While walking around my neighborhood, I noticed a large sign on the lawn of a minister’s house. It said “Power Lab,” with background iconography of an atom and a test tube. But it also said “Discovering Jesus’ Miraculous Power” and “Vacation Bible School.” I googled the lot when I got home. Apparently, you can buy … “Power Lab” Bible School

This is turning into the never ending series, but there are a couple of questions I thought were too interesting to bury in the comments. Sastra asks, “exactly how are you defining “metaphysics?” I’m not sure if you ever say, specifically. You seem to be taking it as the nature of “ultimate reality” — but … Nonmetaphysical Naturalism (follow-up)

I’ll wrap this up by saying why I care about the whole metaphysics and naturalism issue. I don’t know if it’s of any wide significance; after all, I’ve mainly been picking out a strand in naturalistic thinking and saying something about why I like it and why it fits my more science-centered prejudices. But in … Nonmetaphysical Naturalism (part 5)

Well, what about knowledge apart from science? Can reasoning about morality be reduced to a form of science? Can mathematics? Or the multiple discourses of everyday life, from cooking to religion, that might be nonscientific but no less legitimate on their own terms? Even many naturalists leave these alone, resisting what they view as scientism … Nonmetaphysical Naturalism (part 4)

Originally I had thought I’d break a long post into two parts, but then I got carried away. So this ended up as a kind of online note-taking and thinking out loud prompted by some recent books I’ve read. Oh well, here goes again… I’ve said I’m partial to the idea of rehabilitating metaphysics, bringing … Nonmetaphysical Naturalism (part 3)

Let’s say you are inclined to go along with me so far: you agree that there is something troubling about metaphysical thinking, and you think that naturalism in particular should tread as lightly as possible where metaphysics is concerned. We need a bit more, though, unless we want to announce that we have a metaphysical … Nonmetaphysical Naturalism (part 2)

There’s something about the description of this blog that bothers me, especially since inadvertently I’ve ended up as the most frequent voice here. Apparently this blog is centered on metaphysical naturalism. What if you’re a naturalist who is suspicious of any and all metaphysical enterprises, and who is inclined to think that most of what … Nonmetaphysical Naturalism (part 1)

According to a news report from India, “At least 50 people in Kottayam district have reportedly lost their vision after gazing at the sun looking for an image of Virgin Mary.” My first reaction to news like this is that it confirms my prejudice that the human race is, generally speaking, insane. Still, I wonder … Looking for a Miracle

One of the oddest things about the “new atheist” phenomenon, typified by the best-selling anti-theistic works of Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens, is that some of the most vituperative criticisms of these works have come, not from fundamentalist Bible-beaters, but from liberal, secular, intellectuals. For instance, last October, the Los Angeles … SUPERLATIVELY SILLY SUPER-SENSITIVE SECULARISTS