Science, Religion, and Morality debate, Edison College 04/18/2012

Happiest country?

Defining and measuring happiness is no exact science, and no easy task.  Nevertheless, a psychologist from Leicester has put together a well-thought-out evaluation of happiness by country.  It may surprise theists, many of whom think atheists are immoral and without purpose, to see the top 10 crowded with very secular nations.  Check it out here.

Climate change - can the discussion be constructive?

There are many difficult issues facing us, where we are forced to dig through a lot of data and make the best decision we can, given the facts and the needs of all people involved. Well, that is, unless you are chained to an ancient book that tells you this is all a waste of time. James Inhofe says climate change is impossible because "God’s still up there."

Abraham and Isaac

Few stories in the bible illustrate the problem with Judeo-Christianity as well as the story of Abraham and Isaac.  Any person who says they believe in this book will have to ask themselves how they can condone the attempted murder of an innocent boy.  The moral of the story is clearly this: obedience is more important than humanity. Fundamental to worshiping an all-powerful god is the idea that the will of that god is *the* moral imperative.  Taking the moral high ground means rejecting the idea that a god's will comes first - humanity must be our moral imperative.  read American Humanist's take...

Greatest life-saving invention?

What invention, in the past 200 years, has saved more lives than any other? Answer: the toilet. Sadly, in many areas of the world, there is no modern sanitation. About 1.5 million children die each year from diarrheal disease, and most of these deaths could be prevented with the introduction of proper sanitation, along with safe drinking water and improved hygiene.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is funding a 3 million dollar challenge to reinvent the toilet, making sanitation available to the world's poorest and most vulnerable.  Read more at their website.

"Religious moderation is the direct result of taking scripture less and less seriously. So why not take it less seriously still? Why not admit the the Bible is merely a collection of imperfect books written by highly fallible human beings." - Sam Harris

Thanks to everyone who attended the debate, it was a smashing success!

Picking rules

In "A Theory of Justice" by John Rawls, a thought experiment called the "Veil of Ignorance" is used to try to determine fair moral standards.  The gist of it is this:

• How would you structure society, if you didn't know in advance who you'd be?  

This simple question has forced many people to re-evaluate their positions and their prejudices.  How would you change laws, norms, and morality?  Considerations include gender, race, taxes, and treatment of criminals - many of whom have at least one mental disability, given them by nature.  Thoughts?

Harvard measures "the good life"

Is there a formula—some mix of love, work, and psychological adaptation—for a good life? For 72 years, researchers at Harvard have been examining this question, following 268 men who entered college in the late 1930s.  read full story at The Atlantic...

Choose humanity

"Pope says atheists pick & choose their morals. Correct. Today I will be frowning on child abuse & not having a problem with homosexuality."  -  A McLordy