SubscribeAfter an enjoyable 2-month break, I find myself again mentally preparing for a fall semester of teaching. My classes almost invariably begin with a discussion intended to clarify the differences between opinions, reasons, and objective evidence. During these lectures, I also offer a contrast between what is commonly regarded as science, versus the more pejorative […]
Atheism, by definition, means an absence of faith or a disbelief in the existence of God. By this definition, I am most assuredly an atheist. But as followers of this blog will know, I also have a dislike for some of the attitudes and methods, respectively held and utilized, by a sizable minority of contemporary […]
Last year I wrote a brief Remembrance Day post. As that was one of the first entries on this blog, it provides me with another reason to reflect. I created this website in part due to my growing awareness of a widespread attitude of theoretical overconfidence within the field of psychology, and especially with regard […]
Introduction Aping Mankind is Tallis’ passionate critique of modern scientific attempts to understand and explain what it is to be human. He describes what he sees as a growing pessimism or anti-humanism that would prefer to see human beings as ‘nothing but’ or ‘little more than’ some kind of animal. In short, Tallis sets out […]
What is Knowledge? To be knowledgeable is to have familiarity with some kind of fact or truth about the world – typically acquired by some form of education or experience. Epistemology is the philosophical study of how we can know what we claim to know. However, there are important differences in the methods of attaining […]
Our modern times have witnessed a growing dissatisfaction with traditional forms of religion. With greater access to evolutionary education, it becomes increasingly difficult to reconcile our longing for meaningful answers in a faith that crumbles under the scrutiny of science and reason. In recent years, that scrutiny has come by way of the so-called New […]
Psychology’s neglect of Philosophy It is interesting to observe that up until the 19th century, psychology was informally a branch of philosophy. Questions related to the human mind, and even the treatment of mental ailments such as existential angst and despair, were traditionally concerns of philosophy. Of course, they now fall within the domain of […]