I’m not impartial

Since I just made a defense of humanism, I should be upfront about my stake, since I did get recognized a few weeks ago by the International Humanist and Ethical Union. And as long as I’m mentioning my own award, I should also name all the other people who were also commended by the IHEU.

The Nordic Rainbow Humanists award was given to George Thindwa, who has been fighting for LGBT rights in Malawi against unbelievable bigotry and hatred.

There were several 2011 IHEU awards.

The Distinguished Service award was given to:

  • VB Rawat, who has been a leader in India fighting for social justice, working to bring aid to the poor and those afflicted by catastrophe, and who has been opposing the caste system.

  • Narendra Nayak, a tireless promoter of skepticism and science in India, who has worked to expose psychics and magic workers.

  • David Pollock has been an active secularist and editor of the New Humanist magazine, and has been a leader in the British Humanist Association in working for humanist social policies.

The International Humanist award was given to:

  • Sophie in’t Veld is the vice-chair of the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, who has been a great supporter of women’s and LGBT rights.

  • PZ Myers, some guy with a blog.

One of these things is not like the others…

Into the maelstrom

Today is the day I get together with all of my new advisees and tell them how to survive the next four years.

Tomorrow, the new semester begins — once again, I’ve got an 8am course to teach on developmental neurobiology.

The madness begins.

But at least this year I’ve got a new tie!

i-aa6f945253fb8823e7fd0595f87d5f47-newtie.jpeg

(Also on FtB)

Into the maelstrom

Today is the day I get together with all of my new advisees and tell them how to survive the next four years.

Tomorrow, the new semester begins — once again, I’ve got an 8am course to teach on developmental neurobiology.

The madness begins.

But at least this year I’ve got a new tie!

(Also on Sb)

It’s so…sniny…

So I’m at this humanist conference in Oslo, and I’m having a good time at the delicious dinner with musical accompaniment at the Oslo Opera House, when they start giving out awards to all these fabulously accomplished people who have don so much to advance the cause, when they name me. It was a complete surprise and for a moment I was sure this was a joke, but there it is, it’s even got my name etched on it.

I’m the International Humanist of 2011.

How unexpected!

Now if only I were somewhat less discombobulated right now…the several glasses of wine at dinner didn’t help, either.

I’ve known for years that Norwegians are beautiful and talented

I married one, after all. But do they have to flaunt it so? This is the monumental statuary in front of my hotel here in Oslo.

I wonder how long a similar statue would last in the US?

And yes, I have arrived, I’m ensconced in a nice hotel, I even had time to go to dinner with an international cast of humanist heroes, which was awesome. But now it’s sinking in that I haven’t slept in about 30 hours. I should do something about that right now. I have to give a talk tomorrow!

I get email

Mr. Lambertsen wishes to reopen a prior conversation.

Dear Mr. Myers:

Inasmuch as…

1. The theoretical analyses of Kaila and Annila (Proceedings of the Royal Society A, vol. 464, 3055-3070, 2008) and Karnani, Pääkkönen, and Annila (Proceedings of the Royal Society A, vol. 465:2155-2175, 2009); and

2. The empirical findings of Goldbogen, Calambokidis, Oleson, Potvin, Pyenson, Schorr and Shadwick (Journal of Experimental Biology, vol. 214, 131-146, 2011)

all corroborate my 2007 theory that, in its most general form, natural selection works diametrically in opposition to the argument codied by the Principle of Least Action,

would you be so kind as to publish a retraction, if not an apology, for your [offensive and self-serving] blog titled “Word Salad — with Math?”

Without delay?

The favor of a prompt reply is requested.

Kindest regards,

R. H. Lambertsen, Ph.D., V.M.D.

Dear Mr. Lambertsen:

I took the trouble of looking up the papers you recommended, Natural selection for least action, The physical character of information, and Mechanics, hydrodynamics and energetics of blue whale lunge feeding: efficiency dependence on krill density, and alas, while I can see how they are relevant to fragments of formulae in your thesis, they don’t in any way support the whole. In particular, they don’t explain how the evolution of the craniomandibular articulation in baleen whales was the enabling mutation that permitted the occurrence of free will, what this has to do with Einstein’s special theory of relativity, the significance of the death of the largest blue whale known on 20 March 1947, and how you tie all these disparate observations into the conclusion that humanity is about to undergo a speciation event. I looked in particular in the paper on lunge feeding for evidence that George W. Bush stole your driver’s license, as you claimed in your paper, to no avail.

Given these deficiencies in your sources, I feel no need to retract my original blog post, Word salad, with math, let alone apologize for it.

I must also point out that your paper lacked a legend, or even a reference in the text, for this climactic figure, which I’m sure must explain everything. Your recent paper recommendations do nothing to enlighten me, either. It’s rather symptomatic; perhaps if you stepped back from your work and looked at it with a more critical eye, you might notice that it looks like an incoherent splatter of manic non sequiturs and random regurgitations of mathematical formulae, all spruced up with colorful charts that don’t actually contribute to the substance.

I would like to do you the courtesy of suggesting a reference for you, in that esteemed source, Wikipedia: it’s called the Streisand Effect.

With swift reply and the greatest concern for your health,

P.Z. Myers, Ph.D.