Dec 14 2011

Who is your favorite skeptic?

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It’s an online awards thing that is accepting nominations and votes online — another online poll, in other words. I always feel brutish and clumsy around these phenomena, so it is with trepidation that I mention the The Skeptic Awards 2011 — it’s a poll for a good cause, increasing skepticism, and it’s one I’d rather not damage. You’ll vote your conscience, right?

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20 comments

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1

Glen Davidson

14 December 2011 at 10:49 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Can’t announce it without influencing it, can’t refuse to announce it, either.

Glen Davidson
2

Marcus Ranum

14 December 2011 at 10:51 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

One would think that skeptics would know better than to have an online poll regarding skepticism…

Sextus Empiricus FTW!
3

michaelcarson

14 December 2011 at 11:00 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

ah. nope.
4

Dick the Damned

14 December 2011 at 11:03 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

How about the Pope, the chief Rabbi, the head Ayatollah, the Dalai Lama, ….? They’re all skeptics, some of the time. Nahhhhhh. I guess those goobers don’t really qualify.
5

Emrysmyrddin

14 December 2011 at 11:30 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Sorry, PZ, I have to go with some UK bloggers and podcasters – you’re famous enough, my dear :)
6

crocswsocks

14 December 2011 at 11:34 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

“Conscience”?
7

Dave, the Kwisatz Haderach

14 December 2011 at 11:46 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I did vote my conscience, and I voted Pharyngula. I’m not just being a loyal member of the horde, this blog has easily been my top most visited this year. Sorry PZ, it isn’t just your brilliant posts and magnificent facial hair, its the community and the commenters here as well.
8

a3kr0n

14 December 2011 at 11:46 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I’ll have to do this later at home. They want you to work at this thing!
9

Brownian

14 December 2011 at 1:59 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

You’ll vote your conscience, right?

What have I ever done to give you idea that I have one, PZ?
10

Zugswang

14 December 2011 at 2:27 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I nominated Skepchick, for unwittingly, but quite necessarily, bringing an unpleasant fact into the light – a misguided sense of privilege that persists amongst some skeptics, and being the impetus for widespread introspection on this issue.
11

PZ Myers

14 December 2011 at 2:34 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Don’t apologize! I tried hard to make it clear that I’m not dispatching a mob of minions to exercise my will on this poll.

I actually voted for Skepchick, too.
12

celeste

14 December 2011 at 2:43 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Normally you would have my vote, but this year JT Eberhard tackled mental health AND polyamory…just wow.

(I feel like a bad little lurker though. You’ll get the next vote, I promise!)
13

Abbot nigelTheBold of the Hoppist Monks

14 December 2011 at 2:53 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I cannot vote, as I am my favorite skeptic.

Maybe I can vote for my second favorite, though.
14

Rey Fox

14 December 2011 at 3:05 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

The Man in the Shack.
15

sansscience

14 December 2011 at 7:48 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I went over to the Skeptic Awards website and was looking at the cartoons across the top banner when I noticed that they are all male. I don’t know why this is, eg that as a society we’re more inclined to put men up on a pedestal and make them famous, or that women are less likely to put themselves forward. I don’t know. I’m not normally a whinging feminist or anything, it just seems a bit wrong that 8/8 people who represent ‘pursuing truth through reason and evidence’ are male; is there not even one female who fits this description?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/dec/04/why-british-public-life-dominated-men
16

macallan

14 December 2011 at 8:10 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I’m an atheist, what’s this ‘conscience’ you mentioned? :p
17

Classical Cipher, Murmur Muris, OM

14 December 2011 at 9:03 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Voted for skepchick.

I’m not normally a whinging feminist or anything,

You can fuck off.
18

sansscience

15 December 2011 at 2:53 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Yeah, poor hasty choice of words. And thank you for so politely pointing that out. I guess I was just being a bit defensive – in my otherwise egalitarian workplace there’s one thing likely to provoke a disagreement, that will split along gender lines, and it’s the suggestion of inequality for women in science careers. Just a couple of weeks ago at our work christmas party, I and another young woman got stuck in an argument for an hour with our boss for having the audacity to think even using the word ‘feminist’ was okay. And as for the whinging thing – well in Australia complaining equates to the heinous crime of ‘whinging’ (see whinging pom) and some people seem to have a massive hang-up about Germaine Greer – I would never normally dare use the word feminist for fear of having my head bitten off, so, sorry I was defensive, no offense meant.

Oh, and fyi I did vote for a woman – http://www.melbourneskeptics.com.au/past-events/melbourne-skeptics-in-the-pub-june-2011-featuring-dr-rachael-dunlop/
19

ariamezzo

15 December 2011 at 9:43 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

All those heads are men? James Randi is the only one I recognize, but I thought the 5th person was a woman.
20

StevoR

15 December 2011 at 10:19 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

FWIW, for me its a tie between Isaac Asimov & Carl Sagan for my all-time favourite skeptics and for living ones, well, PZ Myers and Phil Plait with Randi (who I’ve heard of more than seen / read directly) in third place.