Religion in Human Evolution
I tried to read Robert N. Bellah’s Religion in Human Evolution. It should have been interesting—prominent social scientist writes ambitious, sweeping book about religion—but I abandoned it about a third of the way through. I rarely fail to finish books. But I couldn’t stand this one any more. My impression: it’s a profoundly learned but … Religion in Human Evolution
Tom Flynn on Dennis Prager
As always, Tom Flynn has written another spirited essay, this time in response to Dennis Prager on atheism and consolation. LINK I agree with pretty much everything he writes. Yet I find myself thinking, “Yeah, but …” as I read it. I think the first thing that needs to be said is that what counts … Tom Flynn on Dennis Prager
Good and bad ways of influencing the beliefs of others
Ted Rall comes out?
I’ve occasionally referred to Ted Rall, the cartoonist and author, as an example of an ultraliberal theist who was indistinguishable from a godless humanist (especially a left-wing godless humanist) on ethical matters. But in a recent column, he says Science isn’t reconcilable with faith. Rubio knows that. But he also knows what would happen to … Ted Rall comes out?
Swinburne on the Perfect Goodness of God
In Chapter 11 of The Coherence of Theism (revised edition, hereafter: COT), Richard Swinburne argues (among other things) that the following sentence makes a coherent statement: (PG) There is a person who is perfectly good. Perfect goodness is one of the divine attributes that theists use to define the word ‘God’. In order to show … Swinburne on the Perfect Goodness of God
Is materialism “known to be false”? (Rationally Speaking)
A great post on philosophy of physics gone awry by Massimo Pigliucci. LINK
Hurting God’s feelings…
Learning and Grief
In preparing to teach a class for the first time, I’ve been reading past posts on the blog In Socrates’ Wake (which is a great resource!). I came across a posted titled “Learning as a process of grieving”, which quotes a part of the Wikipedia entry on the Kubler-Ross Model: I don’t know that all truth … Learning and Grief
Living like a Roman Emperor: the Stoic Life
This seems like a truly worthwhile exercise.
Israel, Palestine, and Terror
(This is content is a bit tangential to secularism issue, but it is not entirely unrelated, so I hope I’ll be forgiven for posting it here.) Prof. Jerry Cohen’s chapter from my book Israel, Palestine, and Terror is available on-line here. I think it’s one of the strongest pieces in the book. My own contribution … Israel, Palestine, and Terror