Five years ago I took Michael Shermer to task for pushing pseudoscience in his bungled attempt to argue (in agreement with Sam Harris and myself) that moral philosophy could and should be retooled into a proper empirical science, the same way every other philosophical...
I will be at O’Callaghan’s in downtown Chicago having lunch and an early drink between noon and two pm this Monday (9 April 2018). I’ll have books on hand if you want to buy any (all usual forms of payment accepted). Or bring any you already have to...
Remember that dubious claim going around for years now that a first century manuscript of the Gospel of Mark had been found? Well, there’s news! Last year I gave advice on how to vet suspicious claims about ancient Jesus literature before asking me about it (see...
Following are several testimonials of past students of my monthly online courses. Starting this Sunday, I’ll be teaching Building a Godless Worldview, a complete introduction to philosophy as an practical activity and not just a historical subject. For details,...
Easter this year lands most fittingly on April Fool’s Day. Because indeed, the resurrection of Jesus is akin to the greatest prank in history. Not because anyone actually faked it (though the evidence we have left, remains fully consistent with their having done...
We all know the Golden Rule, taught supposedly by the Jewish Rabbi Jesus in the West and the Confucian scholar Mo Tzu in the East: “do to others as you would have done for yourself.” Or as the equally ancient Rabbi Hillel, or Confucius himself, said, “do not do to...
I’ll be delivering a talk and Q&A on “What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?” for the Michigan Atheists at The Birmingham Temple Congregation for Humanistic Judaism (28611 W 12 Mile Rd., Farmington Hills, Michigan) on Sunday, April 1, from 5 PM...
Does atheism have a rational foundation? If we are just atoms in motion, how can anything be right or wrong? What is reason and why trust it? What is true? What should I believe, about myself and the world I live in? What should our politics be? What should our values...
Feser keeps trying. And keeps failing. Indeed, he is now making things worse, by demonstrating he doesn’t even understand what is going on here. To catch you up: I wrote a critique of his book. He wrote a reply. I wrote a response to that reply showing how he...
As several requested, I’ve changed the date of my upcoming pubmeet in Laguna Beach, California, to Thursday, March 15th. It’s still to be at Hennessey’s Tavern on 213 Ocean Ave. (Laguna Beach, CA) from 7-9pm. See you there!
I’ll be doing an event in New York in May. And traveling with one of my girlfriends. We’re interested in knowing if anyone has a guest room to put us up for three nights. In any borough. We will have our own car. Evenings of May 18, 19, and 20 (a Friday...
I had a good laugh when Feser fans claimed he “destroyed” my critique this week, and at first thought, “Oh gosh, did I get something wrong I need to correct?” And then I read his reply. Face, meet palm. Holy cow. His response is wildly inept....
I’m doing pubmeets in March on the following dates. Come join me for a drink and conversation and get a signed book or two (or several)! Know anyone who’d love to join us? Let ’em know! 7 March (Wednesday) • The Library Pub (5142 N 90th St.) • Omaha,...
I had a fascinating & amicable discussion about the science and philosophy of free will. Cameron Reilly sides with Sam Harris (“there is no free will because it’s incompatible with determinism”) and I with Daniel Dennett (“there is a kind...
This kind of argument has been tried again and again and again. I’ve discussed every one. (See Okay, So What about the Historicity of Spartacus?) It’s always of this form: P1. We should not doubt [x] existed. P2. The evidence for Jesus is better than for...
My last article refuting Feser’s armchair metaphysical arguments for God briefly asserted that modern scientific Superstring Theory actually answers all his requirements for a godless substrate for all reality, and answers the Principle of Sufficient Reason, and...
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.