The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

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Dick Strawkins
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The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#1

Post by Dick Strawkins »

The Happy plagiarist errr... copy-paster errr... cheap Jonah Lehrer rip-off errr... Atheist!

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008 ... secration/ - same title

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006 ... e-in-my-a/ retitled, 'Top ten reasons religion is like pornography'

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... -silliest/ retitled to. 'Happy Easter'

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... ine-no-he/ retitled to just, 'Imagine no Heaven'

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... ghters-of/ retitled to 'Daughters of Eve'

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... etheus-si/ retitled to just, 'Prometheus Sin'

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... -so-alone/ retitled to just, 'So Alone'

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... nation-fr/ retitled to just, 'One Nation Free of Gods'

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... embryo-is/ retitled to just, 'An Embryo is not a Person'

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006 ... ers-reply/ same title

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... orthodoxy/ retitled to, 'We're Happier out of a Straightjacket Than in One'

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... active-ha/ retitled to just, 'The Active Hand'

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006 ... due-those/ same title

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006/03/08/niobrara/ same title

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007 ... heights-o/ same title

The final piece is probably my favorite of all PZ's writings. It shows that he is not some simple poseur, he does have talent. But read the comments and you'll notice just what, or rather who, he has been prepared to sacrifice in order to follow his political leanings.

I haven't seen the full chapter list.
From what Loftus has indicated it appears that nearly all of the above 'chapters' are simply blog posts from PZ's 'Sunday Sacrilege' series from his old scienceblog Pharyngula. There is nothing from his recent FTB blog. I don't know if that is telling us something - probably not, it looks like the 'book' was in limbo for a few years so there probably wasn't an opportunity for newer stuff to be included without delaying it even more.

IF what Loftus says is true - that many (most) of the chapters are just tweaked old blog posts, this is shocking, to say the least.
Remember, we are dealing with a book that took six years to get published.
It is, however, rather reminiscent of his (and his fellow conference circuit gravy-train riders) attitude towards conference attendees - 'to hell with writing a new talk, I'll just use my old one!')

reposted from the main thread to make it easier to find.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#2

Post by Dick Strawkins »

Just a quick note to mention that the above post is based on the 'chapters' mentioned in the Amazon review by John Loftus

http://www.amazon.com/review/R30LW6Z14W ... deID=&tag=

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#3

Post by Lsuoma »

Too expensive...

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#4

Post by Mykeru »

Dick Strawkins wrote:The Happy plagiarist errr... copy-paster errr... cheap Jonah Lehrer rip-off errr... Atheist!

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008 ... secration/ - same title

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006 ... e-in-my-a/ retitled, 'Top ten reasons religion is like pornography'

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... -silliest/ retitled to. 'Happy Easter'

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... ine-no-he/ retitled to just, 'Imagine no Heaven'

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... ghters-of/ retitled to 'Daughters of Eve'

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... etheus-si/ retitled to just, 'Prometheus Sin'

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... -so-alone/ retitled to just, 'So Alone'

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... nation-fr/ retitled to just, 'One Nation Free of Gods'

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... embryo-is/ retitled to just, 'An Embryo is not a Person'

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006 ... ers-reply/ same title

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... orthodoxy/ retitled to, 'We're Happier out of a Straightjacket Than in One'

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... active-ha/ retitled to just, 'The Active Hand'

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006 ... due-those/ same title

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006/03/08/niobrara/ same title

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007 ... heights-o/ same title

The final piece is probably my favorite of all PZ's writings. It shows that he is not some simple poseur, he does have talent. But read the comments and you'll notice just what, or rather who, he has been prepared to sacrifice in order to follow his political leanings.

I haven't seen the full chapter list.
From what Loftus has indicated it appears that nearly all of the above 'chapters' are simply blog posts from PZ's 'Sunday Sacrilege' series from his old scienceblog Pharyngula. There is nothing from his recent FTB blog. I don't know if that is telling us something - probably not, it looks like the 'book' was in limbo for a few years so there probably wasn't an opportunity for newer stuff to be included without delaying it even more.

IF what Loftus says is true - that many (most) of the chapters are just tweaked old blog posts, this is shocking, to say the least.
Remember, we are dealing with a book that took six years to get published.
It is, however, rather reminiscent of his (and his fellow conference circuit gravy-train riders) attitude towards conference attendees - 'to hell with writing a new talk, I'll just use my old one!')

reposted from the main thread to make it easier to find.
When the book is released and general reviews are open, it's going to be so much fun posting these links to Amazon for the eyeballs of anyone thinking of forking out money to The Naked Emperor of Slactivism

Outstanding, Strawkins!

firstatheist

Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#5

Post by firstatheist »

I suppose we can't blame one for recycling their old blog posts. Comedians often compile their past material into books, and PZ certainly is funny (I don't know how to typeset irony). However, there is a certain what-the-fuckness one feels when purchasing repackaged goods.

The problem with bloggers of PZ's ilk that write books is the same problem with animated series making feature films; just a longer episode of the same stuff. I'm surprised he didn't dedicate a chapter about the rampant misogyny in the atheist community.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#6

Post by Dick Strawkins »

firstatheist wrote:I suppose we can't blame one for recycling their old blog posts. Comedians often compile their past material into books, and PZ certainly is funny (I don't know how to typeset irony). However, there is a certain what-the-fuckness one feels when purchasing repackaged goods.

The problem with bloggers of PZ's ilk that write books is the same problem with animated series making feature films; just a longer episode of the same stuff. I'm surprised he didn't dedicate a chapter about the rampant misogyny in the atheist community.
I don't think anyone thinks there is anything 'wrong' with someone compiling an anthology of their best blog posts over the years.
I guess the criticism is that PZ has been 'writing' his book for a loong time (he has mentioned doing this on numerous occasions over the years on pharyngula) and the expectation therefore was that a book of original writing was being prepared.
Loftus reveals that half/most of the book consists of old blog posts with very little alteration from the freely available original posts.
What's more he reveals that the most famous piece, 'The Courtiers Reply' is reproduced without any additional commentry - something that is surprising due to the attention (and criticism) the piece received in the years since it was first published.
That piece was even included by Dawkins in the paperback edition of 'The God Delusion' and even there Dawkins gave it some additional commentary. Why PZ would fail to do so in his own book is genuinely surprising.
Perhaps Loftus reviewed a different version to the final publication version?
It might be the case (in which case just forget my original post - it might be inaccurate) since Greg Laden's review seemed to be about a completely different book that wasn't at all based on past blog posts.
Then again, who are you going to believe, Greg Laden or your own eyes? :think:

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#7

Post by Matt Cavanaugh »

Thanks for compiling this, Straw!

All the popular buddhist writers cobble together books from the transcripts of their presentations. Sagan's Billions and Billions was just old articles.

Back in the day, buying one of those books was the only way to access that material. In the internet age, not so much. Nor is PZ a household name like Sagan or the Dalai Lama. Guessing a vanity-level press run.

