Reading Time: 4 minutes You’ve likely heard of simulation theory—the idea that the world we live in isn’t actually real but was created by hyper-intelligent beings for their own ends. If this is a new idea for you, also know that the theory is taken very seriously by some very serious thinkers. Adherents of the theory usually argue that […]
deep dive audio
Posted inCritical thinking
What might a secular humanist view on economics be?
Reading Time: 7 minutes Taxonomically, my family is Freethinker (including atheists, skeptics, agnostics), my genus is Humanist (including the religion-based), and my species is Secular.” — John Rafferty ECONOMY, n. Purchasing the barrel of whiskey that you do not need for the price of the cow that you cannot afford. Amrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary Economics is understandably a […]
Posted inReproductive rights
Is your activism getting in activism’s way?
Reading Time: 7 minutes Humans can be pretty nifty. When something goes wrong, when there’s a crisis in need of immediate redress, many of us are right there on the frontlines, trying to help. And sometimes knowing how to help is easy! Show up here. Sign the petition there. Contact your government representatives (always). But in many situations, the […]
Posted inReligion
Our biggest mistake: We did as we were told
Reading Time: 7 minutes OnlySky · Our biggest mistake: We did as we were told | Neil Carter Those of us who broke up with Jesus (he wouldn’t return our calls) are accustomed to having our motives and our sincerity questioned by those still happy with their faith. We get it all the time. We hear that we weren’t authentic enough, […]
Posted inEducation
What’s the point of education?
Reading Time: 6 minutes No, really, what is the point? I ask this in light of recent UK government potential demands on universities that they are putting out to consultation. Known as “public comment” in the U.S., this is where the government seeks input from the public and stakeholders concerning a proposed change of policy or similar, partly to […]
Posted inCritical thinking
The atheist case for free speech
Reading Time: 10 minutes It was about 15 years ago, at Pitzer College, a small liberal arts institution in California, in my Sociology of Religion class. The morning’s lecture was “The Origins of Mormonism.” A main point of the lecture was to illustrate the way in which this recently-established world religion emerged not because of any supernatural magic, but […]
Posted inLeaving Religion
How humanism helped me let go of God
Reading Time: 3 minutes I grew up with the idea that goodness came from God. My family was sort of Catholic—the soft Catholicism that meant we didn’t read the bible or go to church unless it was absolutely necessary. And while hell was a concept I was familiar with, it wasn’t the main focus of our religion. The main […]
Posted inPolitics
What Colombia’s presidential election can teach us about change
Reading Time: 7 minutes On June 19, Father’s Day took a back seat in Colombia to a second presidential run-off, the last part of a process that began with legislative elections in March. At that time, candidates were also chosen for the presidential race, which had its first run-off in May. Because no candidate passed the key threshold, the […]
Posted inParenting & Family
Do atheists just need a father figure?
Reading Time: 4 minutes A Christian scholar reports that Christians are Christian because they had good father figures and atheists are atheists because they had bad ones. Let’s explore the failures in this offensive claim.
Posted inMeaning & Purpose
More than halfway
Reading Time: 5 minutes Why people get midlife crises, and how humanism helps us age gracefully.