In Oregon Next Week I’m Debating Whether Jesus Was the Son of God
On Tuesday (May 30) at 7pm in the Gilfillan Auditorium at Oregon State University, I’ll be debating Dr. Michael Gurney on whether Jesus was the son of God. This event is sponsored by the Socratic Club. I might have books to sell and sign at the final closing of...Christians Did Not Invent Charity and Philanthropy
Let me dispel a common myth: no, Christianity did not bring the idea of charity to the Western world. The concept of charity and concern for the poor was already fully developed before the Christians borrowed the notion from their pagan and Jewish peers. It’s...All Godless Universes Are Mathematical
At futurism.com, there is a brief article explaining why the universe is mathematical, by saying, essentially just, that’s what we invented math for, to explain the universe. But this isn’t really an answer to the question. Theists have long used the lack...Two Classes to Consider Taking This June!
Starting next week: I will be teaching the science and philosophy of moral reasoning, building on my peer reviewed work in the subject. And award-winning psychologist Jon Mills (Ph.D., Psy.D, ABPP) will be teaching the psychology of religious belief, a subject on...The Mythical Stillbirth of Science in Greece
A few years ago a hyper-religious Catholic chemist with no history credentials wrote a face-palming article at Strange Notions that repeats an all-too-common myth Christians love to sell today: that science was “stillborn” in antiquity, and only a...Why Do We Still Believe in Q?
Q is a hypothetical Gospel. The letter Q stands for Quelle, German for “Source.” It has long been a popular hypothesis, and it serves a lot of agendas well. But there is no evidence whatever for it. Q never existed. And there is no rational reason to believe it did....The Guardian on Jesus: Dear oh dear…
[Update: This is my critique of Simon Gathercole’s Guardian article, which is amateurish and terrible. For his more professional article in JSHJ see my analysis in 2019.] -:- Everyone keeps asking about The Guardian article “What Is the Historical Evidence...
Hang Out with Me in Memphis!
I’ll be hanging out, drinking and chatting with anyone who wants to come join me, Friday May 19, from 7pm to 10pm, at The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium (130 Peabody Place, Memphis, TN). Unless they haven’t reopened by then (they are closed for renovations...
How to Build a Sound Philosophy of Life: Course Begins May 1!
Join in! And let anyone else know who might be interested: I’ll be teaching the basics of naturalism as a worldview, and how to build your own worldview, your own philosophy of life, from valid logic and sound facts, this May (2017). This fits right in with my...The Case for Christ: The Movie!
So I went and saw it. Here’s a review. Read on, and enjoy your Easter week pondering the aesthetic merits of a film embedded with religious propaganda. I’ll remark on both, but my focus will be on the propaganda, and what this film tells us about how...
I’m Looking for a Translator of Medieval Arabic
I am looking for someone who is facile at translating Medieval Arabic scientific treatises (in physics, mechanics, or engineering especially). For future research (and possibly my next book), I need a literal translation of two pages of the surviving Arabic...Epilogue to the Sam Harris Moral Facts Contest
A few years ago, Sam Harris put on a contest, that awarded $2000 to the best essay critiquing his “moral landscape” theory of moral facts—and could have awarded them $20,000 had it convinced him. It didn’t. I agree it shouldn’t have. But...Desperately Searching the Epistles for Anything That Attests a Historical Jesus
In my book On the Historicity of Jesus, I covered pretty much every possible verse in the Epistles that any expert has ever tried to claim proves Jesus really lived. You can check yourself: it has a complete scripture index (pp. 661-71). And Chapter 11 rakes the whole...How Best to Question–or Defend!–a Historical Jesus: Online Course in April!
Register now for my online course on the historicity of Jesus! It starts again next month: learn the best arguments pro and con (so not just my case against it, but also the best arguments and evidence for it), as well as the cultural and historical background of the...Fishers of Evidence Gets Confused about Math
Someone asked me about a confusing critique of the math in On the Historicity of Jesus by a YouTuber who goes by the moniker Fishers of Evidence. I don’t know his alignment in the debate. But he has posted a short eight minute video entitled The Error of Richard...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.
Support Dr. Carrier
Books by Dr. Carrier
Explore C.H.R.E.S.T.U.S.
