Many today are obsessed with conspiracy theories. They believe that hidden from view those with great power and influence manipulate everything for their personal gain. Behind wars, economic disasters, disease lies the guiding hand of an unseen group of politicians and bankers who really rule the world. They think there is a double-game; a powerful group of kingmakers and … [Read more...]
Halloween and the Fascination with Fear
If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say – “Halloween is my favorite holiday”, I would perhaps not be rich, but my student loan balances would be significantly lower. It seems to me, and this is in no way scientific, that for many people Halloween is their favorite time of year; even though most people don’t get a day off work as they do at Christmas.True, there is … [Read more...]
Divine Invention
The idea of the divine or God is, if you think clearly about it, a very strange concept. To many contemporary scientifically minded people it is childish and even laughable to believe in God. They contend that the physical material world is all there is. So why invent ghost stories? For example, the prominent atheist polemicist Christopher Hitchens contends that as a child it … [Read more...]
CSI Effect?
Radical skepticism and unquestioning credulity are strange bedfellows in today’s society. We can’t rely on our own recollections because sometimes we make mistakes. We don’t trust the testimony of others. It’s not that we necessarily think others are liars, it’s just that everyone has their own perspective on the world – their personal narrative. But at the same time we are … [Read more...]