My most recent piece for Skeptical Inquirer, “Fate: Inventing Reasons for the Things that Happen,” is up on the website of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. I report on some interesting recent research showing that—from an early age—we have a tendency to think that objects were designed for a purpose and events happen for a reason. All of which poses a challenge for the promotion of scientific thinking.
I recently had the privilege of being a guest on the “Science Enthusiast” podcast. My illustrious former student Natalie Newell is one of the hosts. She is also the creator of the Science Moms Facebook page and—with her husband Brian Newell—the forthcoming documentary film, Science Moms. It was wonderful being on the show, and I am so excited about all the new projects that Natalie and her colleagues are launching.
Finally, I traveled to the 2016 Reason Rally on June 4 in Washington DC, and I commemorated the event with a new piece in Medium called “Listen to the Weirdos on the Mall.” In it I reminisce about my past trips to large gatherings on the National Mall.
That’s all for now.
SV