The essays which follow are exercises of our rational nature.  They also disabuse certain all too common errors in factual foundations and logical inference.  Taken as a whole, the articles contain a scientific explanation of the Nature of Things (as understood by the Greek atomist school of philosophy).

The reference to Socrates (below the title "ENLIGHTENMENT") alludes to his assertion--according to Plato--that the God Apollo required of Socrates that he teach the citizens of Athens to know themselves.  Philosophy lies at its core. The Greek philosophers of all schools shared a vision of the ideal citizen. California Skeptics feel that Apollo is looking over our shoulders.

WHY BOTHER?

You probable wonder why I have done this.  There is the psychological answer:  I like working on this site because of intellectual pleasures and the relief of boredom; viz., I get more reinforcements from this activity than others for approximately 20 hours per week.  And there is the conceptual answer:  the combination of the fulfillment of the utilitarian imperative of doing the greatest good, and Hope (the chance that this would lead to something bigger).  I am unloading years of learning and paper collecting.  I am driven by the urge to arrive at the best conclusion based upon the evidence.  Nearly all that I have pasted is for the sake of helping both you and me rise above our animal side and become logical.  Secondly, it is to prmote ataraxia, read (Love of all things as foundation for happiness).  The Greek philosophers held that the quite enjoyment from a mind that is at peace and delights iin studies is an important part of living the good life--elements of ataraxia.  I started this pursuit again of the academic once the 6-year break pot smoking break, which ended in 1976 with my enrollment again in college (I had completed 2-years of graduate school in 1970). 

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# 125 The Crash On the economic collapse of 2008

#106 Economics, #119 Economic Developments  #121 Economics the Dismal Science #111  World Trade Organization A,      #116 OIL A

Notice what has happened to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), this is because the Federal Reserve and particular and the financial community in general defacto control our economy.  Our government prints money for the banks to loan out (their principle source of income).  Printing money causes inflation, and it also caused this and the last depression.  Debt payments are the 2nd largest item in the federal budget (over $400 billion).  Our Federal Reserve System was modeled on those in Europe, which is why the economic collapse is world wide.  One cannot understand U.S. government’s relationship with the business-banking sectors, or U.S. foreign policy without understanding the role of the Federal Reserve and other national-banking systems.  They are the foundation of the 3-headed Hydra, the IMF, WTO and World Bank.  To learn more on banking http://www.freedocumentaries.org/film.php?id=214.

This is where skeptically.org began, March of 01.  With the encouragement of Alan Peters the site /enlightenment was born.  The articles here expose the major common fallacies:  that the world is better for religion, that there is a beneficent Creator, that the laws physics (and nature) prove divine design, that the ancient Hebrews were in Egypt, that there is historical and reliable  (independent of religious writings) information on the lives of Mohammed and Jesus Christ, that the U.S. criminal justice system upholds the Bill of Rights (sound principles of jurisprudence), that our political-economic system is a blessing, and the benefits of big PHARMA.   Other sites in the skeptically.org family expand the issues raised in enlightenment and others branch out into the critical examination alternative medicine (including chiropractics),  psychic phenomena, mind based psychology and psychiatry, the performance of our president and legislature, economics, nuclear bombs and the Iraq war, & the war on drugs--to name the principal.  A large portion is a resource in religious studies with many ancient works and modern critical works.  To increase the number of visitors, there are several art works on each home page, a section of cartoons, and many, many links to other sites.

The skeptic is one who judges all things according to the evidence.  The common herd affirms many things to a degree well beyond what the evidence supports; and conversely doubts that which is worthy of greater affirmation.  The humanistic skeptic applies a second measure, that of  harm resulting from such beliefs.  Issues of economics and politics, of religion, quackery and corporate medicine, and of imprudent behavior top the harm done list.   Education and scientific psychology are gateways to following the dictates of reason.