Last night I gave a talk on “Angry Atheists and Soulless Scientists: Stereotypes of nonbelief in the era of the ‘New Atheism’”. The link is to the slides of the talk (.pptx). It was interesting, especially the discussion that followed. Thanks to all the readers here who helped me when I asked about common stereotypes … Angry atheists etc.

Vic Stenger has a very nice slogan: “Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings.” It’s nice and catchy. Memorable. It inspires my envy, because I’ll never come up with anything that good. It’s too bad I find myself in such disagreement with what it actually says. I guess a common objection … Adoration of science

Joshua Rasmussen’s post “More Reflections on Bill Craig and Wes Morriston on the Kalam Cosmological Argument” (April 29, 2009), accessible at , has initiated many interesting and thoughtful comments about the merits of the KCA. Rasmussen had occasion to remark in his initial post: “My sense is that the Kalam argument is more likely to … Can there be an effective reply to the Kalam Cosmological Argument persuasive for the ‘common man or woman,’ and for commonsensible philosophers?

I don’t expect analytic philosophy of religion to be able to settle much about a God, any more than I’d expect an analytic philosophy of botany to be able to tell me how to obtain a banana. Whenever you think you might have a nice armchair argument for atheism, the cure is simple. Summon a … Philosophy (eye-roll)

On my blog, I have recently returned to working on an analysis and evaluation of the Trilemma argument for the deity of Jesus: http://crossexamination.blogspot.com/search/label/Trilemma Post #8 and on: Does the evidence from the synoptic Gospels for the premise that “Jesus claimed to be God” hold up under closer examination? Posts #4 – #7: Most leading … Trilemma Update

As a rule of thumb, never trust anything coming from a non-physicist with the word “quantum” in it. Hell, be wary even when it comes from a physicist. For example, don’t too easily trust philosophical musing about quantum physics emanating from the first generation of physicists who were inventing quantum mechanics. They were just trying … Quantum drivel for ID

I’m going to give a talk next month on atheists and stereotypes next month. It occurs to me that “atheist” is not a natural kind, and I’m wondering if the following analogy might help to bring this across. People who don’t believe in a God are like people who don’t drink bottled water. Statistically speaking, … Non-drinkers of bottled water

I’ve just read Does God Hate Women? by Ophelia Benson and Jeremy Stangroom. They very effectively point out how conservative religious doctrines on gender roles subordinate women. I got the book not just because of Benson and Stangroom’s excellent reputation as no-nonsense skeptics, but because I wanted a single go-to source I can use or … Does God Hate Women?

Vic Stenger’s new book, The New Atheism: Taking a Stand for Science and Reason is now out. It’s an affirmation of the “New Atheism” by Dawkins, Harris, Hitchens, Dennett, and Stenger, including responses to some of the critics. I’m not going to say a lot about the book, other than recommending it as a very … The New Atheism: Taking a Stand for Science and Reason

Most nonbelievers think there is something absurd about the denial of death. Sam Harris expresses this view well: We live in a world where all things, good and bad, are finally destroyed by change. Parents lose their children and children their parents. Husbands and wives are separated in an instant, never to meet again. Friends … Death