Reading Time: 3 minutes Walking is good for the environment. It is also good for the body and the soul. A recent study suggests that walking may slow the aging process. But walking is not merely a tool for longevity. It is also an instrument of spiritual health. An MIT study found that walking increased markedly during the COVID-19 pandemic, often in response […]
Andrew Fiala
Andrew Fiala is Professor of Philosophy and director of the Ethics Center at Cal State Fresno. His published work includes Tyranny from Plato to Trump (2022), Seeking Common Ground: An Atheist/Theist Dialogue (2021, with Peter Admirand), Transformative Pacifism (2018), The Routledge Handbook of Pacifism and Nonviolence (2017), The Bloomsbury Companion to Political Philosophy (2015), and Ethics: Theory and Contemporary Issues with Barbara MacKinnon (now in its 9th edition). Fiala is active in interfaith discussions, where he represents a secular/nonreligious point of view.
Posted inPhilosophy
Tolerating the hypocrites: religious exemptions and the problem of belief
Reading Time: 3 minutes Americans are skeptical of religious exemptions to COVID-19 vaccination rules. According to a recent Pew survey, two-thirds of Americans suspect that those who claim a religious exemption are “just using religion as an excuse to avoid the vaccine.” But let’s be cautious in judging other people. It is difficult to judge the sincerity of our own beliefs. […]
Posted inPsychology
Fighting the ‘apathy of impotence’
Reading Time: 3 minutes A friend recently suggested that apathy is a reasonable response to a world gone mad. He called this the “apathy of impotence.” The apathy of impotence grows from the feeling that there is nothing we can do to change a world afflicted by systematic and structural problems. Rather than beating your head against the wall, it […]
Posted inThe Secular
As religion falls away, how will we support Generation Z?
Reading Time: 3 minutes A new study from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) shows that Generation Z (born 1997-2012) tends to be less religious and more secular than older generations, and therefore less likely to engage in behaviors such as saying grace or attending church. The authors at AEI note that this demographic shift represents a significant change in […]
Posted inThe Secular
Secularism on trial: the public/private belief distinction
Reading Time: 3 minutes A lesson about secularism was revealed in Senator Lindsey Graham’s strange interrogation of Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson. The Senator reminded us of the importance of the distinction between private belief and public impartiality. When we say that justice is blind, we mean that public officials ought to aspire to impartiality and learn to […]
Posted inMeaning & Purpose
Changing clocks and playing with time
Reading Time: 4 minutes There have long been practical concerns about our annual clock-changing ritual. It causes sleepiness, confusion, and accidents. In response, the Senate passed the “Sunshine Protection Act” this week, a first step to making Daylight Savings Time permanent. But if the clocks move forward permanently, we might end up driving to work in the dark during […]
Posted inHistory
The Ides of March: Is Putin a tyrant?
Reading Time: 3 minutes Senator Lindsey Graham recently called for the murder of Vladimir Putin. He invoked the history of tyrannicide when he asked in a tweet, “Is there a Brutus in Russia?” Critics were outraged. But the logic is simple: If Putin is a tyrant, tyrannicide is a plausible response. To call someone a tyrant implies they are […]
Posted inGeneral
Condemning aggressive war: The secular cosmopolitan consensus
Reading Time: 3 minutes The broad international condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine provides an example of the resilience of moral principles and a source of hope. This assault prompted the world to reassert the importance of a secular cosmopolitan vision of a peaceful, law-governed world. As I have explained in a book on the topic, secular cosmopolitan values affirm […]
Posted inWar and Peace
Russian invasion: Does nonviolent resistance have a role to play in Ukraine?
Reading Time: 5 minutes In a world of rattling sabers, the option of nonviolent resistance is often ignored. As Russian tanks roll into Ukraine, and cluster bombs rain on residential areas, it is natural to think that violence is the only credible response. But violence is not our only powerful tool. Even though modern history is rich with examples […]