Ethical Society of NY Discussion with Adam and Massimo Pigliucci

Last updated on: May 20, 2018 at 7:51 pm By Andrew

Amazing evening last week on Thursday as Adam and I were hosted by the Ethical Society of New York. Our discussion was moderated by one of my favorite philosophers, Massimo Pigliucci, Professor of Philosophy at City College and author of Answers for Aristotle: How Science and Philosophy Can Lead Us to a More Meaningful Life. The hosts from Ethical NYC, Anne Klaeysen and team, were incredibly gracious and Massimo was an unrelenting fair moderator with impressive philosophical and scientific depth to... Read more

Podcast with Randal Rauser

Last updated on: April 29, 2018 at 9:17 pm By Andrew

I had a great time with Adam in Edmonton. While we were there, we had a chance to spend some time with author and theologian Randal Rauser, who hosted us on his Tentative Apologist Podcast. What I love about this interview, and Randal in general, is his commitment to the big questions and his respect for contrasting viewpoints. To have someone like Randal (who’s professor of historical theology at Taylor Seminary) moderate our discussion adds tremendous depth to my and Adam’s exchange. Besides... Read more

Meta goes to Edmonton!

Last updated on: April 2, 2018 at 7:22 pm By Andrew

The Meta book tour begins this week in Canada, followed by New York in May, and Indianapolis in June. For those in the Edmonton area that are interested in my and Adam’s dialogue on the big questions and combined effort to end human trafficking, come check us out. We’ll kick things off on Thursday, April 5th at 7pm at the University of Alberta. The program is billed as “A Christian Humanist, a Secular Humanist, and a Theologian” and is moderated... Read more

Tegmark and the Mathematical Universe

Last updated on: March 26, 2018 at 7:43 pm By Andrew

In his book Our Mathematical Universe, cosmologist Max Tegmark puts forward both a big question and provocative solution. First, the big question: “But why has our physical world revealed such extreme mathematical regularity that astronomy superhero Galileo Galilei proclaimed nature to be ‘a book written in the language of mathematics,’ and Nobel Laureate Eugene Wigner stressed the ‘unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics in the physical sciences’ as a mystery demanding an explanation?” [1] Time and time again, mathematicians, philosophers, and scientists... Read more

Intelligent Design as A/theological Blasphemy

Last updated on: March 18, 2018 at 9:45 pm By Andrew

Intelligent Design. Claiming it’s atheological blasphemy is a cute play on words to describe an obvious truth, but moving towards it being theological blasphemy is definitely a proactive thesis requiring further exploration. Does it require atheism to find something uneasy in the assertion that “things are too irreducibly complex to have evolved, thus God did it” – especially when there are evolutionary models in place? Of course not, and to this, the subject of this post. It’s a nuanced theme, and counter-intuitive to many,... Read more

Book Review: Free Will

Last updated on: March 11, 2018 at 9:47 pm By Andrew

If determinism is true, is free will possible? Compatibilists say yes, incompatibilists say no. In his short book Free Will, Sam Harris asserts a very strong incompatibilism; that free will is not only an illusion, but that the very concept is incoherent. He begins by highlighting the problem: “If a man’s choice to shoot the president is determined by a certain pattern of neural activity, which is in turn the product of prior causes-perhaps an unfortunate coincidence of bad genes, an unhappy... Read more

MLK Jr on a Christian Humanism

Last updated on: February 25, 2018 at 9:30 pm By Andrew

On the intersection of Christianity, humanism, and social justice, Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail is a must read. An immensely important fact to consider was to whom the letter was addressed: “My Dear Fellow Clergymen”. His aim was to address the criticisms from the church that his actions were “unwise” and “untimely”, but it went much further than an apologia. Like Paul’s letters to the Church, MLK’s letter was calling of the Church to true discipleship. In this case, turning a blind eye to... Read more

Davies On the Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics

Last updated on: February 18, 2018 at 5:34 pm By Andrew

In Mind of God, agnostic physicist Paul Davies explores a number of deep questions, one of which takes aim at Eugene’s Wigner’s question on the “unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics” in describing the natural world. Restated by Einstein, “how is it possible that mathematics, a product of human thought that is independent of experience fits so excellently the objects of physical reality?” He presents various perspectives on the “is mathematical invented or discovered?” question. For many with Platonic leanings, mathematics is obviously discovered. Here Davies... Read more

From Evangelical to Progressive

Last updated on: February 13, 2018 at 12:05 am By Andrew

I am happy to announce my recent relocation from the Evangelical channel to the Progressive Christian channel. A warm thank you to Ben Corey and the rest of the progressive Christian bloggers for having me. With a name like Soapbox Redemption: Nicene. Philosophical. Swagger, where else could I possibly end up? In all seriousness, I suppose a long essay on “why the switch?” should be in order, but it’s actually not very dramatic. In hindsight, I was always “progressive” if I... Read more

Rosenberg on Reality

Last updated on: February 5, 2018 at 12:16 am By Andrew

You have to admire philosopher Alex Rosenberg. His skepticism is piercing. In An Atheists Guide to Reality, he provides a list of questions and their answers, asserting ” how totally unavoidable they are, provided you place your confidence in science to provide the answers.” “Is there a god? No. What is the nature of reality? What physics says it is. What is the purpose of the universe? There is none. What is the meaning of life? Ditto. Why am I here? Just... Read more

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