***

Skimmed the articles linked. Much of it's painfully dated (anti-Bush rants, etc.) No central thesis or even leitmotif, either, just random musings. Unless he revises & expands these pieces, it'll be outhouse reading.

Most importantly, PZ is not a good writer. He says too little in too many words. Also, while he was better at hiding his borderline personality back then, it peeks through. Too much 'look at how smart and science savvy I am', & 'look how ignorant and gullible you are, nya nya," & 'you'll regret having picked on me in school for being a dork!'

The man hasn't published a peer-reviewed article in over a decade. He teaches at an obscure college and hasn't updated his curriculum in over a decade. Now he's releasing a compilation of blog posts well beyond their shelf date.

In Myers, I see a person with great inner turmoil, self-worth & anger management issues, likely clinically depressed at present, whose gone completely off the rails of late. He wanted to make it to the Big Time, but failed to by a wide margin. Now all he can do is lash out at an unappreciative World on his dinky little blog. (I pity his bio students!)

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#8

Post by John Greg »

I pity his students too. He often berates them and makes snide jokes at their expense online.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#9

Post by Percentage »

Honestly, I was expecting a few copypasted rants from 2008-2010 SciBlog Pharyngula; after all, that was his personal Golden Age and outside of this little internet bubble he's mostly still the Crackergate guy. So- including The Courtier's Reply, The Great Desecration, fine. I get that. All the other shit, though? It was pretty good blogging, I guess, but I'm not paying for it. Stacked up against Dawkins, Hitchens, et. al, it's bathroom reading.

firstatheist

Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#10

Post by firstatheist »

One thing that irritates me about P.Z. is his all-smoke-no-fire academic record. He's constantly reasserting that he is a "Biologist" and prefaces many of his sentences with "as a scientist..." when in fact his publishing record is nearly nonexistant. He rests his credibility on his credentials as a "scientist" but apparently does very little science. Also, none of his noteriety comes from his peers or anything he's done in the field of biology. In his own field of Biology, the man is strictly from hunger. He may be a good educator, but that's something else entirely. In a way, P.Z. is the William Lane Craig of Biology. Query the number of times P.Z. reasserts his credentials and divide it into the total number of citations he's recieved. The result will be well below unity. We'll call it the Criag index.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#11

Post by Dick Strawkins »

firstatheist wrote:One thing that irritates me about P.Z. is his all-smoke-no-fire academic record. He's constantly reasserting that he is a "Biologist" and prefaces many of his sentences with "as a scientist..." when in fact his publishing record is nearly nonexistant. He rests his credibility on his credentials as a "scientist" but apparently does very little science. Also, none of his noteriety comes from his peers or anything he's done in the field of biology. In his own field of Biology, the man is strictly from hunger. He may be a good educator, but that's something else entirely. In a way, P.Z. is the William Lane Craig of Biology. Query the number of times P.Z. reasserts his credentials and divide it into the total number of citations he's recieved. The result will be well below unity. We'll call it the Criag index.
What surprises me most is the fact that many of his fans think he is a famous scientist!
He is a biology teacher, not a scientist.
To be a scientist he needs to test hypotheses - and PZ doesn't do that, he just regurgitates the current concensus on specific topics.
I am honestly surprised by his absent publication record over the past decade.
He is not stupid and does seem to understand the principles behind his chosen specialization - developmental biology.
But, I guess, the field (like most topics in biology) has moved on towards a systems biology approach that has left behind those who qualified before the gene chips and deep sequencers came to dominate the field.

firstatheist

Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#12

Post by firstatheist »

P.Z. is apparently doing a study with one of his undergrads on Zebra fish (go to FTB for more on that), but it doesn't appear that he's working from any grants. I don't see how he could considering he's an associate professor at a liberal arts university, in the field of BIOLOGY. Maybe he'll get another low-impact paper out of it.


Normally I wouldn't care about someone's prestige in a field, but P.Z. leaves himself wide open for these kinds of attacks; nay, invites them. His blog is a filibuster on how smart he is and how clueless the rest of the world is. Coming from a Stephen Hawking, I'd at least acknowledge the guy's prowess (while also acknowledging he's a conceited dick), but PZ is an academic light weight.


His book, "The Happy Atheist," is one of the more lazier repackage jobs I've seen in a long time. What was the point? He put his blog postings in physical print where less people will read them, even less people will buy it, and no one gets any new material.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#13

Post by Matt Cavanaugh »

It may be to gain some much needed cred, but most likely the book's a way to squeeze some more dough from The Following, who'll automatically buy it.

I ran some rough numbers on their Evo Psych conference, and they can easily make a tidy profit on a gig like that.

firstatheist

Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#14

Post by firstatheist »

Matt Cavanaugh wrote:It may be to gain some much needed cred, but most likely the book's a way to squeeze some more dough from The Following, who'll automatically buy it.

I ran some rough numbers on their Evo Psych conference, and they can easily make a tidy profit on a gig like that.

In light of that, "The Happy Atheist" is little more than a Kickstarter compensation prize for backers. I imagine all the regulars will fork over dough in a heartbeat for his blog pamphlet....BTW, I did some research on PZ Myer's academic career and his most cited paper is:

Stachel, Scott E., David J. Grunwald, and Paul Z. Myers. "Lithium perturbation and goosecoid expression identify a dorsal specification pathway in the pregastrula zebrafish." Development 117.4 (1993): 1261-1274.

It received 407 citations and PZ wasn't even first author. It doesn't take much to get your name on the author's list of an academic publication; I got mine on two while I was an undergrad in physics. I was essentially an assistant and only made one meaningful contribution. My GF is doing her postdoc right now in molecular biology. One of her paper's published in 2006 has 389 citations as of now. Let's sit back and let that marinate for a moment shall we? PZ's paper with the highest impact is 20 years old, has 407 citations, and he's the third author listed. Here is a guy who is all about transparency, unmasking detractors, and calling out the unqualified/uneducated, yet his lack-luster publishing career remains an obscure footnote.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#15

Post by Dick Strawkins »

firstatheist wrote:
Matt Cavanaugh wrote:It may be to gain some much needed cred, but most likely the book's a way to squeeze some more dough from The Following, who'll automatically buy it.

I ran some rough numbers on their Evo Psych conference, and they can easily make a tidy profit on a gig like that.

In light of that, "The Happy Atheist" is little more than a Kickstarter compensation prize for backers. I imagine all the regulars will fork over dough in a heartbeat for his blog pamphlet....BTW, I did some research on PZ Myer's academic career and his most cited paper is:

Stachel, Scott E., David J. Grunwald, and Paul Z. Myers. "Lithium perturbation and goosecoid expression identify a dorsal specification pathway in the pregastrula zebrafish." Development 117.4 (1993): 1261-1274.

