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Tag Archives: agnosticism
Why I’m an Agnostic (as Opposed to a Confidence Atheist or Confidence Theist)
I don’t think highly of confidence men, especially on matters of metaphysics. I’m not at all confident, for example, that everything can be reduced to physical causes, as the confidence atheist proclaims. Maybe there are two worlds–a physical and a … Continue reading
Occam’s Razor: A Quick Tool for Assisting Thought
Occam’s razor gets its name from the medieval theologian William of Occam, who wrote in the 14th century that “No more things should be presumed to exist than are absolutely necessary.” Put another way, the simplest conclusion is usually best. … Continue reading
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Tagged agnosticism, apologetics, atheism, critical thinking, multiverse, occam's razor, philosophy, reason, simplicity
3 Comments
A Pretty Good Reason to Suspect that God Might Exist
If you could have been there when the big bang went bang 13.7 billion years ago, you would likely think that God (if God exists) was pulling your leg if She said to you, “From this explosion I’ll make a … Continue reading
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Tagged agnosticism, apologetics, atheism, God, life, philosophy, reason, science, the big bang
2 Comments
Why I Am an Agnostic and Not an Atheist
As Thomas Aquinas formulated it, I think the first cause argument is sound. To stop the infinite regress, there must be a first cause that has no cause and a first condition that has no conditions, and, as Aquinas puts … Continue reading
Hell Belief
Three problems with it: Hell belief is authoritarian. If it is true that most people go to hell, and it is eternal torture over flames to be there, then the only way to save yourself from such a ridiculous fate … Continue reading
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Tagged agnosticism, apologetics, atheism, Christianity, God, hell, Islam, Jesus, religion
28 Comments
Is Mind a Fluke of Nature?
According to atheist and University of Chicago biologist Jerry Coyne, probably: As for mind being nothing but a fluke of nature, well, that’s probably true, at least the human mind, since I don’t see our evolution as inevitable (it may … Continue reading
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Tagged agnosticism, apologetics, atheism, creation, God, mind, philosophy, psychology, theism
56 Comments
Increasing Knowledge Does Not Increase The Peace
That, at any rate, is John Gray’s thesis, and he has a new book out. In a recent interview at The Spectator, he had this to say: [K]nowledge can never eradicate the conflicts of the human world, or produce harmony where … Continue reading
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Tagged agnosticism, apologetics, atheism, atheist, books, God, John Gray, optimism, pessimism, philosophy
2 Comments
Doubt Concerning Ultimate Claims
If someone is making a claim about the ultimate origin of things, and you doubt the claim, you might bring up Herbert Spencer. Spencer was a 19th century philosopher and popularizer of Charles Darwin’s ideas, and for Spencer, beneath all … Continue reading
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Tagged agnosticism, apologetics, atheism, critical thinking, God, philosophy, reason, the ontological mystery, theism
1 Comment
A Universe from Nothing? Lee Smolin Sasses Lawrence Krauss’s Confidence Atheism
Buried deep in the comboxes of a post at the blog site What There Is and Why There Is Anything, the physicist Lee Smolin took the time to weigh-in on whether one of his colleagues, Lawrence Krauss, should be claiming … Continue reading
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Tagged agnosticism, apologetics, atheism, atheist, cosmology, faith, God, Jesus, lawrence krauss, lee smolin, physics, science
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Was Abraham Lincoln Gay and Agnostic?
Prior to seeing the below Andrew Sullivan video at YouTube, I’d never heard the claim that Abraham Lincoln was gay. I think the evidence is strong that Lincoln was an agnostic, and I’d be delighted to learn that he was … Continue reading
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Tagged Abraham Lincoln, agnosticism, America, atheism, gay equality, gay history, gay marriage, marriage equality
1 Comment
No More Jesus Bashing: John Loftus Throws in the Towel
John Loftus, the ex-Christian author, has had enough. He’s recently decided to stop blogging and writing books debunking Christianity. Here’s part of what he wrote at his blog earlier this month: I have no more desire to engage Christians. They … Continue reading
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Tagged abuse, agnosticism, apologetics, atheism, atheist, Christianity, fundamentalism, Jesus
18 Comments
Agnosticism and the Uncanny
Imagine that you find a stranger attractive, and each time you see that person, you notice that he or she in turn notices you. Now let’s imagine you approach that person and say the following: “It’s uncanny how we keep … Continue reading
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Tagged agnosticism, apologetics, atheism, Jesus, philosophy, uncanny
1 Comment
A Universe from Nothing? David Albert Owns Lawrence Krauss
In a recent review for the New York Times, philosopher David Albert explains the basic thesis of physicist Lawrence Krauss’s new book, A Universe From Nothing, in terms that are clear as a bell, then he skewers it just as effectively. … Continue reading
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Tagged agnosticism, apologetics, atheism, atheist, Darwin, Genesis, God, Jesus, origins, philosophy, physics, science
12 Comments
A Challenge for Atheist Materialism: Independent of Consciousness, Does Color Exist?
The astounding answer, according to Scientific American blogger Michael Moyer, is no: Pink is not out there, because no color is really “out there.” The world is full of electromagnetic radiation, and the only intrinsic properties that this radiation possesses are physical ones … Continue reading
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Tagged agnosticism, apologetics, atheism, atheist, color, God, Jesus, philosophy, physics, psychology
21 Comments
Today is Carl Sagan Day!
Bet you didn’t know that. But it’s true. Here’s the Center for Inquiry promoting November 12, 2011 as “Carl Sagan Day”: An all-day event at Broward College near Ft. Lauderdale, FL in celebration of the life and teachings of Carl … Continue reading
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Tagged agnosticism, atheism, carl sagan, center for inquiry, free inquiry, free thought, nuclear weapons, philosophy, science, the Enlightenment
1 Comment
My Ongoing Agnostic Jacob-Wrestle with the God Question
Let’s posit that God exists and is, ultimately, the First Cause behind all appearances, but is hidden. What would we find when looking about the universe? We would find material secondary causes everywhere, but God’s direct action nowhere. And that’s exactly … Continue reading
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Tagged agnostic, agnosticism, apologetics, atheism, atheist, critical thinking, doubt, God, Jesus
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Pope Benedict’s Third Force: Nice Agnostics Like Me
As an agnostic, it’s nice to learn that the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI (a.k.a Cardinal Ratzinger), wants to make solidarity with me in pursuit of truth, goodness, and peace. In a recent speech, here’s part of … Continue reading
My Take on Why We’re Here
Ultimately, we’re here because of symmetry breaking. In other words, if God exists, He started with some grand symmetrical Thing and blew it apart at the big bang. The big bang universe is the breaking of a super-symmetry into hydrogen … Continue reading
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Tagged agnosticism, apologetics, atheism, atheist, Big Bang, Genesis, God, philosophy, physics, symmetry, the fall
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The Grain of Sand Argument for God’s Existence
Here are some famous lines from William Blake: To see a world in a grain of sand, And a heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour. It’s one thing … Continue reading
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Tagged agnosticism, apologetics, atheism, atheist, doubt, God, mind, philosophy, physics, reason, sand
5 Comments
Prometheus Unbound 