Thinking about thinking - UPDATED


Not a meme chain, exactly. Just something about the ones that make you think.
ShadowMonkey has honored me by nominating Pagan Vigil for a Thinking Blogger Award. The more I think about it (pun intended), the more I like the idea.

Although I am mildly obsessive about page statistics, I am more interested in old-style networking. I'm more impressed by quality instead of quantity. So this award is right up my alley.

The award means I need to pick my own five nominations. I have some criteria to add for my picks. Because I churn though news articles, updates are a must, they don't have to be daily, but they should at least be weekly. Each of my choices catches my attention frequently, not just once or twice. And as far as I can tell, each of these writers "walks the walk" in addition to "talking the talk." They are passionate, but they live their lives according to their beliefs and passions. So with that in mind, here are my five nominations with brief explanations.

The Agitator by Radley Balko
(no site description available)
The Agitator is one of the handful of sites that seeded the idea for my own blog. I think Radley was one of the very first "professional" libertarians I read who didn't take a patronizing attitude. That was refreshing. Radley's sense of justice closely mirrors my own, but he's better plugged in and gets the good articles first. I'm more than content to direct traffic his way on those great topics.

Frankly, most Pagan blogs don't have much to offer the mainstream. Often their content is too limited to appeal to general interest, or the politics are lifted from the Daily Kos, or it's more of the "notice me" than an original contribution. There are exceptions, and three of the best made my list here.

The Wild Hunt Blog by Jason Pitzl-Waters
Religion, politics, music and culture. A modern Pagan perspective
With the possible exception of film (a particular obsession of mine), Jason has better connections with popular culture than I do and writes about it with a Pagan twist . His viewpoint is enough to grab me by the skull sometimes, even if I don't agree with him I have to think about what he is saying.

Letter from Hardscrabble Creek
A Pagan Writer's Blog By Chas. S. Clifton
One of those "accidental" discoveries that has rewarded me time and time again. I had read some of Chas books before I ever found his blog, and I admired his thinking then. He is an academic, but certainly not an ivory tower type. I get the distinct impression that nudging people to think and ask questions is just as much a part of what he teaches as the subject matter.

Rite Wing TechnoPagan by Karl Lembke
Not Quite A Ronald Reagan, Carl Sagan, San Diegan Pagan, Since I Live In Los Angeles
Probably one of three or four Pagans that I know of who takes more grief from other Pagans over his politics than I do. The man knows how to think though, and is very good at defending his opinions.

And then there is my last nomination who is in a class by herself.

Sunni and the Conspirators: Individualism and Freedom by Sunni Maravilllosa
(no site description available)
Sunni offers a curious mix of freedom philosophy, practical living, and life commentary that I find helps me ground and look at things from another view. But that is only part of the attraction at this site. Almost as important are the people who have chosen to drop by once in a while. I'm not sure if she intended it or not, but she's built something up there. Not really a "community" as such, more of an ongoing cross between a checkers game and a town meeting and Saturday picnic. And I really like going through her links.

There are many other blogs that I go through regularly. Many Pagan ones I respect didn't make the cut just because they don't have enough of an appeal to a general audience. I like their ideas from several non-pagan blogs, but they aren't updated regularly.

Here are the participation rules for the Thinking Blogger Award taken directly from the original site.

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).

Once again, thanks to ShadowMonkey for nominating me. And I have moved his link to Libertarian News.

Update - Changed to reflect new URL of the The Thinking Blog.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Wed - March 7, 2007 at 11:45 PM  Tag


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