Tag Archives: theism

Is God A Brute Fact Or Does God Not Exist?

Posted on October 26, 2014 by

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 →

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Why I Prefer Evolution to Intelligent Design

Posted on August 14, 2013 by

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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Free Will and the Origin of Consciousness

Posted on August 12, 2013 by

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 →

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A Mind-Blowing Thought Concerning the Evolution of Animal Awareness

Posted on August 11, 2013 by

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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A Moment of Doubt in Lancaster

Posted on July 23, 2013 by

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 →

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Eight Reasons People Believe Conspiracy Theories

Posted on May 30, 2013 by

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 →

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Is Mind a Fluke of Nature?

Posted on May 13, 2013 by

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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10 Questions to Ask Before You Believe Something

Posted on April 26, 2013 by

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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Do You Think You Have Free Will?

Posted on April 16, 2013 by

If you answer yes, watching the below video might give you second thoughts. Serious second thoughts. __________ What I take from this clip is that my intentions and actions are things for which the ground has already been prepared, unconscious … Continue reading →

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Doubt Concerning Ultimate Claims

Posted on February 14, 2013 by

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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Choosing Atheism Or Theism Is An Act Of Imagination

Posted on June 7, 2012 by

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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Quote of the Day: Bertrand Russell on What the World Needs Now

Posted on April 2, 2012 by

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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Are You the Crab Eye of God Turned Back to Gaze on Your Own Creation?

Posted on December 13, 2011 by

A striking quote from John Jeremiah Sullivan (paraphrasing botanist Constantine Samuel Rafinesque): If we are conscious, as our species seems to have become, then nature is conscious. Nature became conscious in us, perhaps in order to observe itself. It may … Continue reading →

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Deduction, Induction, Abduction: The Quick and Dirty Low Down on How to Quickly Distinguish Them

Posted on October 5, 2011 by

“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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The Seven Atheist Denials: God, the Self, the Soul, Immortality, Free Will, the Good, and You’re Never Really Alone

Posted on December 16, 2010 by

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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Crazy Man

Posted on November 18, 2010 by

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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The Thirteen Missing Explanatory Links in the Atheist v. Theist Debate

Posted on November 4, 2010 by

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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The Two Confidences of Atheism vs. The Four Confidences of Theism

Posted on October 10, 2010 by

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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Pam Reynold’s Near Death Experience

Posted on May 20, 2010 by

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:

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An atheist’s despair at the universe’s apparent lack of purpose—and a plea for meaning?

Posted on May 18, 2010 by

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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