Category Archives: Science

Ron Rosenbaum misunderstands atheism

Journalist Ron Rosenbaum castigates atheists as believers in a religion of science. I argue that he’s wrong. Continue reading

Is global warming cynicism “denial”?

Global warming cynics reject the science supporting climate change. Does that make them “deniers”? I explore the mechanics of denial to answer the question. Continue reading

Losing my religion

Many people can’t imagine life without God. But I have soundly rejected the concept. In honor of Christmas, here’s why. Continue reading

Rebutting “The blood-stained century of evolution”

The theory of evolution is not responsible for Nazi bloodshed. Continue reading

Neuropsychology illuminates roots of human ethics

David Hume said humans, in observing pain, experience that pain, too. Therefore, we want to alleviate the pain of other people, to ameliorate the suffering it causes within us. This empathy for our fellow humans constitutes the basis for treating them decently. Hume’s best friend Adam Smith, in his 1759 work The Theory of Moral Sentiments, agreed that instinctual empathy helped birth human morality. He wrote: How selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently some principles in his … Continue reading

Sensationalist media ignores real issues

On the basis of what the American national media has covered most intensely recently, one would think the most pressing concerns of our country were the Michael Jackson trial and a missing teenager in Aruba. A short while before that, the most important issue of the United States, from the media’s perspective, was a vegetative woman in Florida. And, back through time, the pattern continues of our major news outlets concentrating on and hyping up stories with little genuine importance. … Continue reading