Here is a handout for one of my classes. Readers here might find it interesting as well. The class read the “Great Debate” on the Secular Web between Andrew Melnyk and the two Christian philosophers Stewart Goetz and Charles Taliafero. This is my explanation of Melnyk’s idea of the physical realization of the mental, which … The Physical Realization of the Mental

Here is a message sent to my e-mail. I have no idea why it was sent to me. I sent a reply indicating that this is egregious drivel and blocked the sender from my inbox. I am omitting the name of the sender, not so much to protect his privacy but so as to not … You get the Weirdest Things in your Inbox

Calm discussions of “hot button” issues are rare, but I am having this opportunity now. Matt Flannagan is a distinguished evangelical philosopher who has written a number notable works, including Did God Really Command Genocide?, with Paul Copan. I have enjoyed a number of very interesting discussions with him on a wide variety of topics, … An Evangelical Philosopher on LGBT Rights

From the site ProCon: http://borngay.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001365 Mike Pence, JD, United States House Representative (R-IN), made the following comments during a Nov. 7, 2007 House floor speech opposing passage of “The Employment Non-Discrimination Act”: “Let me be clear that I am not condoning discrimination against people for any reason whatsoever. I believe in civility and decency in … Mike Pence on Gay Rights vs. Religious Freedom

The Bible was written in ancient times by many authors. Over a thousand years separated the earliest from the most recent writings. Naturally, the Bible reflects the cultural and intellectual milieus of the times and places of its composition. Unless one is theologically committed to the doctrine of Biblical inerrancy, it should not be embarrassing … Sins of Omission: What the Bible does not Say

Things have been a bit slow here at SO the past couple of weeks with Jeff and others spending time bashing Donald Trump (an entirely worthwhile enterprise), so I will try to enliven things a bit. Although the notion plays no part in neuroscience, cognitive science, cognitive psychology, or any other of the sciences of … Soulless

David Brooks is one of the few conservative pundits that I can read without nausea. He actually knows something and respects those Enlightenment ideals of free and open inquiry. Here is what he has to say about Enlightenment Values: As I see it, the lasting ideals of the Enlightenment are these: Trump especially offends against … Trumping Enlightenment Values

As a cat lover, this article from Huffington Post caught my eye: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/cats-mental-illness-toxoplasma_us_58adc06ae4b03d80af714072? The “study” debunked here is just one example of many, many such junk “studies” that come out all the time. This junk science does enormous harm. There are all sorts of ax-grinders that sit in waiting for some purportedly scientific “study” to confirm their … The Harm of Junk “Studies”

I just got this in a message from the Center for Inquiry about measures before the Florida Legislature: “Legislation that would grant special privileges to religious beliefs in public schools has been introduced by Florida Rep. Kimberly Daniels (D-Jacksonville), and Sen. Dennis Baxely (R-Ocala). The sponsors of the “Florida Student and School Personnel Religious Liberties … More Dangerous Silliness from the Religious Right