An Atenean’s Reflections on the CBCP and the Catholic Church
Authority begets blind conformity, hypocrisy, and false allegiance. And we can only liberate ourselves from this sin through questioning.
View ArticleGod Is My Giant Robot, My Mask, My Vulgar Display Of Power
My problem with people invoking God to justify and rationalize their views on controversial issues is that they are so confident that this God actually supports and sides with all their biases,...
View ArticlePhysics for the Soul
The reality of disembodied souls would necessarily overturn everything we know about physics. Any scientist would be itching to find evidence for the supernatural—evidence that never seems to turn up,...
View Article“Who’s Got Game?” Steven Pinker vs The Pickup Artist
In 2010, I wrote an article called, “In Defense of Sedouchers.” The initial assumption made in my last article was, “if you’re being yourself and it hasn’t been working, you should either change...
View ArticleWhen Does Life Begin? Revisited
There is a lot of ambiguous language that conservatives employ to muddy the real issue and their intention in asking the question in the first place. Most confusing of all is how they conflate “life”...
View ArticleThe God of Basketball and Earthquakes
A couple of headlines caught my eye as I was scanning the news page. One was about Danding Cojuangco’s statement saying, “God made it happen,” referring to De La Salle University’s recent victory in...
View ArticleFF Podcast 022: What is Freethinking?
This week, we talk about the basics of freethinking and tackle the common misconceptions people have about both Filipino Freethinkers and freethought in general.
View ArticleA Conversation with Peter Boghossian on his book: A Manual for Creating Atheists
In this episode, Red Tani interviews Peter Boghossian about his book, A Manual for Creating Atheists.
View ArticleOn Proof, Presumption, and the Existence of God
The debate on the existence of God cannot be resolved on the basis of proof. While atheists claim that theists fail to prove that God exists, theists respond by saying that atheists fail to prove that...
View ArticleThe World Through A Glass Darkly
It is often said that we see the world through a glass darkly. What this means is our perception of the world is not perfect but rather goes through a flawed filter, the proverbial darkened glass. In...
View ArticleWhy Faith Is Not A Virtue
This article is for those who think that faith is a virtue. I would like to propose that it is not. Over the centuries, the religious have extolled faith as a virtue, as a valid method of seeing...
View ArticleA Conversation with Russell Blackford, philosopher and author
This week, for Conversations for a Cause, we talk with Russell Blackford, philosopher and co-author of 50 Great Myths About Atheism. We talk with him about misconceptions about atheism. Then, we...
View ArticlePeople with High Self-Esteem are More Likely to be Assholes
There is a general opinion that people with high self-esteem live happier lives and are less susceptible to depression should they face obstacles, or even encounter failure. The wellness industry is...
View ArticleYour Memory is Fake
“Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind” is my favorite movie. I think it’s perfect. I’ve seen it almost a dozen times. What kept me watching was the premise of being able to erase selected parts of your...
View ArticleSecular Morality and the Is-Ought Problem
My position had been that we can be good without God, and that science and reason are all we need to chart morality. Today I no longer hold that position.
View ArticleA Conversation with Richard Carrier
This week, we talk with the historian and philosopher, Richard Carrier. We talk to him about the evidence for Jesus’ historical existence (or lack thereof), whether God enjoys being gang banged, and...
View ArticleThe Irrationality of “Utang na Loob”
I. Invisible Debt There is a uniquely Filipino concept that is often brought up when a person’s relationship with his or her parents is strained: “Utang na Loob.” It is the idea that a child “owes” his...
View ArticleMy Body is Not Mine
We are in bed, spooning like lovers although we’re not. He is resting his cheek on my shoulder, creating some contrast with the statement he is about to make. Could you not wear clothes with plunging...
View ArticleAtomic Bombs, Cryogenics & Jorge Luis Borges: The Aesthetic Appeal of Science
I’ve been reading a lot of comic books recently. I’ve always been a fan of comic books, but there are a number of titles I’ve encountered recently that made me fall in love with the medium all over...
View ArticleClik here to view.
FF Podcast (Audio): Dan Barker (Conversations for a Cause)
This week, we talk with Dan Barker, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. We ask him about being a former pastor, about secularism, what he thinks about Pope Francis, and about being a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
FF Podcast (Audio): Michael Shermer (Conversations for a Cause)
This week, we talk with author and founder of The Skeptics Society, Michael Shermer. We discuss whether God is dying, atheism vs skepticism, and why smart people believe in strange things.
View ArticleWhy Believing Without Demanding Proof is Close-Mindedness
If a person wants to take openness to new ideas to its logical conclusion, she will not end up being gullible or credulous. Rather, she will be a skeptic. True open-mindedness is not the same as...
View ArticleEntitlement: Creating Killers and Divas One Spoiled Brat at a Time
The site Jezebel reports that a week ago, a man has slashed a woman’s neck after she refused to talk to him. At around 5:20 am, on October 1, a woman was in the lobby of a building in New York when a...
View ArticleSad, Sad World
“The goal towards which the pleasure principle impels us – of becoming happy – is not attainable: yet we may not – nay, cannot – give up the efforts to come nearer to realization of it by some means or...
View ArticleWhy We Tinder
In my youth, I have dabbled a bit in the study of human attraction. I’ve always been fascinated with how complex human interactions progress from the first encounter, to the escalation of desire, to...
View ArticlePost-Sex Pillow Talk & Other Things Couples Should Practice Before They Get...
“I like sex.” Not a lot of Filipinos can make such a statement in public without feeling a little bit of embarrassment. Not a lot of Filipinos are willing to admit that sex plays a vital role in their...
View Article“Nothing” Will Make You Happy
I live from paycheck-to-paycheck. I don’t make a lot of money. I don’t own a lot of useful things – mostly cards and toys. I do not own a television. The only furniture in my room is a bed on the...
View ArticleMoney Can Buy Happiness
A few days ago, I published the article “Nothing Will Make You Happy,” which introduced readers to a controversial claim made by Harvard professor of psychology, Dan Gilbert. In the TedTalk, “The...
View ArticleAtheist Confession: “I like Pope Francis.”
I’m going to say something many of my fellow secularism advocates would probably not appreciate: I like Pope Francis. Why? I like Pope Francis because, in my opinion, he is more liberal than many...
View ArticleClik here to view.
FF Podcast 57 (Audio): Three Questions That Predict Atheism
This week, we discuss three questions that supposedly predict whether you are an atheist. We talk about analytic thinking and whether atheists are smarter than believers.
View Article
