Reading Time: 5 minutes Most Christians who call themselves pro-lifers believe that “ensoulment” happens when an egg is fertilized. But quite a lot can happen when and after an egg is fertilized. I have argued before that God loves (natural) abortion, as evidenced by the fact that somewhere up to 75% of all fertilized eggs fail to reach birth […]
Philosophy
Posted inPhilosophy
Understanding eternity (Hint: It’s a very long time)
Reading Time: 2 minutes Whether you are a heaven-and-hell-believing evangelical or a Christian universalist (where everyone gets saved), you’ll have some kind of belief in a transcendent soul living in some situation for eternity. But eternity is a very long time. Problematically so. People often seem to defend billionaires without realizing how big a billion really is and how […]
Posted inMeaning & Purpose
The joy of walking
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 […]
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 inCulture
If you can, read this: The hidden wisdom of bumper stickers
Reading Time: 4 minutes In my years researching and writing “If You Can Read This: The Philosophy of Bumper Stickers,” I discovered one thing to be true: bumper stickers have the potential to really rile people up. And it should be no surprise. These stickers essentially do what we’re encouraged to avoid at polite gatherings such as dinner parties […]
Posted inScience
What happens to the soul if the brain is brought back to life?
Reading Time: 3 minutes A few years ago, a neuroscience team at Yale University performed some groundbreaking studies on pig brains, showing that after the animal is dead, if the brain is cooled immediately, not all the brain cells die. In fact, they are quite resilient and can be resuscitated if they are provided with the right environment—temperature and […]
Posted inDeep Dive
The meager moral fruits argument
Reading Time: 7 minutes “If this conversion you speak about is truly supernatural, then why is it not more evident in the lives of so many Christians that I know?” A Hindu acquaintance to the late Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias Philosophical arguments can take on several forms: deductive, inductive, and abductive. I am becoming more of a fan of […]
Posted inPhilosophy
Why I’m a humanist (2022 edition)
Reading Time: 4 minutes The twenty-first century has been one bitter pill after another for those who believe in the goodness of humanity. Is it still possible to be a humanist in a world in shadow?
Posted inVideo
Interview: Content and Philosophy with Jonathan MS Pearce
Reading Time: < 1 minute Fellow OnlySky author Jonathan MS Pearce is a philosopher, author, columnist, and public speaker with an interest in writing about almost anything, from skepticism to science, politics, and morality, to the environment, because everything is philosophy. Guest: Jonathan MS Pearce He is also the author of several books, including Beyond An Absence of Faith: Stories […]
Posted inPhilosophy
Why I’m an atheist (2022 edition)
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s a good idea to reexamine your beliefs occasionally, to see if they hold up in the light of new experience. Are my initial reasons for becoming an atheist still sound?