The Secular Frontier

WHERE WE ARE Careful argument evaluation is the heart and soul of critical thinking. But in order to do a careful evaluation of an argument, one must first have a clear understanding of the argument that is to be evaluated. Careful argument analysis is usually required in order to obtain a clear understanding of an argument, so having the knowledge, skills, and desire to do careful argument analysis is crucial to being a critical thinker. I have carefully evaluated nine objections against the Swoon Theory, objections put forward by Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli in Chapter 8 of their Handbook of Christian Apologetics. I arrived at the conclusion that all nine objections FAIL, and thus that their case against the Swoon Theory FAILS, and their case for the resurrection of Jesus FAILS. But in order to be in a position to do this, I had to first do a careful argument analysis of each objection (each objection constitutes an argument against the Swoon Theory). In this post I will walk through my proce ... Read Article

WHERE WE ARE Careful argument evaluation is the heart and soul of critical thinking. But in order to do a careful evaluation of an argument, one must first have a clear understanding of the argument that is to be evaluated. Careful argument analysis is usually required in order to obtain a clear understanding of an argument, so having the knowledge, skills, and desire to do careful argument analysis is crucial to being a critical thinker. I have carefully evaluated nine objections against the Swoon Theory, objections put forward by Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli in Chapter 8 of their Handbook of Christian Apologetics. I arrived at the conclusion that all nine objections FAIL, and thus that their case against the Swoon Theory FAILS, and their case for the resurrection of Jesus FAILS. But in order to be in a position to do this, I had to first do a careful argument analysis of each objection (each objection constitutes an argument against the Swoon Theory). In this post I will walk through my proce ... Read Article

WHERE WE ARE Careful argument evaluation is the heart and soul of critical thinking. But in order to do a careful evaluation of an argument, one must first have a clear understanding of the argument that is to be evaluated. Careful argument analysis is usually required in order to obtain a clear understanding of an argument, so having the knowledge, skills, and desire to do careful argument analysis is crucial to being a critical thinker. I have carefully evaluated nine objections against the Swoon Theory, objections put forward by Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli in Chapter 8 of their Handbook of Christian Apologetics. I arrived at the conclusion that all nine objections FAIL, and thus that their case against the Swoon Theory FAILS, and their case for the resurrection of Jesus FAILS. But in order to be in a position to do this, I had to first do a careful argument analysis of each objection (each objection constitutes an argument against the Swoon Theory). In this post I will walk through my proce ... Read Article

WHERE WE ARE Careful argument evaluation is the heart and soul of critical thinking. But in order to do a careful evaluation of an argument, one must first have a clear understanding of the argument that is to be evaluated. Careful argument analysis is usually required in order to obtain a clear understanding of an argument, so having the knowledge, skills, and desire to do careful argument analysis is crucial to being a critical thinker. I have carefully evaluated nine objections against the Swoon Theory, objections put forward by Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli in Chapter 8 of their Handbook of Christian Apologetics. I arrived at the conclusion that all nine objections FAIL, and thus that their case against the Swoon Theory FAILS, and their case for the resurrection of Jesus FAILS. But in order to be in a position to do this, I had to first do a careful argument analysis of each objection (each objection constitutes an argument against the Swoon Theory). In this post I will walk through my proce ... Read Article

Trump spent a manic Eastern posting in volume, but some posts getting the most attention are when Trump reposted the opinion that he was the special chosen one of God. For instance: See the Trump critiquing article by Ron Filipkowski HERE ... Read Article

Professor Philip Goff is one of the world’s leading proponents of a new theory that claims the universe itself is conscious and set the conditions for the emergence of intelligent life. Could people soon be praying to this godlike cosmos? SEE ARTICLE HERE ... Read Article

Never missing an opportunity to blow things way out of proportion, Fox News has doubled down on their "celebrating transgenderism on Easter is an existential threat to God" narrative: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjyAqWDEcj4 Now, Easter basically plays musical chairs with what day it is going to fall on, March 31 being the day the transgender day of visibility has always fallen on. Of course, liberal Christians are often pro LGBTQ+ rights so this reaction is mainly coming from conservative fundamentalists. And it ignores the real problem. March 31 is also Christopher Walken's birthday, and so fundamentalist Christianity and LGBTQ+ persons celebrating today is taking the focus away from Christopher Walken. So, to remedy that, here are two of his best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVsQLlk-T0s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ7z57qrZU8 ... Read Article

