I just got Dennett’s Breaking the Spell from the library. From the introduction: Those who are religious and believe religion to be the best hope of humankind cannot reasonably expect those of us who are skeptical to refrain from expressing … Continue reading →

We had that “but you can’t prove it” discussion at our beer bash at work the other day. The one where your co-debater suggests that, if you believe something without proof, you are making a leap of faith. Consider the … Continue reading →

My wife’s sister’s husband’s nephew has miraculously recovered from devastating liver failure. Dr Dhawan, who is leading research into whether liver cell injections can replace transplants, said: “There was a 90 per cent plus chance that he wasn’t going to … Continue reading →

I feel a bit silly now. I didn’t realize that Chris Hedges’s argument (that I just posted about) ran to three pages. I only read the first page. Now I realize that Chris Hedges is really me. I must have … Continue reading →

I have always thought that Sam Harris overdoes his ‘religion is responsible for all the ills of the world’ pitch but it’s not often that I agree with his critics as much as I agreed with Chris Hedges in a … Continue reading →

The new Creation Museum opens next week. People from Kentucky must be very proud. The Creation Museum, opening May 28, 2007, presents a “walk through history.” Designed by a former Universal Studios exhibit director, this state-of-the-art 60,000 square foot museum … Continue reading →

Walking in Betrand’s footsteps. Continue reading →

Nice interview with Dawkins in The Times. Good line: “I don’t think you and I disagree on anything very much but as a colleague of mine said, it’s just that you say it wrong.”

Quote of the day: Private, quiet faith is one thing. But when the guy holding the launch codes believes the end of the world could come any day and that’s a good thing, those who believe lives are limited to … Continue reading →

Do yourself a favour. Find yourself a quiet 30 minutes where you won’t be interrupted and watch this discussion between the Bishop of Oxford and Richard Dawkins. It will be the best the thing you have watched this year.