To my mind, Sam Harris’s otherwise fine new book, The Moral Landscape, has three weaknesses. First, much like his blockbuster, The End of Faith, this books starts blazingly strong, then peters as the page numbers go into triple digits, particularly post page 150. Harris seems to include previously written filler to bring the book to …
Tag Archive: Religion
Oct
20
The Moral Landscape: The Highs
Sam Harris’s new book, The Moral Landscape, is a thought-provoking read. I recommend it. My highest praise is reflected in this note I scribbled while reading: “One of the most important and clear-minded books I have ever read.” I wrote that? Yes, though my overall enthusiasm did wane somewhat toward the end (as my next …
May
02
Everybody Draw Mohammed
Mose-Hammed by OAF member P
Apr
02
Hitchens-D’Souza Debate at UF
Dinesh D’Souza and Christopher Hitchins will debate the controversial tenants of Christianity and Atheism on April 6th at 8 pm at the Phillips Center for Performing Arts at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Tickets are free. More info here: http://www.sg.ufl.edu/accent/ Sphere: Related Content
Mar
22
The Freedom Wall
Demolishing the wall between church and state in order to establish a Christian theocracy is the ultimate goal of the Christian Right. Since they believe their version of Christianity is infallible and the only true means of salvation, they can’t understand why their religion shouldn’t be an integral part of our lives and our government …
Feb
27
Are Religion and Science Reconciling?
According to the drumbeat from religious leaders and the media, religion and science are heading for a profound reconciliation and synthesis that will benefit all humanity. The purpose of this discussion is to expose the irrationality of this contention and state the proper relationship of the two. Let’s deal first with the claims that religion …
Feb
18
Faith: Religion’s Achilles Heel
The word “faith” is short and appears innocuous. But it has caused much human misery in history and continues to do so presently. A good first step in addressing this problem is to appreciate that “faith,” like most words, has multiple meanings. The type of faith discussed in this essay will be confined to religious …
Aug
26
Hitchens and D’Souza to Debate at UCF
Thursday Sept. 17, 2009, 7 pm, UCF Arena – Atheism vs. Religion: Hitchens and D’Souza Debate. Does religion hold the keys to creating a better world or would modern society be better off without it? What does religion mean for us today? These are some of the questions Christopher Hitchens, atheist author, and Dinesh D’Souza, …
Jul
01
Scientific Conclusion: Prayer Doesn’t Work – Part 2
[The second and third large, prospective, randomized, double blind studies that pass muster as valid scientific investigations of the effects of prayer on human health.] The second study that appears to meet the “gold standard” for scientific studies was one entitled “A Randomized, Controlled Trial of the Effects of Remote, Intercessory Prayer on Outcomes in …
Jun
30
Scientific Conclusion: Prayer Doesn’t Work – Part 1
Many religious people want to cling to the ancient belief in the supernatural, including prayer, and yet accept the conclusions and benefits of modern science. They can’t have it both ways. To study the natural world, scientists must have an implicit understanding that science operates only by natural, predictable processes, ones that can not be …