Friend of Infidels Richard Carrier recently debated Carlo Alvaro on the Cosmological Argument. Alvaro apparently had a less than pleasing experience, claiming: "It is regrettably clear that Dr. Carrier was never interested in having a fair-minded exchange; rather, he seems more interested in increasing website traffic audience engagement and Patreon donations."  If you are interested in the Cosmological argument, put simplistically you can think I had parents, and they had parents, and they had parents and so on until we get back to some point and some cause that didn't have parents. This type of argument reminds us of Zeno's paradoxes. The idea is that if we trace the stuff of reality back in time, it must have started somehow with something that did not itself have a cause. Theists call this cause God. Generally speaking, in the continental philosophy tradition this type of argument has long been abandoned because it results in what Kant calls an Antinomy, both sides depending on an ide ... Read Article

The complain and whine first, fact check later (if at all) conservative religious fundamentalists are in an uproar about Biden recognizing LGBTQ+ individuals on the Christian holy day of Easter this year. Has Biden become wokeness incarnate? Well, no, March 31st is Transgender Day of Visibility every year, and it is Easter that happens to also fall on March 31st this year. So, we appreciate your complaint and are filing it appropriately. See Trump's reaction HERE. ... Read Article

Here's something you may not know. In one of our earliest traditions on belief in the resurrection, Paul writes: 3 For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures 4 and that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. (1 Cor 15: 3-7) Did you catch that? Paul says the resurrection was something done to Jesus, not something Jesus did. In other words, the early Christians who believed this thought God and Jesus were not the same person. Enjoy those Easter Eggs! ... Read Article

We read in Deuteronomy 6 that:  “Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the ordinances—that the Lord your God charged me to teach you to observe in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy, 2 so that you and your children and your children’s children may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life and keep all his decrees and his commandments that I am commanding you, so that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you.4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. 7 Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and ... Read Article

That does seem to be what certain books of the New Testament claim. We read: "25 Consequently, he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)" "34 Who is to condemn? It is Christ who died, or rather, who was raised, who is also at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. (Romans 8:34)" The question is why does Jesus need to be in heaven perpetually interceding on our behalf if the cross was Jesus taking the death penalty we deserved and thereby reconciling us to God? This is an interesting question, and so perhaps substitutionary atonement wasn't originally the main thrust of cross theology? Paul said he had determined to know nothing among us but Christ and him crucified, but seems to reach a higher understanding by negating its importance: "17 If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins. (1 Cor 15:17)" ... Read Article

FOR PART 1 PLEASE SEE Heidegger’s Hegelian Phenomenological Method (Part 1/2) (3) Heidegger’s Hegelian Phenomenological Interpretation of Kant’s Ek-static Transcendental Idealism (A) The History of Being and Mastery of beings Kant’s critical philosophy was a major object of inquiry for Heidegger his entire career, from the early lecture course on Kant and Phenomenology and the Kant and metaphysics book of the late 1920’s, to the lecture course of 1935-36, to the essay on Kant’s thesis on Being in 1961.  The standard bearer for reading Heidegger’s interpretation of Kant is Engelland (2017) which provides a needed corrective to Dreyfus by reintroducing the Husserl question as central.  My goal here is somewhat different from Engelland in seeing Kant in terms of the “as” structure introduced above, trying to think what Heidegger sees as the Hegelian dis-closing phenomenological approach to thinking with Kant.  A guiding clue here will be Kant’s famous claim “T ... Read Article

FOR PART 2, PLEASE SEE Heidegger’s Hegelian Phenomenological Method (Part 2/2) Teaching Hegelian Phenomenological Method by Triangulating 2 Heideggerian Case Studies (Heidegger’s Hegelian Concept of Phenomenology with The Ek-static History of Being as a Context to Leap into Heidegger’s Phenomenological Interpretation of Kant’s Ek-static Transcendental Idealism) “The Being of the universe, though it is at first hidden and concealed, has no power which can offer resistance to the search for knowledge; it has to lay itself open before the seeker.” (Hegel, inaugural Berlin address of 1818) “Both scientific and prescientific comportments are a knowing in the sense of uncovering what is previously concealed, of revealing what was previously covered up, of disclosing what so far was closed off.” (Heidegger, Phenomenological Interpretation of Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, 18) “Finally, as regards clarity the reader has a right to demand first discursive (logical) clarity, th ... Read Article

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFhjhgf0vn0 See HERE ... Read Article