What are the chances that God is actually good?
Philosophy professor James Sterba revives a very old argument.
27 January, 2020
Photo by Motoki Tonn on Unsplash
- In his book, Is a Good God Logically Possible?, James Sterba investigates the role of evil.
- Sterba contends that if God is all-powerful then he'd be able to stop evil from occurring in the world.
- God's inability (or unwillingness) to stop evil should make us question his role, or even his existence.
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- Changing the narrative around people's experience with pain or illness, combined with a bit of adrenaline and showmanship, can change their condition, says psychological illusionist Derren Brown.
- Brown has a show on Netflix, called Miracle, that comes at faith healing from a scientific perspective, demonstrating the psychological tricks that can seem so god-like.
- When we start to identify with a particular ailment and sink into that habit, it creates our psychological experience of pain. The so-called "healing" process of faith healers is really about tapping into the psychological component of suffering.
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What the 3rd Star Wars trilogy was supposed to be about
Spoiler: Microbiomes in space!
21 December, 2019
Image source: Disney
- A recent interview reveals the visionary inspiration behind Star Wars.
- The story was originally an excerpt from the Journal of the Whills.
- The Whills were the force behind the Force.
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10 quotes that prove humanity is absurd
We live in contradiction. How we confront that fact matters.
04 November, 2019
- Absurdism is the philosophical school that recognizes the tension between meaning and a meaningless universe.
- Camus and Kierkegaard wrote extensively on the topic, though modern thinkers continue to contribute to the literature of the Absurd.
- In a politically divided time, the Absurd has come to the forefront of national discussion.
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Protect the religious rights of Muslims. They are your rights, too.
We should care about constitutional rights for all, says lawyer and religious freedom scholar Asma T. Uddin. If they are denied for some, history demonstrates how they may be at risk for us all.
22 October, 2019
Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
- Islam is being challenged as a religion in America today. Opponents claim it is not a religion, but a dangerous political ideology.
- Lawyer and religious freedom scholar Asma T. Uddin challenges that view and explains why it is a threat to the religious liberty of all Americans, not just Muslims.
- In U.S. history, Catholics, Jews, and Mormons have all been "denationalized" as Americans and persecuted for their beliefs. This destructive precedent is a threat to all Americans, across all belief systems.
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