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Russell Blackford reviews my book!

Chris Hallquist — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 18:34:25 +0000

Russell Blackford has a good sized review of my book, which concludes with this statement:

This is the most focused and definitive book that you’ll find putting the detailed case against Jesus’ resurrection. It’s done very well indeed. If your home or local library has a place for such a book, I don’t hesitate to recommend it.

Quick links

Chris Hallquist — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:40:50 +0000

First, the
Philosopher’s Carnival is up, and my linking to Greta’s carnival round up missed it.

Second, an American Scene blogger has declared the only sensible take on the Gates affair to be one that finds the situation to be not a problem of anyone being really bad, but of two men forced to do what they did for the sake of their honor. Surprisingly, this fits pretty well with my recent anti-police rant, if you make one additional point: only one man felt he was justified in arresting the other to defend his honor.

Carnival of the vacationing blogger #2

Chris Hallquist — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:19:05 +0000

Hey, welcome to the second edition of the “Chris is on Vacation” blog carnival. This is going to be a lot of goofy stuff, though there are a few serious things I´ll start out with.

First–something I almost can´t believe I´m typing–Chris Mooney has put up a post effectively admitting that Jerry Coyne is right about everything, and that science and religion are incompatible. Mooney just thinks this fact isn´t very important. Kind of puts all Mooney´s previous blogging on this issue in a different light. If you click no other links in this post, click that one, it has to be seen to be believed. Hopefully, this will be the end of this weird little saga.

Also: Chris, thanks for the link. My response to that post is in his comments.

In other serious news, Daylight atheism has a nice post on Jewish nutjobs in Israel, and Jason Rosenhouse has a post on some weird behavior from Michael Ruse.

In the middle of the seriousness spectrum, in the “should I laugh or cry” territory, is a three part expose of craziness inside the Church of Scientology. Hat tip goes to Greta Christina for posting it on Facebook, but also to Hemant.

As for the goofy: we have this wonderful cartoon, accompanied by pretty decent article (via The American Scene), this cartoon, which I at least find wonderful because I once dated an anime chick, this wonderful shot from a real corporte website, and an example of the kind of things philosophers dream about.

Random links

Chris Hallquist — Tue, 19 May 2009 06:16:46 +0000

It’s been too long since I’ve done this…

First, I would like to congratulate Tucker Max on becoming a full-fledged celebrity. Well, it’s an odd achievement, since the status was pretty much just awarded by Tucker to himself. But congratulations anyway. Oh, and the news coverage of his recent talk is proof that the word “rape” has become meaningless in the words of college campus feminists.

If you want to see me get pissy about what constitutes “symbolic meaning,” you can do it over at Philosophy, etc.

John Loftus is still asking for a chance to debate William Lane Craig. I’m still supporting him.

Apparently, 40 percent of modern American babies are bastards. Who knew? But then, 60 percent of modern people think all Americans are bastards.

Alan Jacobs complains about Andrew Sullivan’s statements on epistemology and religion. Jacobs is obviously right.

On the other hand, Andrew is right that morality cannot be dismissed as “being emotional.” I hate it when people do this in debates about religion: both the moral argument for theism and the argument from evil for atheism are often dismissed as “appeals to emotion,” when intelligent statements of these arguments are nothing but the sort. People who make this claim reveal themselves as assuming that morality is nothing but emotion.

Finally, the LA Times carries a terribly strange column. It’s main complaint is that atheism is boring, and I sympathize to an extent, but then why does the author bother writing about it? And if discussions of religion are so boring, why did she put out a book on the subject? HT: PZ and Hemant.

Podcast, paradox, and carnivals

Chris Hallquist — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:58:48 +0000

Random bits:

Yesterday, I appeared on the Minnesota Atheists’ radio show. Thanks to PZ for linking to it, and making me realize that there’s a podcast available for you to listen to

Chris Heard has posted a nice illustration of the preface paradox. It fails to account, however, for the epilogue paradox.

New editions of the Philosophers’ Carnival, Carnival of the Godless, and Humanist Symposium are up.

Feser on John Searle

Chris Hallquist — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:02:14 +0000

Since I’ve been being mean to Edward Feser recently, I think I should note that Vic Reppert has highlighted a good article on John Searle by Feser. Short version: Searle claims he isn’t a property dualist because, while he thinks the mind is not in any way physical, he still thinks that the mind has physical causes. But this is exactly what property dualists think. That Searle is a closet dualist isn’t an original thought, but Feser does a good job of untangling the issues in one very confusing writer.

Oh, long as I’m on the topic of vague alternatives to materialism: Andrew Sullivan just accused someone of taking “a reductionist view of Freeman’s view and his speech.” What does that mean?

It’s been awhile since I’ve laughed this hard.

Chris Hallquist — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:40:12 +0000

Though YMMV if you don’t understand log scale: LIIIIIIIIIINK

I miss things

Chris Hallquist — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:38:18 +0000

So recently I’ve been trying to control the media addiction that’s been growing in me ever since I graduate from high school–before that, but end of high school is when I discovered blogs and it could really get bad. But sometimes, my efforts have negative side effects. For example, how did I miss the day when Andrew Sullivan turned on Rick Warren?

Feministe on Rick Warren

Chris Hallquist — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 21:18:57 +0000

Holly of Feministe has a nice post on Rick Warren:

You were just hustled by a member of one of America’s oldest fraternities of snake-oil salesmen: the slick-talking preacher. I’m sorry to have to tell you this, because it’s clear that you both want to sincerely move forward into a new era of change with a spirit of openness, trust, and respect for the differences and disagreements that inevitably divide any group of 300 million people. You want to believe that Rick Warren really likes you, really likes gay people, really wants peace and equal rights for everyone as much as you do. I’m sorry — it’s just not true. He acted as if he likes you. Maybe he really does at some level. But that doesn’t change his job, and part of his job is to do things to hurt your family and families like yours….

Introspection

Chris Hallquist — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:18:13 +0000

At the Biology of Mind class blog, I’ve put up a post on Eric Schwitzgebel’s work on introspection. I’ve also participated in discussions of dualism and the female orgasm.