Richard Carrier Blogs

Two new blogs have launched at FtB over the past few weeks and as usual they are fascinating additions. (FTB’s front page has also been cleaned up a bit–more improvements to come).

The Indelible Stamp by Tauriq Moosa [that's TAR-rik, not tar-REEK] surveys culture and ethics from an international atheist perspective, touching on all manner of issues in the area of “practical ethics, focusing on subjects like free expression, killing, sex, and religion in public life.” See So It Begins and On the Blog’s Name, and his bio at BigThink. He is currently a tutor in ethics, bioethics and critical thinking at the University of Cape Town, South Africa while pursuing a graduate degree at Stellenbosch University. His bio here says it all:

Tauriq Moosa writes on ethical matters in the news. He writes a regular blog at BigThink.com [Against the New Taboo] on so-called “taboo” issues, like incest, infanticide and cannibalism, examining whether evidence matches outrage. He has tutored bioethics and critical thinking. His writing has appeared in io9, New Humanist, Skeptic, Free Inquiry, and 3QuarksDaily.com. He has been recommended by The New Yorker, The New York Times Opinionator, and the Huffington Post. He debated Desmond Tutu for a BBC documentary, but lost due to a cup-cake interception. He hates dolphins, will never have children and loves good writing – whether as a novel, comic book, or TV series.

Nirmukta on FTB, meanwhile, is a joint blog for several writers affiliated with the Nirmukta community, which promotes science, freethought and humanism in India and South Asia (see Nirmukta.com). Their objectives include “provid[ing] a platform for the freethought and secular humanist community in India and South Asia,” advancing “a naturalistic life philosophy as a moral and fulfilling alternative to religion and spirituality,” “promot[ing] secular humanism, equality, social justice, communal harmony and human rights” as well as “scientific literacy,” supporting “the fight against pseudo-science,” and “work[ing] towards building a culture of secularism” and “a secular public policy keeping with our constitution [in India].” They explain that “nirmukta” is “a Sanskrit word that means freed [or] liberated” because “we are freed of dogma, orthodoxy and prejudice” and “uphold and celebrate freedom of inquiry and expression, guided by scientific temper and humanistic principles.” Like Moosa, they will be contributing an international perspective on politics, morality, culture, and belief from a perspective of atheistic humanism, and opening another door for FtB readers to hear about the thoughts and issues of South Asian peoples and cultures.

Check them out from time to time!

FreethoughtBlogs has added two new fascinating bloggers, both from the UK: Ally Fogg and Yemisi Ilesanmi. These will really get the hackles up of the anti-feminist crowd, since one is a card carrying feminist (And black. And a woman. Chicken littles, begin your rant…) while the other is a voice of reason in the same debate, taking no label but soundly and prolifically defending gender equity and exposing and combating sexism of all stripes (from the innocent to the malicious). They both blog well on a variety of interesting topics from an atheist perspective; I’ve often found their articles a good read. And their values are largely on par with mine. For example, Yemisi is a major advocate for sex workers and legalization of sex work, and Ally is a firm believer in applying compassion, skepticism and critical thought to both feminism and the “Men’s Rights Movement,” and he actually practices what he preaches.

Ally’s blog is Heteronormative Patriarchy for Men (tagline: “splashes of mud from the trenches of the online gender wars”). His introductory post is Hello, Hello, Is This Thing On? And he explains what his blog is all about here, which is a brief but crucial read. His profile description is great:

Ally Fogg is a UK-based freelance writer and journalist, whose day job includes a weekly column on Comment is Free at www.guardian.co.uk and miscellaneous scribbles elsewhere, mostly on issues of UK politics and social justice. This blog is dedicated to exploring gender issues from a male perspective, unshackled from any dogmatic ideology. Ally is often accused of being a feminist lapdog and an anti-feminist quisling; a misogynist and a misandrist; a mangina and a closet MRA, and concludes that the only thing found in pigeonholes is pigeon shit. He can be contacted most easily through www.allyfogg.co.uk or @allyfogg on Twitter.

Yemisi’s blog is YEMMYnisting (tagline: “proudly feminist, proudly bisexual, proudly atheist”). She is a Nigerian lawyer and human rights activist and author of Freedom to Love for All: Homosexuality Is Not Un-African. She has a Masters of Law in Gender, Sexuality and Human Rights and is presently based in the UK. Yemisi is also a trade unionist, a poet, a plus size model, and “a passionate campaigner for equal rights, social justice and poverty alleviation.” Not only her blogging but her background exemplifies that: she holds or has held positions in several Nigerian political organizations and international trade unions. To learn more about her you can check out her introductory post, Welcome To My World! (and more on the about-page of her website).

Yemmy also has a YouTube channel and has done some great videos on Atheism+ (e.g. Is the Atheist+ Label Really Confusing? and What Are Anti-Atheists+ Afraid of? — don’t worry, that groovy Nigerian accent might bewilder some at first, but not for long!).

So welcome Ally and Yemmy and check out their blogs from time to time!