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Tag Archives: theism
Is God A Brute Fact Or Does God Not Exist?
If God exists, why is there some Being rather than no Being? Put another way, with regard to the existence of contingent beings (“Why is there something rather than nothing?”), God presumably functions as the necessary and sufficient cause for … Continue reading
Why I Prefer Evolution to Intelligent Design
First, it is perverse to reject evolution outright. Darwin was largely right, and people who try to reset science to pre-Darwinian assumptions are engaged in folly. The converging lines of evidence from numerous scientific disciplines point to the fact that … Continue reading
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Tagged apologetics, atheism, biology, evolution, faith, intelligent design, reason, science, theism
5 Comments
Free Will and the Origin of Consciousness
Am I missing something here? If contra-causal free will does not exist–and most non-dualist philosophers and scientists insist that it doesn’t, then how did consciousness ever evolve? It’s logically possible that we could all be zombies–though we’re not–without the least … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged apologetics, atheism, awareness, Buddhism, consciousness, Darwin, evolution, free will, mind, theism
7 Comments
A Mind-Blowing Thought Concerning the Evolution of Animal Awareness
According to Discover magazine, the physicist Andrei Linde is reported to entertain a mind dependent cosmos: [C]onsciousness may be a fundamental component of the universe, much like space and time. He [Linde] wonders whether the physical universe, its laws, and conscious … Continue reading
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Tagged atheism, awareness, consciousness, philosophy, psychology, science, the brain, theism
3 Comments
A Moment of Doubt in Lancaster
The city council meetings in my hometown, Lancaster, California, start with a prayer, a minute or two long, usually to Jesus. I’m not saying these prayers should stop. But as a member, not of the faith community, but of the … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged atheism, church and state, God, Lancaster, Mayor Parris, theism
2 Comments
Eight Reasons People Believe Conspiracy Theories
There was a great bit of reportage by Maggie Koerth-Baker on critical thinking (or rather, its failure) in The New York Times recently. The article explored the psychology behind conspiracy theories, honing in on eight key reasons so many people believe in them: … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged apologetics, atheism, conspiracy theories, critical thinking, philosophy, psychology, theism
1 Comment
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
10 Questions to Ask Before You Believe Something
How well does a belief that you currently subscribe to hold up under these ten questions? And wouldn’t it be nice if we all asked such questions before professing belief in something? Do I have any actual evidence for the thing … Continue reading
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Tagged atheism, critical thinking, George Orwell, God, philosophy, psychology, reason, theism
9 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
Choosing Atheism Or Theism Is An Act Of Imagination
The universe appears to be lacking in purpose in some ways, but not in others. For example, the Holocaust and the panda’s “thumb” would seem to suggest that we live in a historically contingent universe indifferent and blind to both suffering and … Continue reading
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Tagged apologetics, atheism, atheist, faith, God, imagination, Jesus, Nietzsche, Richard Dawkins, theism
4 Comments
Quote of the Day: Bertrand Russell on What the World Needs Now
The following was spoken by Bertrand Russell in a lecture he gave on March 6, 1927. It seems in need of being said again today: “A good world needs knowledge, kindliness, and courage; it does not need a regretful hankering … Continue reading
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Tagged apologetics, atheism, bertrand russell, critical thinking, love, peace, reason, the Bible, theism
1 Comment
Deduction, Induction, Abduction: The Quick and Dirty Low Down on How to Quickly Distinguish Them
“Socrates is a man. All men are mortal. Therefore, Socrates is mortal.” (If the two premises in a deductive syllogism are true, the conclusion is 100% certain.) “Socrates has a runny nose this morning. It’s allergy season. Socrates probably has … Continue reading
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Tagged abduction, atheism, critical thinking, deduction, induction, philosophy, reason, theism, theory
4 Comments
The Seven Atheist Denials: God, the Self, the Soul, Immortality, Free Will, the Good, and You’re Never Really Alone
It’s often said that atheism is no more than the rejection of belief in gods, and, on a strict definition, this is true. But there are six other things that also tend to go with this rejection, and they ought to … Continue reading
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Tagged apologetics, atheism, atheist, Buddhism, free will, gandhi, God, immortality, Jesus, the self, the soul, theism
28 Comments
Crazy Man
If you’re an atheist or an agnostic living in the United States, perhaps you frequently look around you and think, “There sure seems to be a lot of crazy theists in this country!” And your impression appears to be correct (if a … Continue reading
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Tagged America, atheism, atheist, crazy, life, madness, mental illness, psychology, suffering, theism
1 Comment
The Thirteen Missing Explanatory Links in the Atheist v. Theist Debate
Below I offer what I would call “the thirteen missing explanatory links” in the atheist v. theist debate. To my mind they constitute the most intractable problems for anyone trying to arrive at some sort of worldview coherence (whether you … Continue reading
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Tagged agnostic, apologetics, atheism, atheist, critical thinking, God, Jesus, logic, meaning, philosophy, theism
20 Comments
The Two Confidences of Atheism vs. The Four Confidences of Theism
When it comes right down to it, what are atheists confident about and what are theists confident about? It occurs to me that, to be an atheist, your life ultimately rests on just two rather naked confidences: God does not … Continue reading
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Tagged apologetics, atheism, atheist, confidence, courage, death, God, life, love, Martin Luther King, Oedipus, theism
2 Comments
Pam Reynold’s Near Death Experience
I’ve long found this the most intriguing near death experience that I’ve ever come across. The clip here is from a BBC documentary titled The Day I Died:
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged atheism, atheist, cancer, death, existentialism, God, hope, life, near death experience, pam reynolds, theism
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An atheist’s despair at the universe’s apparent lack of purpose—and a plea for meaning?
Some of the lyrics: Give me something to believe. Cause I am living just to breath. And I need something more to keep on breathing for. So give me something to believe. Is atheism a dead end that leads to … Continue reading
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Tagged apologetics, atheism, atheist, Camus, Dostoevsky, existentialism, God, Nietzsche, Sartre, The Brothers Karamazov, theism
5 Comments
Prometheus Unbound 