It received 407 citations and PZ wasn't even first author. It doesn't take much to get your name on the author's list of an academic publication; I got mine on two while I was an undergrad in physics. I was essentially an assistant and only made one meaningful contribution. My GF is doing her postdoc right now in molecular biology. One of her paper's published in 2006 has 389 citations as of now. Let's sit back and let that marinate for a moment shall we? PZ's paper with the highest impact is 20 years old, has 407 citations, and he's the third author listed. Here is a guy who is all about transparency, unmasking detractors, and calling out the unqualified/uneducated, yet his lack-luster publishing career remains an obscure footnote.
To be fair to Peezus, he is last author on that paper, a position that means something important in academic science. The two most important places in the author list for a research article are first and last. First is for the person that did most of the experiments, and last is for the group leader who usually was the one who came up with the idea in the first place, funded the experiments from his or her grant moneys, and, in many cases, wrote the paper.
The fact that PZ was last author means only that he was for a time, a research group leader.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#16

Post by windy »

Commenter "Flux" on Loftus' review has come up with a novel justification for how the book turned out: PZ was just "testing out the material" on his blog. :lol:
Amazing the nit-picking hackery in this "review." That you'd spend hours searching through PZ's site archives to pick out every similar piece, most of which were clearly written to test out the material for the future book, shows your obvious bias.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#17

Post by Dick Strawkins »

windy wrote:Commenter "Flux" on Loftus' review has come up with a novel justification for how the book turned out: PZ was just "testing out the material" on his blog. :lol:
Amazing the nit-picking hackery in this "review." That you'd spend hours searching through PZ's site archives to pick out every similar piece, most of which were clearly written to test out the material for the future book, shows your obvious bias.
That is some 'Nerd of Redhead' level apologetics! :lol:

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#18

Post by Jan Steen »

Apropos of John Loftus’s Amazon review of Myer’s magnum opus, Peezus now wants us to believe that the book was always meant to be what it mainly is: a collection of recycled blog posts.

http://i.imgur.com/iHTkNjJ.jpg

http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/ ... /#comments

This is pretty dishonest (I mean apart from the sneer about the "third-raters"). He has been teasing his sycophants for years with his book. He was happy to let them speculate about it. In their fevered imagination it was getting better and better, until it was going to rival the best of Hitchens and Dawkins. As far as I can see, Myers has never openly stated that it would be little more than a “best of Pharyngula” instead. He didn't protest when Greg Laden in his recent review wrote:
If you read PZ’s blog you will recognize the themes, and in some cases, the stories, in this book, but rest assured this is NOT a collection of Pharyngula blog posts. On his Blog, PZ does an admirable job, putting us other bloggers to shame, with the level of refinement of his writing. I assume he’s just plain good at first drafts. So, this book is not simply a set of more advanced and refined drafts of his blog posts either. These essays actually have a different feel to them.
http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2013/ ... y-atheist/

Back in 2007 Myers wrote:

http://i.imgur.com/UbTp3m2.jpg

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007 ... i-have-ba/

In September 2009 he was for a few days feverishly writing and revising, leaving again the impression that it would be an original work:

http://i.imgur.com/FvcRSFl.jpg

http://web.archive.org/web/200910011053 ... ing_al.php

http://i.imgur.com/LyHNRLj.jpg

When asked about the content of the book, he teased again:

http://i.imgur.com/l0skBNK.jpg

http://web.archive.org/web/200910011907 ... g_al_1.php

A few days later he sounds demoralised:

http://i.imgur.com/2oTcHry.jpg

http://web.archive.org/web/201001310745 ... g_al_2.php

The progress reports are discontinued. At some point he must have realised that compiling an anthology of his blog was easier than writing a book from scratch. And now that had been his plan all along. Sure it was.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#19

Post by Gumby »

Myers' "third raters" comment should tell anyone all they need to know about that ranting egomaniac. Stay classy, PZ.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#20

Post by Bourne Skeptic »

I wouldn't take his book, even for free. It might encourage him to write another!

PZ is just a wanna-be Hitchens, minus the charisma and intellect.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#21

Post by Matt Cavanaugh »

Bourne Skeptic wrote:I wouldn't take his book, even for free. It might encourage him to write another!

Considering how he wrote (sic) this one, it shouldn't be hard for him to produce another.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#22

Post by Jan Steen »

I am still curious to know if the origin of each 'essay' is clearly stated in the book. If it isn't then we have by all reasonable criteria a case of self-plagiarism on our hands. Peezus would be the first to scold others for it.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#23

Post by Guest »

Dick Strawkins wrote:
firstatheist wrote:
Matt Cavanaugh wrote:It may be to gain some much needed cred, but most likely the book's a way to squeeze some more dough from The Following, who'll automatically buy it.

I ran some rough numbers on their Evo Psych conference, and they can easily make a tidy profit on a gig like that.

In light of that, "The Happy Atheist" is little more than a Kickstarter compensation prize for backers. I imagine all the regulars will fork over dough in a heartbeat for his blog pamphlet....BTW, I did some research on PZ Myer's academic career and his most cited paper is:

Stachel, Scott E., David J. Grunwald, and Paul Z. Myers. "Lithium perturbation and goosecoid expression identify a dorsal specification pathway in the pregastrula zebrafish." Development 117.4 (1993): 1261-1274.

It received 407 citations and PZ wasn't even first author. It doesn't take much to get your name on the author's list of an academic publication; I got mine on two while I was an undergrad in physics. I was essentially an assistant and only made one meaningful contribution. My GF is doing her postdoc right now in molecular biology. One of her paper's published in 2006 has 389 citations as of now. Let's sit back and let that marinate for a moment shall we? PZ's paper with the highest impact is 20 years old, has 407 citations, and he's the third author listed. Here is a guy who is all about transparency, unmasking detractors, and calling out the unqualified/uneducated, yet his lack-luster publishing career remains an obscure footnote.
To be fair to Peezus, he is last author on that paper, a position that means something important in academic science. The two most important places in the author list for a research article are first and last. First is for the person that did most of the experiments, and last is for the group leader who usually was the one who came up with the idea in the first place, funded the experiments from his or her grant moneys, and, in many cases, wrote the paper.
The fact that PZ was last author means only that he was for a time, a research group leader.

Ah, I stand corrected. Now that I think of it (contradicting my earlier statement) isn't the author listed last supposed to be the PI? PZ couldn't have been a PI then. If he was the PI, it's even worse for him. Like I said, this is petty to disparage a person for their lack-luster academic career, however PZ makes himself fair game by his behavior.

As far as his book goes, I think everyone has it correct here: It's little more than a cash-in on his core fans, and perhaps one last ride on the coat tales of Hitchens, Harris, Jacobi, Dennet, etc. One thing is certain: his book will be cited orders of magnitude more than his most cited paper.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#24

Post by Skep tickle »

He was a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Utah from 1991-93. He had been a postdoc there from 1988-91.

Education & positions held: http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/about/

Link to the 1993 paper, for whatever reason:: http://dev.biologists.org/content/117/4/1261.full.pdf

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#25

Post by Skep tickle »

Still a week until it's released. It's at #21 on Amazon's top books on Atheism, which isn't bad, but ratings average is 3.4/5.0, and there's this particularly unfortunate quote from one of amazon's "top reviewers" highlighted at the top of the review section (plus 2 others next to it, one not bad & one a line from Loftus' review: "He doesn't refer the reader to any books for further reading, nor does he offer any footnotes.")

http://i.imgur.com/Q4HLlTW.png?1

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#26

Post by curious lurker »

PZ could just man up to a little 'truth in advertising' by simply re-titling this tome The Crappy Laziest. He'd be accurate, and any of his followers deluded enough to shell out useful tender for a collection of aged fulminations would still be able to do so, while the rest of us would be advised of what could be expected to be found therein.

