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Tag Archives: skepticism
Carl Sagan Day: Three Historians Reflect on Carl Sagan’s Life
For “Carl Sagan Day” (which is today), this extended reflection on Carl Sagan’s life seems fitting to post.
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Tagged astronomy, atheism, carl sagan, carl sagan day, history of science, humanism, Michael Shermer, science, skepticism
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Who’s the Pillar of Salt Here?
Imagine yourself a teen or young adult church member in America, but you have doubts. What happens when you express them? At Christianity Today, Drew Dyke, the author of Generation Ex-Christian (Moody), shares his disturbing interview discoveries: Almost to a person, … Continue reading
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Tagged agnostic, agnosticsm, apologetics, atheism, atheist, de-converts, doubt, ex-christians, Jesus, Lot's wife, skepticism, the Bible
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Critical Thinking Tip #2: Be Alert to Your Premises
Thomas Jefferson once encountered a jaw-dropping claim. The claim that confronted Jefferson was from eyewitnesses who said that they had seen rocks fall from the sky. They even claimed to retrieve fragments from them. And here’s the kicker: the witnesses, under normal circumstances, … Continue reading
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Tagged atheism, Ayn Rand, critical thinking, epistemology, God, meteors, philosophy, skepticism, Thomas Jefferson, wierd things
10 Comments
Think v. Blink: When Reasoning, Should You Be Attentive to Your Emotional States?
When reasoning, should you be attentive to your emotional states? I say yes. To illustrate why, let’s pretend that a friend of yours comes to you with the following claim: I’m pregnant. Should you believe her? Perhaps your blink (your first visceral … Continue reading
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Tagged blink, critical thinking, doubt, emotions, psychology, reason, skepticism, think
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The Origin of the Words “Agnostic” and “Agnosticism”
I found the following little gem in Google’s library of free and out-of-print books yesterday: it is the story of the origin of the words “agnostic” and “agnosticism”, charmingly told by Richard A. Armstrong, in his book, Agnosticism and Theism in … Continue reading
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Tagged agnostic, agnosticism, atheism, critical thinking, free thinking, Richard Dawkins, science, skepticism, t. h. huxley
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Video of the Apparent Missile Launch Seen over Los Angeles Yesterday
As of right now, the Pentagon is denying responsibility for Monday’s apparent missile launch near Los Angeles, claiming not to have any idea what might have caused the appearance of so large a contrail (“condensation trail”). Might it be from a submarine? … Continue reading
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Tagged airplanes, chemtrails, clouds, conspiracy theories, contrails, mystery, reason, skepticism, sky, the navy, the pentagon
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Ross Douthat’s Curious Reasoning about the Historical Jesus
Ross Douthat, in a recent New York Times piece, says that scholars would evaluate the documentary evidence for Jesus’s sayings and doings far more sympathetically if the New Testament had no miracles in it: If the letters of Saint Paul (the earliest surviving … Continue reading
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Tagged atheism, Catholicism, Christianity, critical thinking, faith, God, Jesus, reason, ross douthat, skepticism
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Sean Carroll on What It Means to Have a “Sciencey Attitude”
I like this pithy summary, by Sean Carroll, of what science is: Propose an idea, see where it leads, toss it out if it conflicts with the data, build on it if it seems promising. But what if your idea … Continue reading
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Tagged critical thinking, epistemology, physics, reason, science, scientific method, sean carroll, skepticism
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Aristotle on (what ought to be) a source of social shame
A great Aristotle quote: It is absurd to hold that a man ought to be ashamed of being unable to defend himself with his limbs but not of being unable to defend himself with speech and reason, when the use … Continue reading
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Tagged aristotle, college, critical thinking, doubt, faith, fitness, intellect, life, muscles, reason, skepticism
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In praise of Chateauneuf (Voltaire’s godfather and tutor)
Below are some rather impious lines from La Moisade, a 17th century French satirical poem (author unknown). It opens with this sass of Mosaic legislation: A teaching so irrelevant Shall not my doubts destroy? With empty sophism thou shalt not My reason … Continue reading
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Tagged atheism, Catholicism, child rearing, critical thinking, God, humanism, Jesus, Moses, skepticism, teaching, the Bible, Voltaire
4 Comments
Steven Pinker is skeptical of new media skepticism
At the New York Times this week, Steven Pinker has a not-to-be-missed op-ed on new media skepticism. A taste: Media critics write as if the brain takes on the qualities of whatever it consumes, the informational equivalent of “you are what … Continue reading
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Tagged criticism, doubt, media, reason, skepticism, steven pinker, technology
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A critical thinking question: what do you do when experts collide?
