Belief in free will correlates with conservatism
In recent years, the “free will versus determinism” debate has gained great popularity among both philosophers and non-philosophers alike. People want to know, or at […]
science
The rise of “new age” spirituality in secular society
Sweden is one of the most secular societies in the world (at least in terms of participation in church activities), yet, despite its strong secularism, […]
Thinking about physics suppresses our social minds
Last year, a scientific study out of UBC-Vancouver made a splash by claiming that analytical thinking decreased people’s belief in God. Of course, this wasn’t […]
Do you believe in magic? Seriously.
No self-respecting defender of science would admit to believing in magic. Science has surpassed magic by providing real explanations. Yet, when put in the right […]
Interview: Michael Ruse on evolution, creationism, and religion
Michael Ruse is a professor of philosophy at Florida State University and a worldwide expert on the relationship between religion and science. His work has […]
IN FOCUS: Meditation research (Part Two)
There’s been a boom in interest in meditation recently – among laypersons and the scientific community alike. Neuroscientists, in particular, have begun using their training […]
Book review: Andrew Newberg’s Principles of Neurotheology
Until recently, the standard position in the perennial religion vs. science wars was one of truce. Stephen J. Gould, the late evolutionary biologist, coined the […]
Review: Principles of Neurotheology
One of the most fundamental quandaries in theology and philosophy is the pernicious difficulty of using the mind to examine itself. The trickiness of inverting […]
Review: The Empirical Stance
Renowned philosopher of science Bas C. van Fraassen (Princeton University) had long remained silent on issues of religion. So by his own admission he was […]
When being unfalsifiable is a good thing
Common knowledge says that you believe what you’re taught, or what your gut tells you is right, or – better yet – what the facts […]