Michael On
Michael On
religious atheist believe
People believe in God because we are pattern-seeking, storytelling, mythmaking, religious, moral animals.
events mysterious skepticism
I just witnessed an event so mysterious that it shook my skepticism.
motivational stories morality
Myths are stories that express meaning, morality or motivation. Whether they are true or not is irrelevant.
mind morality individual
My thesis is that morality exists outside the human mind in the sense of being not just a trait of individual humans, but a human trait; that is, a human universal.
discovery together fields
No single discovery from any of these fields denotes proof of evolution, but together they reveal that life evolved in a certain sequence by a particular process.
machines unattainable human-nature
Machine intelligence of a human nature could be a century away, and immortality is at least a millennium away, if not unattainable altogether.
flukes evolution quirks
We are a fluke of nature, a quirk of evolution, a glorious contingency.
atheism praise lord
So, of course, Gish's presentation was well received, which it would have been the case had he only gotten up and said "praise the Lord" and sat back down.
causes events mystery
Mysteries once thought to be supernatural or paranormal happenings - such as astronomical or meteorological events - are incorporated into science once their causes are understood.
groups moral habit
Providentially, learned habits can be unlearned, especially in the context of moral groups.
plato historical facts
Plato wove historical fact into literary myth.
effectiveness skeptical supplements
One, I am skeptical of the effectiveness of nutritional supplements.
cynical principles curious
In principle, skeptics are neither closed-minded nor cynical. We are curious but cautious.
nonlinear unpredictable humans
Human history is highly nonlinear and unpredictable.