sure if useful to publish here.

http://atheists.meetup.com/453/calendar/7536027/

Neal



01/16/2008
Next meeting posted.

The Rational Response debate is posted under atheist videos if anyone wants a sneak preview.

Another excellent debate on nightline also posted.

Neal



01/09/2008

Back from vacation.

Removed the rant and replaced it with one of our members thoughts on atheism

Atheism means Freedom
Free from ancient mythologies
Free from fearful superstitions and curses
Free from the shackles of repetitious rituals


No more antiquated books of fables
No sky fairy looking down upon me
No wrath of a jealous god watching me
Harshly judging me
ready to condemn me
ready to torture me
ready to cast me into the eternal lake of fire


I am free from fear
Free from the fear of a supernatural world
occupied by devils and demons
Free from the blindness of faith


I hold the power and control
This is my destiny
my decisions
my choice
my life


Free to think
to question
to inquire
to discover
Free to be real
Most importantly
I am free
to be ME!


Enjoy the New Year.

Neal



10/18/2007
Hello once again,

Next meeting posted.

Blog site is useable, will start posting as time allows.

Also added a page on
Global warming, Have the facts before the next meeting.

Neal


9/07/2007

Hi all,

Next meeting is posted.

This is the address of another Mid Michigan Atheists and Humanists site set up by one of our members.(Disregard, doesn't work. Different address, will post).

You can sign up for group emails on the yahoo site, the meetup.com site, or both.

Neal



08/15/2007

Next meeting posted.



08/12/2007

Back in the saddle again...

My apologies for not keeping the site updated, busy guy once in a while. This week will be updating. New content and links will be added. Changing servers in the next couple of weeks. Blogs and podcasts will be added after the switch. Anyone wishing to have their thoughts published, please email me.

Neal


05/30/2007

Next meeting posted.

Back from Virginia, will be updating the site over the next week, any suggestions you have, send them in.


05/19/2007

Next meeting posted.



04/28/2007
Next meeting posted.



03/23/2007
Next meeting posted.



02/11/2007

Next meeting posted.

New letters from our religious friends.



01/10/2007

As you can tell, the site is being updated.

Next meeting posted in
events.

Check out John Bice's blog for updates on his new book.

21st



12/08/2006

Solstice celebration posted

Behind in updating the site, hopefully this weekend.


10/13/2006

Meeting time again.
Posted in events.

New letters from the local yokels.


09/14/2006

Hi all,

Next meeting posted, see you all there.


08/21/2006

Next meeting posted.


07/27/2006

Updates,

Group photo located on the Photos page

Essay page ready for your input

Media page deleted

Neal


07/20/2006

Updates,

Next meeting posted in events.

Essay page for those who would like to express their thoughts.

Neal






Welcome! For those who know that the separation of church and state is constitutional, that science is not faith, that reason does prevail in moral debate - you’ve found friends.



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Carl Sagan



The following are suggested as tools for testing arguments and detecting fallacious or fraudulent arguments:

* Wherever possible there must be independent confirmation of the facts
* Encourage substantive debate on the evidence by knowledgeable proponents of all points of view.
* Arguments from authority carry little weight (in science there are no "authorities").
* Spin more than one hypothesis - don't simply run with the first idea that caught your fancy.
* Try not to get overly attached to a hypothesis just because it's yours.
* Quantify, wherever possible.
* If there is a chain of argument every link in the chain must work.
* "Occam's razor" - if there are two hypothesis that explain the data equally well choose the simpler.
* Ask whether the hypothesis can, at least in principle, be falsified (shown to be false by some unambiguous test). In other words, it is testable? Can others duplicate the experiment and get the same result?

Additional issues are

* Conduct control experiments - especially "double blind" experiments where the person taking measurements is not aware of the test and control subjects.
* Check for confounding factors - separate the variables.

Common fallacies of logic and rhetoric

* Ad hominem - attacking the arguer and not the argument.
* Argument from "authority".
* Argument from adverse consequences (putting pressure on the decision maker by pointing out dire consequences of an "unfavourable" decision).
* Appeal to ignorance (absence of evidence is not evidence of absence).
* Special pleading (typically referring to god's will).
* Begging the question (assuming an answer in the way the question is phrased).
* Observational selection (counting the hits and forgetting the misses).
* Statistics of small numbers (such as drawing conclusions from inadequate sample sizes).
* Misunderstanding the nature of statistics (President Eisenhower expressing astonishment and alarm on discovering that fully half of all Americans have below average intelligence!)
* Inconsistency (e.g. military expenditures based on worst case scenarios but scientific projections on environmental dangers thriftily ignored because they are not "proved").
* Non sequitur - "it does not follow" - the logic falls down.
* Post hoc, ergo propter hoc - "it happened after so it was caused by" - confusion of cause and effect.
* Meaningless question ("what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object?).
* Excluded middle - considering only the two extremes in a range of possibilities (making the "other side" look worse than it really is).
* Short-term v. long-term - a subset of excluded middle ("why pursue fundamental science when we have so huge a budget deficit?").
* Slippery slope - a subset of excluded middle - unwarranted extrapolation of the effects (give an inch and they will take a mile).
* Confusion of correlation and causation.
* Straw man - caricaturing (or stereotyping) a position to make it easier to attack..
* Suppressed evidence or half-truths.
* Weasel words - for example, use of euphemisms for war such as "police action" to get around limitations on Presidential powers. "An important art of politicians is to find new names for institutions which under old names have become odious to the public"