Come be my student next month! My online course for September is “Counter-Apologetics: Learning the Best Ways to Refute Arguments for God.” It includes special advice on arguing against Islam as well as both liberal and conservative Christianity, tips and tactics of in-person and online argument and debate, the most effective way to frame ten key arguments for atheism so that theists can’t get around them (without looking silly), and a whole lot else. It’s affordable and has no scheduled events, it’s all learn-at-your-own-pace, and you can participate as much or as little as you want in the challenges and discussions and readings.
Register at The Secular Academy.
And purchase the course text, Malcolm Murray’s The Atheist’s Primer, at Google Play or Amazon.
Let anyone else know who might be interested in taking this course, too!
There are many benefits to taking this course. Here are several to consider…
You can improve your ability to inoculate fence-sitters and the misled by debunking bogus or trick claims (so you can be your own Snopes); to discredit the dishonest authorities believers rely upon (thus embarrassing or shocking them into no longer trusting the untrustworthy); to concisely take-down arguments and claims in a way that maximizes cognitive dissonance; and to get a believer to rethink how they think about their own arguments and claims.
I will also be discussing tactics and advice for engaging both formal and informal debates, based on my extensive experience with both.
The official course description:
Learn how to most effectively dismantle Christian and Islamic apologetics in the public arena from Dr. Richard Carrier, a published historian and philosopher with a decade of experience in formal and informal debate, cross-media counter-apologetics, and the history and philosophy of religion and naturalism. You will consult targeted readings, answer challenge questions, engage in moderated discussions, and you can ask all the questions you’ve ever wanted about this subject, and get answers from an experienced pro.
You’ll also benefit from Dr. Carrier’s instructive commentary on the required course text, which is the little known yet essential guide to the subject, Dr. Malcolm Murray’s The Atheist’s Primer (Broadview Press 2010). It’s back in print (though used copies are also available on Amazon, their delivery may be slow). And it’s also readily available and very affordable in ebook format through Google Play. You’ll need it as the main course text. Additional course readings will be provided for free, including special lectures on tactics of debate, the cognitive science of persuasion, the goals and aims of counter-apologetics, and how to understand and covertly deploy Bayesian counter-apologetics to confound and disturb the defenders of religion (and without even using math).