Of course, I suppose the thing could be useful as butt-fodder for those times in winter when one is snowed in and has run out of toilet paper, or the shops have run out do panicked consumer onslaught. Personally I would just stick to old Wall Street Journals for that.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#27

Post by Jan Steen »

(reposted from the Undead Thread)

I haven’t seen the actual book, but from reviews and Amazon’s preview (which includes the Acknowledgements) I infer that PZ Myers does not acknowledge anywhere in The Happy Atheist that most of the content has been published before.

As Nature reviewer Glenn Branch noted:
The chief problem with The Happy Atheist, however, is that it seems to break no new ground. By my count, Pharyngula posts provide the basis for at least 26 of the 38 essays and 5 more are adapted from a talk he gave in 2010.
http://www.readcube.com/articles/10.1038/500149a

We are therefore dealing with a clear case of self-plagiarism.

(As defined in Wikipedia:
Self-plagiarism (also known as "recycling fraud"[24]) is the reuse of significant, identical, or nearly identical portions of one's own work without acknowledging that one is doing so or without citing the original work.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagiarism#Self-plagiarism)

How bad is self-plagiarism?
Reusing research that you’ve used before – even using your own writing as a reference – seems to be completely acceptable. However, writing what is supposed to be – and is understood by your readers to be – an original piece (whether it’s for a magazine, a newspaper, a blog, an academic journal or a book) without referencing material that was actually written previously is in my view lying. You are essentially passing it off as original when it clearly isn’t. If someone is paying you for original work (payment might not be in money as in the case of academic writing – rather it is for recognition of a sort), then original work he or she should have.
http://backstorywriting.wordpress.com/t ... lagiarism/

I agree. It is perfectly okay to reuse your own material. What is not okay is to try to pass it off as original. That’s unethical. That’s lying.

But, as we all know, “it is okay when we do it.” Therefore it is not at all hypocritical for Myers to scoff at self-plagiarist (and worse) Jonah Lehrer:
He’s slick. He writes with a glib authority, and is a master of superficial plausibility, able to whip out a snappy footnote with a reference just obscure enough to tickle recognition in the brains of knowledgeable readers and to wow the yahoos. He sounds smart. But there’s a real vacancy at the core.

He’s not good at the science. He’s a poor researcher. He’s not a good writer — he churns words around and knows the form, but the content isn’t there.

So now he’s going to paste together another book that will clutter the shelves and deprive better writers of support.
http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/ ... s-baaaaack

Am I the only one who finds these words ironic beyond belief?

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#28

Post by Dick Strawkins »

Jan Steen wrote:(reposted from the Undead Thread)

I haven’t seen the actual book, but from reviews and Amazon’s preview (which includes the Acknowledgements) I infer that PZ Myers does not acknowledge anywhere in The Happy Atheist that most of the content has been published before.

As Nature reviewer Glenn Branch noted:
The chief problem with The Happy Atheist, however, is that it seems to break no new ground. By my count, Pharyngula posts provide the basis for at least 26 of the 38 essays and 5 more are adapted from a talk he gave in 2010.
http://www.readcube.com/articles/10.1038/500149a

We are therefore dealing with a clear case of self-plagiarism.

(As defined in Wikipedia:
Self-plagiarism (also known as "recycling fraud"[24]) is the reuse of significant, identical, or nearly identical portions of one's own work without acknowledging that one is doing so or without citing the original work.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagiarism#Self-plagiarism)

How bad is self-plagiarism?
Reusing research that you’ve used before – even using your own writing as a reference – seems to be completely acceptable. However, writing what is supposed to be – and is understood by your readers to be – an original piece (whether it’s for a magazine, a newspaper, a blog, an academic journal or a book) without referencing material that was actually written previously is in my view lying. You are essentially passing it off as original when it clearly isn’t. If someone is paying you for original work (payment might not be in money as in the case of academic writing – rather it is for recognition of a sort), then original work he or she should have.
http://backstorywriting.wordpress.com/t ... lagiarism/

I agree. It is perfectly okay to reuse your own material. What is not okay is to try to pass it off as original. That’s unethical. That’s lying.

But, as we all know, “it is okay when we do it.” Therefore it is not at all hypocritical for Myers to scoff at self-plagiarist (and worse) Jonah Lehrer:
He’s slick. He writes with a glib authority, and is a master of superficial plausibility, able to whip out a snappy footnote with a reference just obscure enough to tickle recognition in the brains of knowledgeable readers and to wow the yahoos. He sounds smart. But there’s a real vacancy at the core.

He’s not good at the science. He’s a poor researcher. He’s not a good writer — he churns words around and knows the form, but the content isn’t there.

So now he’s going to paste together another book that will clutter the shelves and deprive better writers of support.
http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/ ... s-baaaaack

Am I the only one who finds these words ironic beyond belief?
I suppose the question we might pose is whether he is claiming it is a book of 'new' writing, or a 'best-of-Pharyngula' anthology.
I haven't heard any advance descriptions of the book as an anthology of previous writings and there is nothing on the Amazon page for the book (apart from that pointed out in the reviews of people like John Loftus) that indicates it is anything but an original book.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#29

Post by SPACKlick »

Hunted down a few more, posting full contents list below for the sake of reference (those links in [] I am unsure of.

Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph

Morning in the Midwest
About the Author
The Joke http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... -the-joke/
The Great Desecration http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008 ... secration/
Get a Job
It’s so Easy to be Outraged!
¬I Am Not A Spoiled Child Having A Temper Tantrum [http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... ect-is-no/]
The Proper Fate For a Holy Book
Ask but Don’t Tell
Dirty Words [http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... gic-words/]
The Top Ten Reasons Religion is Like Pornography http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006 ... e-in-my-a/
The Purpose-Free Life
Happy Easter http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... -silliest/
Afterlife? What Afterlife? http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... rtal-lies/
Soulless! [http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006 ... -from-a-s/] [http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2012 ... e-gingers/]
What Dreadful Price Must We Pay to Be Atheists http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... -price/‎
Imagine No Heaven http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... ine-no-he/
Daughters of Eve http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... ghters-of/
Prometheus’s Sin http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... etheus-si/
So Alone http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... -so-alone/
One Nation Free of Gods http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... nation-fr/
An Embryo Is Not A Person http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... embryo-is/
The Courtier’s Reply http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006 ... ers-reply/
The Big Pink Guy in the Sky
The Karen Armstrong Diet http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2009 ... -on-karen/
God’s Little Crisis of Confidence
Laughter as a Strategy for Diminishing Religion
We’re Happier out of a Straitjacket than in One http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... orthodoxy/
Marketing Godless Science
“Science is What We Do to Keep from Lying to Ourselves”
Our Brains are full of Contradictions
Ken Miller, Poster Child for Compatibility
Religion Fails as a Source of Knowledge
Science as a Lever to Move the World
The Active Hand http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... active-ha/
The Proper Reverence Due Those Who Have Gone Before http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006 ... due-those/
Niobrara http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006/03/08/niobrara/
We Stand Awed at the Heights Our People Have Achieved http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2007 ... heights-o/

Acknowledgements
About PZ Myers

If anyone finds a copy of the book it would be good to freezepage all the articles.


