Since 1990, the percentage of Americans who are Christian fell by 11 points, while the percentage of atheists rose 7 points. Those are, as Cathy Lynn Grossman of USA Today writes, “dramatic shifts in just 18 years.” According to this Pew Forum survey, religiousness in Illinois is below the national average, which may explain the […]
Religion in America, 2009 Read More »
The Greeks were the first to do philosophy, and one of the perennially great questions is: Why the Greeks and not some others? Various answers focus on their cosmopolitan trading economy, their concurrent development of democratic politics, or some other combination of factors. I have long thought that the Greeks’ naturalistic religion was a positive,
Religion: help or hindrance to philosophy? Read More »
Fascinating numbers in this Harris poll on 21st-century Americans’ beliefs about ghosts, astrology, witches, and other supernatural phenomena. For example: 73% believe in miracles. 61% believe in a devil. 40% believe in ghosts. 25% believe in astrology. And so on, with interesting breakdowns of the data based on sex, political affiliation, and amount of education.
American and Athenian religious belief Read More »
A vigorous culture carries on its debates at many levels and via many media, all the way down to the bumper sticker. I enjoy the cleverness that goes into many stickers, as well as the ongoing one-upmanship. These “Coexist” stickers have been around for awhile now: Islam, peace, men/women, Judaism, paganism, Taoism/Confucianism, Christianity — can’t
Coexist or Uncoexist? Read More »
I am reading Gurcharan Das’s India Unbound, and it is fueling my longstanding fascination with India. Das is former CEO of Procter & Gamble India and currently a columnist for Times of India. He grew up under Nehruvian socialism and state planning and watched it become a crippling disaster, and he has seen the dramatic
At a hotel recently I was zooming up in its sleek elevator to my room when I noticed something: no 13th floor.
The 13th floor and other superstitions Read More »
My theme will be the relationship between art and liberal cultures, focusing on economically free cultures especially.
Is capitalism bad for art? Read More »
One of the books I use in my Introduction to Philosophy course is Lewis’s Mere Christianity. It’s very clear and accessible and covers a wide range of traditional religious philosophical themes. I’m reviewing it now in preparation for the new semester which begins (yikes) in two weeks. I find Lewis’s chummy, let’s-pop-round-to-the pub-for-a-quick-one writing style
Why C. S. Lewis gives me the creeps Read More »