online archive
12:00PM
JUN 21 2007
Atheism, religion, science and bioethics
From Philo, a review of Warranted Christian Belief by Alvin Plantinga. A review of The Cambridge Companion to Atheism. From Secular Web, an essay on The Culture of Atheism. From the Society of Mutual Autopsy, an interview with Christopher Hitchens, and more on God is Not Great (and more on a bad faith effort).
Carolyn Evans (Melbourne): Religious Freedom and Religious Hatred in Democratic Societies. A review of Religion and Law: An Introduction by Peter W. Edge. A review of Early Christianity by Mark Humphries. A review of The Church in the Age of Constantine: The Theological Challenges. A review of Out of the Storm: The Life and Legacy of Martin Luther by Derek Wilson. Church leaders brace for battle over the soul of Anglicanism: Observers fear coming vote on same-sex unions may break church.
From Forward, name five contemporary Jewish theologians saying something interesting about Jewish belief who had not already published a major work by 1990: Where have all the theologians gone? A look at how Muslims lost their temporal power first, then their grip over science. And science is important but social sciences are more important. Isaac Newton believed the Apocalypse would come in 2060 – exactly 1,260 years after the foundation of the Holy Roman Empire, according to a recently published letter. Luckily for modern scientists in awe of his achievements, he based this figure on religion rather than reasoning.
From PopMatters, a review of The Physics of Christianity by Frank Tipler. In Christian theology we are told, “God is that which nothing is greater than.” The scientific corollary might be, “Light is that which nothing is faster than” — a statement true both in spirit and fact. Black holes might not exist – or at least not as scientists have imagined, cloaked by an impenetrable "event horizon". A controversial new calculation could abolish the horizon, and so solve a troubling paradox in physics. A review of A Natural History of Time by Pascal Richet.
From LiveScience, an article on the Top Ten Unexplained Phenomena. A review of Lake Monster Mysteries: Investigating the World's Most Elusive Creatures by Benjamin Radford and Joe Nickell. Manners! Condors are taking the concept of junk food to an entirely new level. Of mammals and men: A review of In Defense of Dolphins: The New Moral Frontier by Thomas I. White and Baboon Metaphysics: The Evolution of a Social Mind by Dorothy L. Cheney and Robert M. Seyfarth. Artificial life: Move over Dolly. Synthia is on her way. From IEET, an essay on naturalistic pluralism and the challenge of human enhancement. Here are 12 questions about the future of robotics. Future shock: A look at some extraordinary technologies that are just around the corner.
From Metapsychology, a review of Bioethics and the Brain by Walter Glannon, a review of The Case of Terri Schiavo: Ethics at the End of Life, a review of Nano-Bio-Ethics: Ethical Dimensions of Nanobiotechnology, a review of Ethics and the Metaphysics of Medicine: Reflections on Health and Beneficence by Kenneth A. Richman, a review of Listening to the Whispers: Re-thinking Ethics in Healthcare, and a review of Surgically Shaping Children: Technology, Ethics, and the Pursuit of Normality. From ARPA, a review of Last Best Gifts: Altruism and the Market for Human Blood and Organs by Kieran Healy.