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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#31

Post by SPACKlick »

I think it probably is that one, don't know why I didn't add it in []...silly me. Really need to get my hands on the book to do a blow by blow.

Guest

Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#32

Post by Guest »

Gumby wrote:Myers' "third raters" comment should tell anyone all they need to know about that ranting egomaniac. Stay classy, PZ.
used as a distraction so they hope you dont notice ftb is populated with fourth raters and below

TheYellowShark

Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#33

Post by TheYellowShark »

It's So Easy to be Outraged: http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... nting-our/
Laughter as a Strategy for Diminishing Religion: http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... -the-joke/
We're Happier Out of a Straitjacket than in One: http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... orthodoxy/

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#34

Post by Percentage »

At least there's some original content in there, I guess. I saw it at my local bookstore the other day; I'll probably go down and leaf through the new stuff some lazy Sunday.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#35

Post by Badger3k »

Percentage wrote:At least there's some original content in there, I guess. I saw it at my local bookstore the other day; I'll probably go down and leaf through the new stuff some lazy Sunday.
It should only take you a few minutes.

TheYellowShark

Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#36

Post by TheYellowShark »

Pretty sure the "original content" comes from a 2010 speech rather than the blog. I don't think he added much more than the "about the author" section.

On another note, I wish people would refer to PZ as a "science enthusiast" rather than a "scientist".

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#37

Post by SPACKlick »

Got this in my email today, made me chuckle
PZ Shermer.jpg
(86.5 KiB) Downloaded 372 times

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#38

Post by Jan Steen »

From a review on Amazon UK:
F. Odds wrote:Across the Atlantic, the book has been heavily criticized on Amazon.com because it is no more than a collection of some of the Pharyngula blog posts, with no original material. As one who, over the years, has bought -- among many others -- collections of Clive James's TV reviews, Steve Bell's cartoons and Jeremy Clarkson's rants, I am obviously unfazed to have bought a collection of blog posts, printed and bound. However, the Myers book nowhere acknowledges that it IS a selected collection of blog posts. They appear undated and without any introductory comments. This results in a set of "take-it-or-leave-it" essays that risk being described as disjointed. There IS a flow to the order in which the posts appear, but I feel they'd have benefitted greatly from some sort of annotation. Apart from 7 pages of introduction (surely this was the place to explain that the book is a compilation of blog posts) there is no new material. There are no preludes to the posts/essays and no follow-ups (Myers' website is awash with comments from its readers, many of which would have made entertaining addenda to each item).

<snip positive evaluation of contents>

To sum up... "The Happy Atheist" is a small book. It would have been nice if it acknowledged its origins in a straightforward manner. It would have been nice if, in a book by an academic, Myers could have added references to sources of his quotes and information. It would have been great if the essays were all revisited and expanded, rather than simply reprinted -- the acknowledgements of Myers' wife "working late nights going over and over the text" seem remarkably hollow since simple compilation books like this are inevitably lazier than writing new stuff. But the content is basically first-class, and merits reading by atheists and god-believers alike.
There can be no doubt anymore: The Happy Atheist is a textbook case of self-plagiarism. That penultimate sentence is funny: more evidence of Myers's dishonesty. As if we needed more evidence.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/RTSRDWNS ... deID=&tag=

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#39

Post by Jan Steen »

So, how on earth could Greg Laden have written this in his review?
Greg Laden wrote:If you read PZ’s blog you will recognize the themes, and in some cases, the stories, in this book, but rest assured this is NOT a collection of Pharyngula blog posts. On his Blog, PZ does an admirable job, putting us other bloggers to shame, with the level of refinement of his writing. I assume he’s just plain good at first drafts. So, this book is not simply a set of more advanced and refined drafts of his blog posts either. These essays actually have a different feel to them. I sense that PZ wrote most of these essays in a different place, perhaps using different software, maybe with a different mix of caffeinated beverages, at a different time of day, and using different prompts, than he usually uses for his blog. Don’t get me wrong, this book is the real PZ Myers, and if you are a fan you won’t be surprised or disappointed. But, most importantly, if you are a regular reader of his blog, you will want to explore these essays because they are not his blog, they are his book.

I haven’t seen what the final product is going to look like, as I’ve only got a proof copy. But hopefully it will be a pretty little book that will make an excellent summer read when it comes out in August, and a totally appropriate stocking stuffer later on in the year!
Laden is either the most blatant and stupid liar in the history of book reviews or the manuscript he reviewed was not what was eventually published. Perhaps it was a draft of a book that was in the end rejected, to be replaced for want of something better by the anaemic anthology of blog posts that we now have (well, I don't have it and don't want it, but still).

http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2013/ ... y-atheist/

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#40

Post by John Greg »

I am quite certain that the answer is simply that Laden is nothing more, and nothing less, than a chronic liar. He just cannot help himself.

Also, look at some of the language that he uses; it's specious, disingenuous, ambiguous, sometimes quite meaningless. For example, " ... this book is not simply a set of more advanced and refined drafts of his blog posts either. These essays actually have a different feel to them." A different feel to them. :roll: What the fuck is that even supposed to mean.

And Laden "senses" that Peezus "... wrote most of these essays in a different place, perhaps using different software, maybe with a different mix of caffeinated beverages, at a different time of day, and using different prompts...." Bafflegab. Unadulterated, meaningless, bafflegab.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#41

Post by Jan Steen »

John Greg wrote:I am quite certain that the answer is simply that Laden is nothing more, and nothing less, than a chronic liar. He just cannot help himself.

Also, look at some of the language that he uses; it's specious, disingenuous, ambiguous, sometimes quite meaningless. For example, " ... this book is not simply a set of more advanced and refined drafts of his blog posts either. These essays actually have a different feel to them." A different feel to them. :roll: What the fuck is that even supposed to mean.

And Laden "senses" that Peezus "... wrote most of these essays in a different place, perhaps using different software, maybe with a different mix of caffeinated beverages, at a different time of day, and using different prompts...." Bafflegab. Unadulterated, meaningless, bafflegab.
You may well be right. Still, it is strange that Laden goes out of his way to give the impression that the book is quite different from Pharyngula blog posts. Even stranger is that Myers writes a short post about this review, consisting of this:
Greg Laden reviews my book. I guess it was OK*.

*I’ve been in Minnesota too long. It’s beginning to rub off on me.
http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/ ... nt-page-1/

This was a few months before the book became available. Why didn't Peezus point out that the review made false claims?

He has truly sunk to the level of a scam artist. And it looks as if Laden was his accomplice.

