links for 2007-12-18

  • ‘Harris says there is no critique of faith hidden somewhere in his brief paper. But his next neurological enterprise may be another matter. He is planning an fMRI run that will concentrate specifically on religious faith, which Harris thinks he now knows how to plumb more deeply. He also plans to set up two different subject groups — the faithful and non-believers. “That way,” among other things, he says, “you can ask, ‘Do believers believe that Jesus was born of a virgin the same way that nonbelievers believe that Chevrolet makes cars and trucks?'”‘
  • “Starting in 2009, drivers over age 75 in Japan will be required to get checkups for dementia when they renew their licenses.” Sounds like a policy we should adopt here in the States.
    (tags: news japan)