Category: It’s Only Natural

Religion’s accusation that science strips humanity of all significance couldn’t be further from the truth. Science should be celebrated by all as an ennobling achievement of our species. We have nothing to fear from scientific knowledge; only those fearful of reality would distrust science. Friends of pleasing illusions and myths are no friends of humanity. …

Religion promises a rewarding relationship with some supreme reality. Neither naturalism nor democracy does that. How can religion function in a democracy? Only religion hijacks one’s cognitive centers. Having committed to religious promises, people feel certain about the spiritual rewards. Religious people love certainty and detest doubt about their commitment, whether that doubt be internal …

What is naturalism? As a worldview distinct from any form of “supernaturalism,” “naturalism” is the belief that nature is (probably) all there is, and nothing supernatural exists. Of course, the word naturalism can be used in other ways. In the art world, it means one thing; as a special term in epistemology, it means something …

Modern science has been around for about four centuries, gradually revealing to us how insignificant our place in nature truly is. Each epochal discovery in fields from astronomy to biology has been a great shock to our cozy little worldview. However, the scientific facts also indicate that we are very special in the universe. Science …

Philosophical naturalism (hereafter, just “naturalism”) is a general understanding of the world and humanity’s place within it. Naturalism concludes that the only reality is the physical reality of energy/matter as gradually discovered by our intelligence using the tools of experience, reason, and science. Human experience is the ultimate source and justification for all knowledge. Experience …