Reading Time: 2 minutes Research from the University of Tokyo has “provided the first empirical evidence that simple biological molecules can lead to the emergence of complex lifelike systems” as they created an RNA molecule that “replicates, diversifies, and develops complexity, following Darwinian evolution.” This is the holy grail of naturalism—abiogenesis—not the diversification of life itself but the start […]
Naturalism
Posted inFilm/TV
Groundhog Day and the search for meaning, even if there’s no tomorrow
Reading Time: 6 minutes Without an afterlife, where will humans find purpose and meaning? Groundhog Day explores the possibilities with a cinematic parable.
Posted inScience
Disputing Miracles vs Disputing History (II)
Reading Time: 4 minutes This comment was left on a thread a few weeks ago: John, why dispute these facts and not go right for the miracles? Because, if miracles are possible, if it’s possible to extract water from a stone and part the sea, then it’s possible that Moses’ mother had a magical pitch pit in her back […]
Posted inUncategorized
Disputing Miracles vs Disputing History (I)
Reading Time: 9 minutes I’m sorry, but I can’t remember who posted this comment but it is worth dwelling on; if I remember correctly, it was in response to me picking apart biblical narratives for their historical inaccuracies and problems, as well as their naturalistic impossibilities: John, why dispute these facts and not go right for the miracles? Because, […]
Posted inBooks, History, Religion
My Interview on the Resurrection with Harmonic Atheist
Reading Time: < 1 minute I’ve done a few interviews with Tim Mills/Harmonic Atheist and I love them. Here is a great chat about my latest book – The Resurrection: A Critical Examination of the Easter Story [UK] – and one that, though long, only skimmed the surface, looking really at my approach than many of the explicit claims. Let me […]
Posted inBooks
Critically Analysing the Resurrection: A Walk-Through
Reading Time: < 1 minute Here is my latest video, walking through my book on the Resurrection of Jesus – The Resurrection: A Critical Examination of the Easter Story [UK]. Please like and subscribe and do all the things those UToobers tell you to. Stay in touch! Like A Tippling Philosopher on Facebook: A Tippling Philosopher You can also […]
![By Inside_my_head.jpg: Andrew Mason from London, UK derivative work: -- Jtneill - Talk (Inside_my_head.jpg) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://i0.wp.com/onlysky.media/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/psychology.jpg?resize=550%2C290&ssl=1)
Posted inUncategorized
2nd Covid Jab, My Multiple Sclerosis, and Qualia
Reading Time: 3 minutes This is what I just wrote on Facebook with regard to having my second covid jab yesterday and how it interacted with my multiple sclerosis: Wow. Oof. I had my second Astra Zeneca vaccine yesterday at about midday. That was a wild night. I thought I’d share my experiences with you in case some of […]
Posted inUncategorized
Supernaturalism
Reading Time: 3 minutes I posted the other day about motivated reasoning and eric commented as follows: It’s possible to ‘dispassionately argue’ but still be engaging in motivated reasoning. I just don’t think that’s really the case here. What that would look like is: let’s say Jonathan accepted pretty much every non-christian account of an unsubstantiated miracle, but used […]
Posted inHistory
The Resurrection, Fideism and Circularity
Reading Time: 3 minutes The few times that New Testament claims intersect with history – namely, the Nativity accounts, and to a lesser degree, the Resurrection accounts – the claims fail, historically speaking. What epistemic right does the Christian then have for believing in Jesus, for being a Christian? If you ask the Christian “Why do you know that […]
Posted inDeath & Dying
Being Skeptical of Near-Death Experiences (Pt 2)
Reading Time: 10 minutes The other day, I introduced the topic of Near-Death Experiences (NDEs), and today I will talk about naturalistic, scientific explanations for such phenomena. The problem with scientific explanations and hypotheses for such phenomena is that they aren’t as fun and exciting as some funky spiritual world operating in parallel, or whatever NDErs believe. This rather […]