Are Moral Facts Not Natural Facts? Everything Wrong with the Shafer-Landau Thesis
Is moral truth a priori and not a natural property of the universe? So says Dr. Russ Shafer-Landau (as articulated in Whatever Happened to Good and Evil in 2003; and Moral Realism: A Defence in 2005). Even though I’m sympathetic to his project, he’s just...Barnes Still Not Listening on the Bayesian Analysis of Fine Tuning Arguments
Last month I caught up on an old thread with On the Bayesian Reversal of the Fine Tuning Argument by Sober, Ikeda, & Jefferys (against Barnes & Lowder). Luke Barnes has now thrown up a bunch of responses that are even more bizarre. One of the things I observed...On the Bayesian Reversal of the Fine Tuning Argument by Sober, Ikeda, & Jefferys (against Barnes & Lowder)
Clearing the dusty shelves of old unanswered things. One such is the Lowder-Barnes critique of my application of Bayesian reasoning to reverse the fine tuning argument into a case against God, rather than an argument for God. Actually this is not my argument. It is...Open Letter to Academic Philosophy: All Your Moral Theories Are the Same
In my work I have repeatedly pointed out two things about what philosophers think the options are in developing a theory of moral truth: (1) that their standard assumption of only three options (consequentialist, deontological, and virtue ethics) curiously omits a...Speaking for Columbus Rationality Next Month!
I will be speaking on Bayesian history and epistemology for Columbus Rationality and the Secular Student Alliance at OSU in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday, November 16th, at 7:30pm in Lazenby Hall (room 021) on the OSU campus. Details here. I Will duscuss Bayesian...The Moral Bankruptcy of Divine Command Theory: Matthew Flannagan’s Failed Defense
Theology has no salvageable theory of morality. Theists complain atheists have no reason to be moral. But in fact theists have no reason to actually be moral, as in: to elevate compassion, honesty, and reasonableness above all authority, even the authority of their...Catching Up 3: John Loftus on Jeff Lowder & Being a Philosopher
I’ve been too busy to blog about all the things I wanted to this month. From the Black Lives Matter protest to the Ophelia Benson departure to a weird John Loftus flameout currently going on. So here I’m quickly trying to catch up. Last on deck: the Loftus...Rare Fine Bound Editions of My Books: Special Auction!
Yep. You might want. These are fabulous. And presently unique. But even if duplicated, they will remain extremely rare. I’m giddy at the craftsman’s work on them. They are an aesthetic achievement that harkens back to the old days of leather-bound books in...Next Weekend: Appearing in Missouri for the Mid Rivers Ethical Society!
I’m honored to be delivering a platform presentation next Sunday (June 14, 2015) for the Ethical Society of Mid Rivers, Missouri, at 10:30 a.m. The meeting is at the University of Missouri Extension Center (260 Brown Road) in Saint Peters, Missouri. I’ll...Epistemology without Insurmountable Regress or Fallacious Circularity
A correspondent (code name emergence) sent me a letter asking an interesting question about epistemology… Hey Dr. Carrier, I realize that this might be kind of off-topic, but I was talking about philosophy in the Thunderdome on Pharyngula, and you were...Defining the Supernatural vs. Logical Positivism
In working slowly through a gigantic backlog of blog comments, I met with one that goes back to an old school question, about my project to demarcate the natural and the supernatural. The comment by Enlightenment Liberal is here. He is asking questions about the...Peter Boghossian on Gay Pride and Hobnobbing with an Online Misogynist
Yesterday I posted an enhanced edition of my Ohio speech on feminism. Today I am posting key material from my Portland speech that extends the same argument to a broader application, focusing on some of the recent public statements of Peter Boghossian… Gay Pride...Appearing All Over Southern California Next Week
I will be appearing to speak at numerous venues in Southern California next week and the following week. And of course selling and signing my books. I might also be available for hanging out with nice folk over drinks now and again while I’m around there. Here...Appearing All Over Portland Next Week!
I will be speaking at four different events in Portland, Oregon (and a fifth in Vancouver, Washington), next week. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone who can make it to them! Next Wednesday (February 25) I will be speaking on “Why History Cannot Establish...Get Greta Christina’s Essential Little Book on Death
When Greta Christina writes a book on a subject, it’s usually so thorough and well-written you won’t need any other. And her latest e-book (eventually to appear in print as well) continues the tradition. In less than eighty pages, Comforting Thoughts About...Get Dr. Carrier’s Latest!
About the Author
Richard Carrier is the author of many books and numerous articles online and in print. His avid readers span the world from Hong Kong to Poland. With a Ph.D. in ancient history from Columbia University, he specializes in the modern philosophy of naturalism and humanism, and the origins of Christianity and the intellectual history of Greece and Rome, with particular expertise in ancient philosophy, science and technology. He is also a noted defender of scientific and moral realism, Bayesian reasoning, and historical methods.
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