Moderate Christians love to talk about how Jesus fixed the Old Testament, or,…
Why We Shouldn’t Call Ourselves Atheists
First, watch the talk. Believe me–it’s worth it. Now, I think the…
Oxford Mathematician Shows Decisions Six Seconds Before They’re Made
John-Dylan Haynes (Professor at the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience…
Free Will and Punishment
It seems to me that the decision, both as an individual and as a society, to either…
The Only Class That Matters
To have “class” means different things to different people. Some think…
Daniel Dennett on Free Will
I find this a highly practical argument, but not an absolute or reality-based…
Be Like Han
So Han’s walking down the halls of Bespin with his old friend Lando. Leia’s…
Free Will vs. Determinism as the Core of Political Disagreement
Ultimately, there are two primary political belief systems, and they are poorly…
How to Have a Good Debate: Definitions
The majority of conflict within any sufficiently complex debate originates from…
The Belief in Supernatural Free Will as a Significant Source of Human Suffering
I just had a possibly interesting idea: what is it that makes it possible for…
Free Will Again (A Response to a Reddit Question)
In response to this thread on Reddit: — Free will is a necessary delusion.…
From Reddit: An Essay on Why It’s So Hard to Leave Religion
What follows is an excellent piece from Reddit on why leaving a religion can be…
A Wake-up Call for “Moderate Religion” Apologists
I have debated here at great length the degree of benefit or harm offered to society…
Extracting Meaning from Emptiness
It is only as an aesthetic phenomenon that life and existence are eternally justified.…
Gandhi Hated Black People, and MLK Was a Plagiarist
Many of our best people were really bad people. But I read a lot, so I already…
Pew: 32% of Americans Believe Humans Evolved Without Supernatural Influence
From a Pew poll. Few in the scientific community would debate Darwinian theory,…
A Philosophical Precipice
As I debate with people about public health care as a specific, and about giving…
An Empty Existence
Imagine you went to sleep one night and awoke to find yourself sitting at a table,…
The Highest Stage of Human Awareness
The highest form of human awareness comes through a number of realizations and…
Christopher Hitchens on the Offer of Salvation
I refuse to be told, “I have a meek and mild savior for you, and if you…
Sam Harris on Religious Moderates
Some thoughts on religious moderation, from Sam Harris’ Letter to a Christian…
Religious Moderates Are Those Who Reject God’s Clearly Stated Commands Using Their Own [Human] Morality as Justification
I’ve written before about my issues with religious moderates who build their…
When is an Idea Ridiculous?
I’ve been debating here for quite some time the question of how direct,…
Does Your Morality Come from God or From Within?
One of the most common arguments from the religious is that without God there…
Three Ways of Learning About the World
There are three fundamental ways of learning about the world, and they map well…
