Daylight Atheism » Philosophy

The Language of God: Questions for Atheists

Ebonmuse — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 15:58:06 +0000

The Language of God, Chapter 7

By B.J. Marshall

The next part of Chapter 7 shows Collins' poor understanding of atheism. He starts by differentiating between "strong" and "weak" atheism, but then he makes the baseless claim that for the majority of atheists, strong atheism is "generally the assumed position" (p.161). He makes this distinction so that he has a group he can refute. He asks three questions, and I'd like to address them similarly to those visit site to read more]

The Language of God: A Biologist in His Element (Sort Of)

Ebonmuse — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 12:38:15 +0000

The Language of God, Chapter 4

By B.J. Marshall

This chapter is entitled "Life on Earth: Of Microbes and Man." Right from the beginning, you should probably know that there's a lot in this chapter that Collins gets right. It's like how William Lane Craig is totally in his element when he talks about cosmology, because he's an astrophysi ... wait, that's right, he's not. (I couldn't help ... [visit site to read more]

Could Creationism Be Rational After All?

RitchieAdmin — Sun, 16 May 2010 22:08:41 +0000

By Richard Hollis (aka Ritchie)

I thought I'd kick off the guest posts with a little philosophical thought experiment (hark, is that the sound of you all clapping your hands in glee?). When I wrote the following, I mean it fairly light-heartedly, but with an eye to the fact that we should perhaps remember we have less reason to be sure of ourselves than we may think.

Despite the insistence of many who champion it, Creationism does not qualify as a scientific theory under any ... [visit site to read more]

Whence Comes God's Nature?

Ebonmuse — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:39:17 +0000

According to the vast majority of religious believers (though perhaps not to the tiny minority of elite theologians), God is basically in nature like a larger and more powerful human being. He has plans and desires which he takes actions to fulfill; he likes some people and things and dislikes others; he experiences emotions like anger, jealousy, love, and forgiveness; he can be persuaded to act on another's behalf; and so on.

The most peculiar aspect of this anthropomorphic theology is its ... [visit site to read more]

Epicurus' World

Ebonmuse — Fri, 29 May 2009 10:50:51 +0000

The story goes that the renowned physicist Richard Feynman was once asked to summarize the most important finding of modern science in a single sentence. Feynman replied, "The universe is made of atoms."

Although there are many other scientific discoveries that are arguably of equal importance, Feynman's choice makes a lot of sense. The discovery of atoms is so familiar to us that it's easy to overlook its breathtaking significance. We know, at the smallest scale where it still makes sense ... [visit site to read more]

The Happiness Machine

Ebonmuse — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:40:29 +0000

As any regular reader of Daylight Atheism knows, the topic of morality is a major concern of mine. In essays on Ebon Musings, I've sketched out a secular moral theory I call universal utilitarianism. Here on this site, In the past, I've written about the roots of this morality and the virtues that ... [visit site to read more]

Forms and Essences

Ebonmuse — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 11:50:54 +0000

In the past, I've written about the origins of religion and how belief in gods likely arises from one of humanity's most common psychological fallacies, the tendency to attribute agency where none exists. (When was the last time you got angry at your computer and felt as if it was trying to balk you? It happens to me much too often ... [visit site to read more]

On Agent Causation

Ebonmuse — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 05:33:13 +0000

Among the band of philosophers who hold that free will is supernatural, one of the reigning ideas is called agent causation. This hypothesis states that volitional acts are a special category of event, one that is caused not by any other event but - in some deeply mysterious way - by the agent itself. Philosopher Roderick Chisholm describes this as follows:

If we are responsible... then we have a prerogative which some would attribute only to God: each of us, when we act, is a ... [visit site to read more]

All Things in Moderation

Ebonmuse — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:59:29 +0000

In last month's post "Down to Earth", I discussed Thomas Jefferson's ideal of rich simplicity, what Buddhism calls the Middle Way. Rather than the vain pursuit of happiness through the acquisition of power or material possessions, the true source of contentment lies in the simple pleasures of life that are available to everyone, regardless of social status.

Some of the comments mentioned Epicurus, a person I should write ... [visit site to read more]

On Analogies, and the Uses Thereof

Ebonmuse — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:33:25 +0000

In essays such as "Three In One", I've scorned the Christian doctrine of the Trinity:

If a claim is labeled beyond our ability to understand, then how are we supposed to tell if it is true? What assurance do theists have that the Trinity is a true fact about the world that is genuinely beyond our ability to comprehend, as opposed to a false claim invented by people whose illogical nature is protected from scrutiny ... [visit site to read more]

Doubting the Sun

Ebonmuse — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:44:28 +0000

Imagine, in some medieval monarchy or modern-day oligarchy, that the government passed a law which made it a crime to deny that the sun exists.

No country either ancient or modern has ever done this, and it's easy to see why. Who would ever be tempted to deny the existence of the sun? The evidence to the contrary is undeniable. It's large, it's obvious, it's blindingly brilliant - it's just there. There are no rational grounds for claiming the sun does not exist; only a fool or a ... [visit site to read more]

Dawn of the Dead: Are Zombies Possible?

Ebonmuse — Fri, 02 May 2008 11:41:40 +0000

Inspired by a recent post on Philosophy, et cetera, I want to talk a little about zombies and what they imply for a materialist theory of the mind.

When I say "zombie," I don't mean the shambling, flesh-eating undead of horror films. This thought experiment is about philosophical zombies, which are a different beast altogether. The philosophers' zombie is a hypothetical creature which, to all outward appearances, is ... [visit site to read more]