TheYellowShark

Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#42

Post by TheYellowShark »

Jerry Coyne just made a post in which he briefly mentions the possible self-plagiarism in PZ's book:
http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com ... to-nature/

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#43

Post by John Greg »

God of All Shops said:
... it is strange that Laden goes out of his way to give the impression that the book is quite different from Pharyngula blog posts.
I am somewhat baffled that you think it strange that Laden would act this way. He is a consumate liar, a consistent and crafty disseminator of falsehoods, misrepresentations, and outright distortions of truth and reality, and a truly blinkered supporter/backer of friends regardless of those friends statements, positions, ideologies, etc. He is, specifically, one of those people who, quite literally, believes that their beliefs/statements/claims change reality. There is a term for that, but I cannae quite 'member what t'is.
Even stranger is that Myers writes a short post about this review, consisting of this....
But it's not strange at all. Laden does not inhabit reality, as you and I understand it. He inhabits Ladenworld, wherein anything he says becomes reality. And, regardless of what lies, distortions, or misreprensentations his close friends speak, Laden will back them up, and/or present them in such a way that it makes those friends, regardless of the present reality, look good. He's, well, he's nuts.
This was a few months before the book became available. Why didn't Peezus point out that the review made false claims?
Peezus did not point it out because Peezus is sustaining, albeit somewhat passively, the same deceit, and also because Peezus wouldn't understand truth and honesty if it flew out his ass and bussed him in his fat and sagging chops.

Coyne says:
... writers such as Jonathan Swift and George Orwell spring to mind. Myers’s prose, although serviceable, isn’t quite in the same class, but sometimes reaches lyrical heights.
(My Emphasis.)

HAHAHAHA. That's like saying my 6-foot cedar strip rowboat isn’t quite in the same class as a Polaris nuclear submarine.

....

Or is he damning with faint praise?

Nah. I don't think so. Even bright guys like Coyne aren't that clever.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#44

Post by John Greg »

Oh, and, a question. Some folks who are commenting on Coyne's review/post, have posted nothing other than "sub". What the fuck does that mean? I am not and never have been, into the sub-cultural memes and sways of "hipster" talk, or what was once called leetspeak, so I am ignorant of what this, apparently pithy and resonant, mini-word means. Can someone enlighten me, please?

TheYellowShark

Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#45

Post by TheYellowShark »

Pretty sure it means "subscribe". I don't have a WordPress blog, but one of my friends does. She says that their home page makes it very easy for blogger to find and follow other WordPress blogs based on their interests.

So people will find her blog, and then subscribe and write a comment (though often something more substantive than just "sub"). The only reason they write anything at all when they subscribe is that they want her to know that they've subscribed so she can reciprocate.

So often it's just a way of self-publicizing.

In other news, PZ has not-sponded to Jerry Coyne's post by mentioning his book and posting an alleged reader comment talking about how great it is. He's such a coward he can't even bring himself to mention that the only reason he's posting these things is that Jerry criticized his book:
http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/ ... end-in-dc/
http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/ ... -email-26/

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#46

Post by Jan Steen »

John Greg wrote: Coyne says:
... writers such as Jonathan Swift and George Orwell spring to mind. Myers’s prose, although serviceable, isn’t quite in the same class, but sometimes reaches lyrical heights.
(My Emphasis.)

HAHAHAHA. That's like saying my 6-foot cedar strip rowboat isn’t quite in the same class as a Polaris nuclear submarine.

....

Or is he damning with faint praise?

Nah. I don't think so. Even bright guys like Coyne aren't that clever.
John, it wasn't Coyne who said this; he was quoting the Nature reviewer Glenn Branch.

As to why I find it strange that Laden tried to misrepresent (in a favourable way) Peezus' magnum opus, it is because the lie is too obvious, even by Laden/Peezus standards. Anyone can see that the book is a cheap copy/paste job. Laden might as well have included a disclaimer in his review: Folks, I'm lying my ass off here. The effect would hardly have been worse than it is now.

That Peezus goes along with this shows once more, superfluously, what a dishonest scumbag he is. He must have been hoping that people would place advance orders of his crap before it became generally known that almost all of it was freely available on his blog. I see no other explanation.

Laden and Myers are truly shoddy people, like all would-be cult leaders.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#47

Post by John Greg »

Pretty sure it means "subscribe".
I see. Thanks for that.
... it wasn't Coyne who said this; he was quoting the Nature reviewer Glenn Branch.
Ah! Thanks for the correction.
... the lie is too obvious, even by Laden/Peezus standards.
Good point. I often miss the obvious ... seriously, I do.
Laden and Myers are truly shoddy people, like all would-be cult leaders.
They really are shoddy, aren't they. I cannot remember ever observing such blatantly dreadful, repugnant people who are also, or who at least seem to be, utterly convinced that they are somehow righteous, upstanding, deeply honest folks. Bi-fucking-zarre. If I found myself in the same room as them at some conference or otherwise thingareedoo, I would find it really difficult to not go up to them and level a ranty diatribe in their face about how repulsive and dishonest they are.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#48

Post by Jan Steen »

Like in all cults there are sycophants making excuses for the transgressions of the dear leader.
notsont wrote:Over at “the blog that is not a blog” [Why Evolution Is True] its being said that PZ has spent the past year or so lying to everyone and saying the book would be “all original”. Never mind that in multiple places you quite plainly state that a lot of it is from previous Pharyngula posts. Apparently your a bad writer because you did not put in bold type on the cover that most of it can be gotten for free on the internet…something something peer reviewed science journals don’t allow “self plagiarism’ so you shouldn’t either.
http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/ ... ent-685848

How dare people write mean things about my beloved Peezus.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#49

Post by Jan Steen »

John Greg wrote:They really are shoddy, aren't they. I cannot remember ever observing such blatantly dreadful, repugnant people who are also, or who at least seem to be, utterly convinced that they are somehow righteous, upstanding, deeply honest folks. Bi-fucking-zarre. If I found myself in the same room as them at some conference or otherwise thingareedoo, I would find it really difficult to not go up to them and level a ranty diatribe in their face about how repulsive and dishonest they are.

They are the atheist answer to Ted Haggard. Sanctimonious creeps.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#50

Post by windy »

TheYellowShark wrote:Pretty sure it means "subscribe". I don't have a WordPress blog, but one of my friends does. She says that their home page makes it very easy for blogger to find and follow other WordPress blogs based on their interests.

