Faith and the End of PoR
John Loftus has advocated the End of Philosophy of Religion as a discipline. In his post defending this proposal, Loftus repeatedly talks about “faith”. The word “faith” occurs 23 times in the post, and it occurs in 7 out of the 13 paragraphs that constitute the post. Some paragraphs have multiple references to “faith”: It … Faith and the End of PoR
Philosophy as Astrology
A comment by hisXmark on one of my recent posts challenged the value of philosophy: The nature of knowledge is not to be found in philosophy, it is to be found in neuroscience and psychology. All that remains of philosophy is myth and fairy tale. Like its stepchild, theology, philosophy is fantasy that has lost … Philosophy as Astrology
Why be Skeptical? Reason #1 (Lying Cheating College Students – Part 2)
If most people lie and if most people lie frequently, then that is a good reason to be skeptical. In previous posts I have provided evidence that very young children lie and that most children lie, that most teenagers lie and cheat and lie and cheat frequently, and that most college students lie and lie frequently. … Why be Skeptical? Reason #1 (Lying Cheating College Students – Part 2)
Don’t Criticize What You Can’t Understand
Recently, I found myself defending William Lane Craig’s reformed epistemology. I was defending it NOT because I believe it to be true or correct, but because his views were being presented as ‘stupid’ and obviously false. My impression was that those who were making these strong claims did NOT understand Craig’s views on epistemology, … Don’t Criticize What You Can’t Understand
Why be Skeptical? Reason #1 (Lying Cheating College Students)
If most people lie and deceive, and if people often lie and deceive, then we have good reason to be skeptical. We have seen in previous posts that most children lie and lie frequently, and that most teenagers lie and cheat and do so frequently; it is now time to take a look at the behavior … Why be Skeptical? Reason #1 (Lying Cheating College Students)
Why be Skeptical? Reason #1 (Lying Cheating Teenagers)
One good reason why we should be skeptical is that people often lie, deceive, and cheat. This is not just my personal opinion. This is a fact, a fact established by scientific observation and research. I have presented factual scientific data showing that very young children lie, and that elementary age children lie frequently. Now … Why be Skeptical? Reason #1 (Lying Cheating Teenagers)
Why be Skeptical? Reason #1 (Little Liars)
If an adult person is not mentally ill and not mentally disabled, then he/she will answer YES to the following questions: 1. Do children sometimes lie? 2. Do teenagers sometimes lie? 3. Do college students and young adults sometimes lie? 4. Do adults sometimes lie? It take it to be UNCONTROVERSIAL that children, teenagers, young … Why be Skeptical? Reason #1 (Little Liars)
Why be Skeptical? Reason #1 (continued)
I was planning to focus on teenagers and adults in this post, but there seems to be some SKEPTICISM about the idea that babies and very young children are involved in deception and lying. Since skepticism, at least critical skepticism or skepticism which demands good reasons and solid evidence for claims, is a good thing … Why be Skeptical? Reason #1 (continued)
Why be Skeptical? Reason #1
In a previous post I put forward seven reasons why we should be skeptical (Reason For Skepticism #7 is in the comments section). In this post I’m going to provide some facts and data in support of Reason For Skepticism #1: (RFS1) People are often dishonest, deceptive, or have been deceived by others. Here is … Why be Skeptical? Reason #1
Why Be Skeptical?
According to my old American Heritage Dictionary (2nd College edition, 1982), a “skeptic” is a person “who instinctively or habitually doubts, questions, or disagrees with assertions or generally accepted conclusions.” This seems to come close to what I have in mind when I support the view that students should be taught to be skeptical as … Why Be Skeptical?