* History Carnival XXXV is up at "air pollution." I had intended to submit something, but then forgot about it completely. However, someone nominated my post on Doyle and the fairies; my post about Campbell also makes it in as a contribution to a discussion. Ahistoricality has an interesting post on New Sadducees; "Pharyngula" an interesting post called The Eternal Fishmonger; "The Elfin Ethicist" has How to write tendentious history; Jason Kuznicki at "Positive Liberty" has a post worth reading called Critical Distance II: Not This, Not That (I would suggest, though, that some of the points Kuznicki makes about action are also true of thought and writing); and, in fact, most the carnival is worth reading. It's become something of a common courtesy to say that the carnival host has done a great job and put together a fine carnival, which is good in general, since carnival hosting does need to be appreciated even with the most lackluster results (lack of luster usually not being the host's fault); but it blunts the force of the compliment in cases like this, where the carnival is a fine one not merely because it is existing but also because it has a great selection of links. So go and see.
* I have put up a new selection from Lady Mary Shepherd at "Houyhnhnm Land". In it Shepherd summarizes her argument for the conclusion that causal inference is founded on reason rather than custom (David Hume) or instinctive impulse of faith (Thomas Brown).
* I liked this post on parashat Balak -- the story of Balaam's blessing of Israel -- at "Radical Torah".
* "Jollyblogger" has a post on Christian parenting.
* At Cliopatria Ralph Luker dubs Flannery O'Connor the 20th century South's finest writer; which I think is quite right. Perhaps my favorite O'Connor story is "The Lame Shall Enter First."
* Rebecca has a nice quiz on Christian (i.e., Chalcedonian) doctrine of Jesus as Man; and a handy and thorough answer key.
* Clark has been doing a series of posts on Umberto Eco's discussion of Superman in The Role of the Reader: Superman (which comments on the recent movie), Eco and Superman, Time: Eco and Superman, Redundancy: Eco and Superman, Political Consciousness: Eco and Superman.
* Janet Stemwedel asks an important question in a post on how women are treated in the fields of science and math. The question, of course, applies (mutatis mutandis) to most fields of study and inquiry.