So people will find her blog, and then subscribe and write a comment (though often something more substantive than just "sub"). The only reason they write anything at all when they subscribe is that they want her to know that they've subscribed so she can reciprocate.
In this case, it means people are subscribing to the comments on that particular post, since there's no way to do that on WEIT without leaving a comment.

back on topic, Myers in 2009: "I'm on sabbatical this year to finish my book..." :roll:
http://www.thehumanist.org/humanist/09_ ... Myers.html

It's strange, because PZ at least used to be capable of producing original content outside of his blog- here's the column he wrote for SEED magazine:
http://seedmagazine.com/news/author-pz-myers/

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#51

Post by Dick Strawkins »

windy wrote:
back on topic, Myers in 2009: "I'm on sabbatical this year to finish my book..." :roll:
http://www.thehumanist.org/humanist/09_ ... Myers.html
Another problem with the Four Horsemen analogy is the number. As we all know, there are quite a few more vocal people who have been active in atheism and humanism and secularism in general than just the four. What about Victor Stenger or Pascal Boyer? Richard Carrier, Julia Sweeney, Dan Barker? Don't they get horses? And what about me? You know, I'm as atheist as those others and I'm probably "atheier" than some of them. (Although I do have to admit I haven't written a book yet. I'm on sabbatical this year to finish my book, so maybe I'll get a horse after all.)
It's also interesting to note that when he suggests more authors to add to the four horsemen roster, he includes six additional writers, only one of whom, Julia Sweeney, is a woman. Even she is not particularly renowned for a serious discussion of religion - her book is more a personal story of her own journey to atheism. What about Susan Jacoby? What about Jennifer Hecht? What about Ayaan Hirsi Ali?
The last author was actually described as the fifth horseman (person?) by the remaining authors after Hitchens death.

And yes, what was up with that sabbathical year for a lightly modified anthology of blog posts?

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#52

Post by Matt Cavanaugh »

Dick Strawkins wrote:
... And what about me? You know, I'm as atheist as those others and I'm probably "atheier" than some of them.
Reading PZ's many freudian slips, one is left with the distinct impression that the other children never played with little Paulie.

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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#53

Post by windy »

Matt Cavanaugh wrote:
Dick Strawkins wrote:
... And what about me? You know, I'm as atheist as those others and I'm probably "atheier" than some of them.
Reading PZ's many freudian slips, one is left with the distinct impression that the other children never played with little Paulie.
Why's that a 'freudian slip'? He's just playing on his reputation of being a 'militant' atheist. The joke might even be funny if he hadn't spent so much time since that talk trying to excommunicate other atheists for the slightest difference in opinion.

---

Here's a different approach to publishing a collection of stuff you posted on the internet. This guy has published a book of his GoodReads reviews and collected some 'blurbs' for it:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/293155030
Praise for What Pooh Might Have Said To Dante:

"...would make a great present for somebody who's never heard of GoodReads before, like maybe a caveman recently unfrozen from an ancient glacier" - BirdBrian

"Having observed both Counsel extremely closely, I am compelled to find that the market value of Mr Rayner's efforts is precisely Nil" - Ian G

"... something rather amateurish that looked like it had been done in somebody's back room" - notgettingenough

"Manny doesn't like Harry Potter and sometimes I get mad at him and threaten to throw him into the ocean" - Mariel

"Felkeltem, ál-tudományos, falloszentrista, szexista szemetet" - Sakkfeminizmus

"Not bad for an over-aged hairball" - Marvin

"To be completely honest -- meh." - David L

"... a waste of time... you can read all that stuff for free online" - Paul B
:lol:

Now I'm actually tempted to read it!

Matt Cavanaugh
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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#54

Post by Matt Cavanaugh »

windy wrote:Why's that a 'freudian slip'? He's just playing on his reputation of being a 'militant' atheist.
Not in the classic sense (i.e. "We've had failures, we've had sex.") I just keep encountering revealing whines from PZ where he wants more respect, wants to be treated like the big boys. I recall one sentence along the lines of 'I bet those kids who made fun of me for being a science geek aren't laughing now.' Also, Peezus' need to pick on easy targets like creationists, and to brutalize, insult, & belittle the commenters at his small-pond blog, indicates to me some serious self-worth issues.

TheYellowShark

Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#55

Post by TheYellowShark »

Has anyone read the Amazon description for this shit book?

"On his popular science blog, Pharyngula, PZ Myers has entertained millions of readers with his infectious love of evolutionary science and his equally infectious disdain for creationism, biblical literalism, intelligent design theory, and other products of godly illogic."

MILLIONS of readers? Seriously? Citation seriously needed. Millions of page views perhaps, but certainly not millions of unique readers.

windy
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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#56

Post by windy »

It was the editor's fault!
http://skepchick.org/2013/08/science-an ... -pz-myers/
So I want to talk about your book, The Happy Atheist, because it’s coming out on the 13th! You’ve been working on it for a few years, right?

No, I haven’t! It was done so long ago! This has been a frustrating thing. Basically what the book is it’s a collection of essays from the blog, and here is the amazing thing… proofreaders and editors have gone over it! I get all these copies back, red marks all over the place, I was kind of embarrassed. So it’s all cleaned up now, and it’s beautiful! But it was done ages ago, and then my first editor had a mid-life crisis or a nervous breakdown, or I tell everybody “He read my book and went mad!” But what happened is he essentially dropped the ball for a year before the publisher noticed it and fired him.

Dick Strawkins
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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#57

Post by Dick Strawkins »

windy wrote:It was the editor's fault!
http://skepchick.org/2013/08/science-an ... -pz-myers/
So I want to talk about your book, The Happy Atheist, because it’s coming out on the 13th! You’ve been working on it for a few years, right?

No, I haven’t! It was done so long ago! This has been a frustrating thing. Basically what the book is it’s a collection of essays from the blog, and here is the amazing thing… proofreaders and editors have gone over it! I get all these copies back, red marks all over the place, I was kind of embarrassed. So it’s all cleaned up now, and it’s beautiful! But it was done ages ago, and then my first editor had a mid-life crisis or a nervous breakdown, or I tell everybody “He read my book and went mad!” But what happened is he essentially dropped the ball for a year before the publisher noticed it and fired him.
Strange. Only a few months ago PZ was saying that his book had come back from the editor covered in red marks that he needed to check.
That interview contains a different tale.

Guest

Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#58

Post by Guest »

Jan Steen wrote:So, how on earth could Greg Laden have written this in his review?
Greg Laden wrote:If you read PZ’s blog you will recognize the themes, and in some cases, the stories, in this book, but rest assured this is NOT a collection of Pharyngula blog posts. On his Blog, PZ does an admirable job, putting us other bloggers to shame, with the level of refinement of his writing. I assume he’s just plain good at first drafts. So, this book is not simply a set of more advanced and refined drafts of his blog posts either. These essays actually have a different feel to them. I sense that PZ wrote most of these essays in a different place, perhaps using different software, maybe with a different mix of caffeinated beverages, at a different time of day, and using different prompts, than he usually uses for his blog. Don’t get me wrong, this book is the real PZ Myers, and if you are a fan you won’t be surprised or disappointed. But, most importantly, if you are a regular reader of his blog, you will want to explore these essays because they are not his blog, they are his book.

