Author: Adam Lee

We’ve arranged a global civilization in which most crucial elements – transportation, communications, and all other industries; agriculture, medicine, education, entertainment, protecting the environment; and even the key democratic institution of voting – profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is…

• Daylight Atheism reader Juan Felipe has completed Spanish translations of two more Ebon Musings essays, “La sombra del cambio” (Shadow of Turning), and “Un juego de trile cósmico” (The Cosmic Shell Game). Please check them out and be sure to thank him for his fine work. And if you’re interested in joining the effort…

For the sake of the holidays, here’s a bit of nostalgia: My parents came from two different religious traditions – Roman Catholicism on my father’s side, liberal Judaism on my mother’s side – although neither of them were practicing. Growing up, I had no exposure at all to Christianity, and the extent of my exposure…

When the great freethought orator Robert Ingersoll died in 1899, the New York Times eulogized him thusly: …there is something more in the orator’s art than the power of expression. There must also be sympathy in the sense of an electrical connection which is set up between speaker and hearers. And eminently Ingersoll had this.…

As atheists grow in political power and begin to exert our influence, we should expect to draw attention from religious bigots who will try to silence us. Three stories from the past three days illustrate this principle, showing not just atheism’s increasing assertiveness, but the arrogance of religious groups and individuals who think they can…

A new essay, “The Pillars of the Earth“, has been posted on Ebon Musings. This essay surveys apologist claims that the Bible displays miraculous foreknowledge of modern science, and sets the record straight as to what these verses really mean. This is an open thread. Comments and discussion are welcome.

If you search the internet, it’s not hard to find New Agers and others who think that the dawning of the age of reason was a mistake. They envision a more “holistic” approach, one that properly pays heed to the mystery and complexity of existence, and castigate science for being cold, unfeeling, heartless in its…

I had planned to post on a different topic today, but my attention has been riveted – as I’m sure everyone’s has – by the horrific events still unfolding in Mumbai. A well-organized and ruthless group of several dozen heavily armed terrorists has slipped into the city, attacking lightly guarded civilian targets with assault rifles…

When two groups of experts disagree about a controversial subject that intersects the public school curriculum students should learn about both perspectives. In such cases teachers should not teach as true only one competing view, just the Republican or Democratic view of the New Deal in a history class, for example. Instead, teachers should describe…

In this past August’s post “On Desecration“, concerning the infamous PZ Myers wafer affair, I mocked the ignorance of a group calling itself the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy: We find the actions of University of Minnesota (Morris) Professor Paul Myers reprehensible, inexcusable, and unconstitutional. At the time, I didn’t think this was anything other than…