The figure represents Hypatia, a Greek philosopher and the first historically noted woman in mathematics. Hypatia taught mathematics, astronomy and philosophy in Alexandria during a time of social and political unrest, and was murdered by a Christian mob after tensions between various religious groups and political leaders boiled over. In a modern context she has come to represent the conflicts between science/reason, and religious fanaticism. A movie starring Rachel Weisz called Agora dramatizes the events leading up to her murder (although it contains a fair bit of artistic license, it is still a good watch and available for streaming on Netflix). The lighthouse in the logo is, of course, the Lighthouse at Alexandria, one of the great wonders of the world and an obvious symbol for guidance and enlightenment.
I was drawn to this project partly because there has been a lot of nasty Internet drama going on for quite a while in some on-line skeptic circles, and this new blog network presents an opportunity for fresh perspectives. I don't expect to agree with every author or article at Skeptic Ink, and as some might have noticed, I have been working on art projects with progressive people of faith to oppose anti-LGBT discrimination. As a result of continuously positive interactions with religious people (as well as negative ones with atheists), I've been much more interested in building bridges between religious and non-religious people who share humanistic ideals such as equality for all people and concern for the environment.
But that's the point of an endeavor such as this blog network: to challenge and debate orthodox ideas. Skeptic Ink Network (also known by its cleverly irreverent acronym, SIN) has a clear discussion policy that prohibits discrimination, personal attacks and insults. Conversations surrounding religious and paranormal beliefs in our society are important, and robust debate is healthy. I look forward to reading, and wish them all the best!
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