On the question of whether the United States is headed for an inflationary period or a deflationary period, highly trained economists are divided. This today at the Economist: Last week, we launched our economics channel with a debate on whether inflation … Continue reading
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Tagged Allen Ginsberg, critical thinking, economics, epistemology, evolution v. creation, experts, life, reason, skepticism
14 Comments
Three Pretty Good Reasons to Doubt the Resurrection of Jesus
Below are three pretty good reasons to doubt the resurrection of Jesus: First, no agnostic or atheist needs to prove a negative. Burdens of proof fall upon those making a spectacular claim. If someone claims, for example, that an intelligent … Continue reading
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Tagged apologetics, atheism, Christianity, Easter, God, history, Jesus, John Macarthur, resurrection, skepticism
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Messianic prophecy, Jesus, and an inconvenient fact
Am I impressed that the Hebrew Bible (the “Old Testament”) has numerous chapters and passages that seem to foreshadow Jesus’s ministry and death? No. Why? Because their predictive value is vastly diminished by an inconvenient fact: THE WRITERS OF THE NEW … Continue reading
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Tagged apologetics, bible prophecy, God, gospels, Jesus, John Macarthur, messianic prophecies, prophecy, religion, skepticism, the Bible
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If bees believed
If bees had religion, wouldn’t it be reasonable to expect them to talk to an all-powerful and all loving Queen Bee and imagine her heaven as hive and flower? Our Mother who art in hiven, . . . It would … Continue reading
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Tagged apologetics, bees, critical thinking, Genesis, God, Islam, Jesus, philosophy, reason, religion, skepticism, the Bible
3 Comments
John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) on Hell Belief and Critical Thinking
In John Stuart Mill’s Autobiography is a brilliant reflection on hell belief: he argues that belief in hell is made paradoxically both strong and weak by an across the board system failure in critical thinking. Here are the two critical thinking errors that Mill … Continue reading
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Tagged apologetics, critical thinking, God, hell, Jesus, john stuart mill, liberty, Michael Shermer, reason, skeptic, skepticism, the Bible
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Teaser for the Pilot TV Show “The Skeptologists”
Michael Shermer and his gang of skeptical inquirers look like they’re channeling the Sopranos. And in the word “skeptologist” I feel a vague association with “exorcist.” I don’t know if this show is ever going beyond the pilot stage—or if any … Continue reading
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Tagged atheism, atheist, ghosts, God, Michael Shermer, philosophy, science, skepticism, skeptologist, sopranos, UFOs
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David Aaronovich on the Growing Skeptics’ Movement
In a Salon interview, David Aaronovich, the author of a new book that historically contextualizes and debunks conspiracy theories, praises the post-9-11 growing skeptics’ movement in the United States and Britain: Maybe I’m a false optimist, but I think we have a … Continue reading
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Tagged apologetics, atheism, conspiracy theories, critical thinking, david aaronovich, history, reason, Richard Dawkins, skeptic, skepticism
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Blogging Schick and Vaughn’s “How to Think about Weird Things,” Chapter 2
Every other year or so I find myself returning to Theodore Schick and Lewis Vaughn’s critical thinking text, How to Think about Weird Things, and rereading the whole darn thing through again. Schick and Vaughn’s book is a rather popular college text, and it’s in its sixth edition. … Continue reading
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Tagged apologetics, atheism, atheist, critical thinking, g.k. chesterton, Michael Shermer, philosophy, schick and vaughn, skepticism, weird things, writing
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Of Cookie Crumbs and Religion’s True Nature
I have two questions. Here’s my first: if a crumb from a cookie falls to the kitchen table and breaks into four pieces, do you now have one cookie crumb divided by four, or four cookie crumbs? Here’s my second … Continue reading
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Tagged apologetics, atheism, critical thinking, God, Islam, Jesus, language, philosophy, psychology, religion, Richard Dawkins, skepticism
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Prometheus Unbound 