Posts Tagged ‘ science ’

Timeless Questions, Ancient Philosophers, Modern Strategies

December 3, 2012
By

Massimo Pigliucci

Massimo Pigliucci

Philosopher Massimo Pigliucci Combines Science and Philosophy While Discussing the Meaning of Life

Most people consign the discovery of facts about our universe to science, and the navigation of values and meaning to the domain of religion. Massimo Pigliucci, a professor of philosophy at the City University of New York, has a better idea: Combine science and philosophy to explore the subjects that give our life meaning, such as love, friendship, morality and justice. This approach is the subject of his new book, Answers for Aristotle, How Science and Philosophy Can Lead us to a More Meaningful Life. In this podcast Pigliucci and I discuss his book, and how he views scientific research through the lens of philosophy to provide a strategy to live the best life possible.

Exposing Woo in a ‘Whack-a-Mole’ World

October 16, 2012
By
D.J. Grothe

D.J. Grothe

D.J. Grothe on the Value of Skepticism, or, ‘Protecting Yourself From Quacks, Crooks & Cons’

This podcast could also be titled, “The Easiest Person to Fool: You.” One skill we Homo sapiens are adept at is fooling ourselves. Charlatans, frauds and cheats depend on this, and make a very good living at taking advantage of our flawed human nature and our propensity to believe some really goofy things. D.J. Grothe, President of the James Randi Educational Foundation, discusses how we can protect ourselves from these liars and scam artists, and explains why science and skepticism are so important.

The Burning of Giordano Bruno

June 11, 2012
By

Below is the account of the Catholic church’s brutal execution of Giordano Bruno in Rome, Italy, in 1600. I recounted this event at the beginning of my recent podcast with Victor Stenger, in which we discussed the science-religion divide. It’s a good example of the stultifying effect Christianity had on…

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Science Has No Need of the Religious Hypothesis (Part 2)

June 10, 2012
By

Without the average person’s general bewilderment of quantum mechanics, the New Age Community wouldn’t have such a cool, sciency subject upon which to base its feel-good flapdoodle. We wouldn’t have characters like Deepak Chopra, who, according to one reviewer of his book, Quantum Healing: Exploring the Frontiers of Mind/Body Medicine,…

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Science Has No Need of the Religious Hypothesis (Part 1)

June 6, 2012
By

When French mathematician and astronomer Pierre-Simon Laplace presented Napoleon with a book of his work, circa 1800, Napoleon asked him why it didn’t mention god. Laplace purportedly replied, “I had no need of that hypothesis.” Physicist Victor Stenger marks this event as the start of the modern break between science…

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Physicist Vic Stenger & the Science, Religion Divide (Podcast)

June 4, 2012
By
Physicist Victor Stenger

Physicist Victor Stenger

An Interview with physicist Victor Stenger

In his new book, God and the Folly of Faith: The Incompatibility of Religion and Science, physicist Victor Stenger presents historical, philosophical and scientific reasons why the two aren’t compatible. Stenger is a retired elementary particle physicist and author of eleven books, including the 2007 New York Times bestseller God: The Failed Hypothesis, How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist. After discussing early Greek thought, Arabic science and other historical events, Stenger considers modern scientific philosophy. He also discusses the fallacy of the fine-tuning argument and the bad science used by Intelligent Design proponents. For more information and a complete list of Stenger’s books, see his web page here.

How Christianity Failed Science

May 31, 2012
By

In an essay titled Christianity Was Not Responsible for Modern Science, Richard Carrier loosely defines delusion as an easily falsifiable belief held disproportionately to the evidence. Carrier’s essay, which appeared in the 2010 book, The Christian Delusion, Why Faith Fails, easily discredits the fantasy that Christianity begat science. I recently…

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Science Matters in a World Full of Monsters

May 17, 2012
By

If you listened to my recent podcast with author Guy P. Harrison, then you already know I owe Star Trek fans an apology. Dear Trekkies: I apologize. I’m sorry I referred to Mr. Spock as “Dr.” Spock. It will never happen again. I promise. If I could raise my hand…

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50 Popular Beliefs That People Think are True (Podcast)

May 14, 2012
By
Author Guy P. Harrison

Author Guy P. Harrison

An Interview with Author Guy P. Harrison

Some beliefs, although strange and bizarre, are benign, even humorous. Those who think NASA faked moon landings and Astrology is scientific are probably not hurting anyone, they’re just fooling themselves. But people who deny vaccines to children, practice faith healing or use alternative medicine could be causing real harm. In this podcast author Guy P. Harrison discusses his new book, 50 Popular Beliefs That People Think are True. The book is an examination of unusual claims and extraordinary beliefs. Guy is an award winning writer and enthusiastic promoter of science and reason. He’s the author of Race and Reality: What Everyone Should Know About Our Biological Diversity and the book 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God.

A Skeptic’s Easter Homily: Jesus is Dead – Celebrate Science

April 8, 2012
By

Thank you all for being here on this most beautiful Easter Sunday. We are here to celebrate peace, joy and hope. We are here to celebrate the promise of the future, and the gift of life. Today, many Christians celebrate the alleged resurrection of Jesus Christ. They believe that approximately…

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Next Podcast

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

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