At age 21, while studying music education at Florida State, a single event changed my life completely. This experience hit me so hard that I completely flipped on one of my most deeply-held beliefs. I moved, in that brief moment, … Continue reading Justification, Truth, and the Skeptic’s Mistake
(This is a repost of mine from a few years ago, just after the conflict in Charlottesville, VA. Always worth another look, especially on MLK day.) In the wake of recent events in Charlottesville, it is easy to stand back … Continue reading The Epistemology of Racism
Coach Z (my junior high P.E. teacher) somehow inspired hundreds of junior high kids to fall in love with fitness. The end of every semester brought a “fitness test,” and there were all kinds of awards for progress and achievement. … Continue reading How’s Your Epistemic Health?
You know something is important when TED has an entire playlist devoted to it. “The Value of Skepticism” playlist includes talks on statistics, fake news, quack medicine, courtroom persuasion, and one other topic . . . I forget what it … Continue reading How To Be A Skeptic
(Feel free to go straight to the video, or read on for some background and detail on the ideas in the video. It’s a fairly short post.) In second grade, we did a science project on how different parts of … Continue reading Why Are (Some) Atheists So Fundamentalist?
Last spring, I sat on a panel of two Christians and two atheists at Kansas State University. To be honest, I felt a little intimidated by one panelist– Bruce Glymour. Bruce is an excellent philosopher and Chair of the department … Continue reading A Dilemma Or Not A Dilemma?
I once paused an argument I was having to ask a crucial question. I learned from this experience that I should always ask this question and that conversations involving disagreement are pointless if my conversation partner responds in the negative. … Continue reading Impeachment Doesn’t Matter
Every October, I tread carefully on the subject of Halloween. Many people in conservative churches believe that Christians should not participate in a holiday with such unwholesome, pagan origins. Others see it as harmless fun. What should a reasonable, devout … Continue reading Halloween, Christians, and Knowledge
One of my favorite lines from the film, “As Good As It Gets,” is when Jack Nicholson turns to the other people in the waiting room at his psychiatrist’s office as says, “What if this is as good as it … Continue reading Does Free Will Lead To Evil?
Ask five people for a definition of faith and you’ll get seven answers. If only everyone could agree on one definition! Consequently, when someone says “faith is irrational,” discussing the claim is tricky because we may be taking about two … Continue reading What Is Faith?