Thinking Blogger Awards

Abnormal Interests has tagged me with my first internet award since starting the Northstate Science blog: the Thinking Blogger Award! I am particularly grateful because I visit Duane's site frequently and have always found his posts stimulating and thought-provoking. Duane tagged me in part for my posts on Syro-Palestinian archaeology, but I have to admit that anything I write on that subject is always done with a look over my "intellectual shoulder" to see if Abnormal Interests thinks I'm offbase...I admire his calm approach toward various issues and so getting tagged with an award from Duane is an honor for me...

Now, according to the rules of the Thinking Blogger Award, I am to tag five blogs that "make me think", thereby passing the award on to them as well. Following Duane's lead, I am additionally considering how particular blogs contribute to my thinking. This is somewhat difficult as there are a number of great blogs out there, all of which make me think about those issues of greatest interest to me. So, here goes with the top five that come to mind (none of whom as far as I can tell have received the Thinking Blogger Award yet):

1. Aardvarchaeology. Martin's posts on Scandinavian archaeology are always thought-provoking, but his views on all other aspects of things archaeological frequently force me to stop and think about my own biases. They also push me to stay current on the sometimes obscure facets of archaeological literature;

2. Blue Gal. I believe I described her as my "spiritual conscience": she has one of those irreverent attitudes and yet clearly has a great deal of personal faith - I find the combination of the two quite invigorating, even if I've somewhat strayed from the latter. I enjoy her approach to life and her philosophy regarding the separation of church and state (and I don't just mean constitutionally...) always makes me stop and think;

3. Red State Rabble. There are few writers who can devastate an intelligent design creationism argument as eloquently as Red State Rabble. But more importantly he frequently prompts his readers to think beyond the superficial aspects of a story and find the deeper meaning (and motivation) behind it;

4. Skeptico. Clearly the byline says it all: "Critical thinking for an irrational world". Even if you are already a skeptic as I am, you cannot escape considering the reasoned thought of Skeptico. Even if you accept a mystical world beyond the explanations of science, you need to think about what Skeptico has to say....;

5. Jim West. Always provocative, but also always forcing you to think about new ways to consider the Bible, its interpretation and sometimes the archaeology behind it. Jim has a clearly realistic view on who's being honest about evidence for biblical interpretation and who's playing fast and loose with the data. Like Blue Gal, he is one of the few who makes me think twice about the atheistic road I tend to be travelling...

Well, there you have it. Others I would have picked have already received the award and plenty more abound who would also be deserving. Thanks again, to Abnormal Interests for thinking about me (and more on Syro-Palestinian archaeology to come)....