Militant Agnosticism
I recently received an email from an agnostic named Dan who was, ironically enough, quite militant about his agnosticism! According to Dan, “one cannot logically be an atheist” because “a negative can never be proven.” Notice, however, the statement “a negative can never be proven” is itself a negative statement. Either the statement “a negative … Militant Agnosticism
Ken Ham: Postmodern Relativist?
In a series of feature articles prominently displayed on the Answers in Genesis (AiG) website, Creationist Ken Ham seems to promote a point of view that can best be described as postmodern relativism. In an article on searching for silver bullets, Ham writes: “[U]ltimately, the [evolution versus creation] argument is about how you interpret the … Ken Ham: Postmodern Relativist?
Muslims outraged
For all the Religious Right political influence and the cultural weight of the most mindless forms of Christianity in the United States, at least it’s not a Muslim country. After a Danish and a Norwegian newspaper printed a couple of cartoons less-than-fully-respectful of Muhammad, Muslims the world over are indulging their sense of outrage, demanding … Muslims outraged
The greatest philosophers: theists or atheists?
William Vallicella ranks the greatest philosophers, asking whether they were theists or atheists–and his list puts at least seven theists in the top ten. I think he’s asking the wrong question–an alternative question which would put things in a different perspective is Were the greatest philosophers advocates of the mainstream religious views of the population … The greatest philosophers: theists or atheists?
Wanchick’s moral argument
I probably should have posted this directly here rather than on my own blog, but I’ve offered up a critique of Wanchick’s moral argument in his Internet Infidels debate with Richard Carrier at The Lippard Blog. I believe that not only does Wanchick mainly proceed through the mere assertion of dubious premises, but that at … Wanchick’s moral argument
On Living
Take a look at this poem by Nazim Hikmet, On Living. It loses something in being translated from the original Turkish, but there’s enough of an echo here of what is one of my favorite poems that I have to recommend it. And it’s a very secular view of life, just to make it relevant … On Living
Aliens Are Coming
The New York Times issues yet another in a series of found-another-planet-out-there articles that have been steadily coming in from astronomers around the world. In this case, the team reports that the new planet is the “the most Earthlike planet yet to be discovered.” It seems that it’s just a matter of time before we … Aliens Are Coming
Daniel Dennett interview in New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine of January 22, 2006 contains an interview with Daniel Dennett on the subject matter of his new book, Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon. A couple of excerpts suggest it will have some similarities to Pascal Boyer’s Religion Explained: We have a built-in, very potent hair-trigger tendency to … Daniel Dennett interview in New York Times Magazine
Everyone is born my way!
I was following a conversation elsewhere about how some Christians insist that everyone really knows that their God is real, it’s just that due to sin, they suppress this knowledge. Everyone is exposed to the illumination of the Holy Spirit, it’s just that those of us who remain skeptical prefer darkness. Muslims, interestingly, do the … Everyone is born my way!
Is Michael Martin’s Position in ATHEISM: A PHILOSOPHICAL JUSTIFICATION inconsistent?
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