I haven’t seen what the final product is going to look like, as I’ve only got a proof copy. But hopefully it will be a pretty little book that will make an excellent summer read when it comes out in August, and a totally appropriate stocking stuffer later on in the year!
Laden is either the most blatant and stupid liar in the history of book reviews or the manuscript he reviewed was not what was eventually published. Perhaps it was a draft of a book that was in the end rejected, to be replaced for want of something better by the anaemic anthology of blog posts that we now have (well, I don't have it and don't want it, but still).

http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2013/ ... y-atheist/


I think Laden would have given a positive review to anything Myers put out short of Mien Kamph. The most relevant question is "stupid or liar?" Howevever, I think it's even worse than that. Laden and his FTB comrades are completely all-in with PZ. There is no serious questioning of the soundness/cogency of PZ's stances. The bulk of the sales will be from FTB regulars, and in that light is little more than a bonus prize for donating money. I'm still confused as to why PZ couldn't write some original material for his book. It's not like he has research demands or grant proposals to write. The guy teaches at an undergrad college and seems to have lots of extra time to putts around on his blog, attend conventions, and host google hangouts. The biggest tradgedy is that he used to be a decent repository for infor about developmental biology. Now his focus has derailed to what commercials he thinks are sexist, constantly making the case for women having no agency, and regular plugs for his cohorts on Skepchick.

feathers
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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#59

Post by feathers »

pz wrote:No, I haven’t! It was done so long ago! This has been a frustrating thing. Basically what the book is it’s a collection of essays from the blog, and here is the amazing thing… proofreaders and editors have gone over it! I get all these copies back, red marks all over the place, I was kind of embarrassed. So it’s all cleaned up now, and it’s beautiful! But it was done ages ago, and then my first editor had a mid-life crisis or a nervous breakdown, or I tell everybody “He read my book and went mad!” But what happened is he essentially dropped the ball for a year before the publisher noticed it and fired him.
As Jan Steen documented, it was supposed to be ready late 2009. With that extra year PZ just fumbled in, we'd still be late 2010- but by my count we're mid-2013 now. And oh, nobody noticed an editor becoming inactive. Sure. I don't buy it (the explanation, or the book).

Jan Steen
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Re: The Happy Atheist by PZ Myers - for free

#60

Post by Jan Steen »

It seems hard to believe, but there are incorrigible admirers of PZ Myers who still refuse to accept that The Happy Atheist is little more than a copy-pasted pile of old blog posts. Like creationists who cannot be swayed to change their mind by even the most wonderful fossils, some Peezists will simply deny that the reviews are sufficient evidence. They demand to be shown actual textual comparisons.

Isn't it ironic that those who like to complain the most about hyperscepticism engage in such genuine hyperscepticism? Nevertheless, it is perhaps useful to have some actual quotes from both the book chapters and the corresponding blog posts. This may provide a convenient reference the next time one of those denialists shows up in a commenting thread.

Now, of course, I didn't waste any money on Myers's rubbish, nor could I find a pirated copy on the web. So we will have to make do with what's visible on Amazon preview.

But first, let's have a look at the Acknowledgements, because in the light of recent developments in Myers's relation with Richard Dawkins, the following quote is rather amusing.
For inspiration, I must express appreciation to those notorious atheists who blew open the doors for public recognition of a self-respecting community of the godless: Richard Dawkins, Susan Jacoby, Daniel Dennett, David Silverman, and so many others. Loud and proud, people!
Next we go to page 31. We find a chapter called It's So Easy to Be Outraged!
It begins as follows:
Sacrilege can get people killed. It can cause riots and economic mayhem. People die when their sense of propriety is offended. And whose fault is that?

You know what I’m talking about. Almost all religions have odd proscriptions that their followers take with extraordinary seriousness— they are markers for who belongs in the group and who is the outsider. Violate them, especially knowingly, immediately marks you as The Enemy and justifies taking any action against you.
Now look up a blog post, titled Sunday Sacrilege: Flaunting our disobedience.
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... nting-our/
Sacrilege can get people killed. It can cause riots and economic mayhem. People die over a sense of offended propriety. And whose fault is that?

You know what I’m talking about. Almost all religions have odd proscriptions that are taken with extraordinary seriousness by their followers — they are markers for who belongs in the group, and who is the outsider. Violate them, especially if you knowingly violate them, immediately marks you as The Enemy, and justifies taking any action against you.
Content-wise this happens to be a rather interesting quote. The second paragraph is a decent description of the tribal behaviour of the SJWs, with their signalling and stock phrases that separate the group members from the outsiders. There are parallels with the behaviour of a troop of baboons too.

What we also observe is some pretty shitty writing, especially that last sentence, which is slightly different in the two versions. The book has: "Violate them, especially knowingly, immediately marks you as The Enemy and justifies taking any action against you," whereas the original blog post has: "Violate them, especially if you knowingly violate them, immediately marks you as The Enemy, and justifies taking any action against you. " Yes, the original was worse, but the book version is still poorly written ("Violate them (...) marks you").

In any case, it is blindingly obvious that this book chapter, in spite of its new title, is just a copy-pasted blog post.

"But, but, but...," our Myers fanboy protests, "there's a chapter in the book called The Great Desecration, and I compared it with the blog post of the same name and it is, like, totes different. Gotcha, evil lying Slymepitter! You people cannot be trusted."

O, really? Let's see. Yes, the first few pages are different, because in them Myers recounts the history behind that blog post. But the new content soon runs out, and Myers is seen hitting the copy-paste keys again hard. This time it's even worse than in the chapter we just examined, because the text is not almost identical, it is exactly identical.

This is from the book:
Ah, what a beautiful illustration of the complete open mind — utterly undiscriminating, lacking any criteria for acceptance, simply blissfully and uncritically according every idea his full respect. Although, of course, it’s also a lie: Isaac does not regard every idea as equally deserving, since he clearly considers the atheist idea that the sacraments of his faith are empty foolishness to be an outrage. Rather, what he loves is the idea that everyone else must respect his beliefs, no matter what they are, and that any disagreement is an insult. This is exactly the kind of uncritical, unskeptical, nonjudgmental idiocy all religions seek to promulgate, because they all know that if we tore off the blinders of tradition and artificiality and mindless etiquette, we’d see right through their lies. Respect every idea! Especially mine! And if you find the idea that this cracker is a god stupid, why, you must be disrespectful and no gentleman!
And this is from the blog post:
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008 ... secration/
Ah, what a beautiful illustration of the complete open mind — utterly undiscriminating, lacking any criteria for acceptance, simply blissfully and uncritically according every idea his full respect. Although, of course, it’s also a lie: Isaac does not regard every idea as equally deserving, since he clearly considers the atheist idea that the sacraments of his faith are empty foolishness to be an outrage. Rather, what he loves is the idea that everyone else must respect his beliefs, no matter what they are, and that any disagreement is an insult. This is exactly the kind of uncritical, unskeptical, nonjudgmental idiocy all religions seek to promulgate, because they all know that if we tore off the blinders of tradition and artificiality and mindless etiquette, we’d see right through their lies. Respect every idea! Especially mine! And if you find the idea that this cracker is a god stupid, why, you must be disrespectful and no gentleman!
Spot the differences! No, don't bother. There aren't any. This is just copying-and-pasting at its laziest.

Anyone who still believes that THA is not a self-plagiarized collection of blog posts is deluded and in need of help.

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