Posts Tagged ‘skepticism’
Knowledge and Wisdom: What's the Deal?
What is the difference between knowledge and wisdom? Should our aim be to pursue one or the other? We’ll look at these questions in this video, and also discuss the role of contemporary skepticism and science. Check out my new Patreon page!
Read MoreVideo Extra: Vlog Experiment
Oy, OK this is another experiment. Mixing things up a bit, this is a bit of a “behind the scenes” vlog, talking about some history I’ve had finding my way with Buddhism and creative writing. OK don’t hate on me too much if vlogging isn’t your thing, I’m not big on talking about myself either!…
Read MoreThinking and Feeling, Critically
We are deep into the political season. Looking at the Trump phenomenon, an article by Phil Torres in Salon bemoans the “anti-intellectualism that runs through the roots of American culture.” Torres notes that, “[T]he most dangerous consequence of Fox News is that it discourages that most important form of rigorous curiosity called critical thinking.” Critical thinking,…
Read MoreSkepticism, Atheism, and the Good Life
Where do we find the good life? The ancient Greeks, our earliest philosophical forebears in the West, thought the highest aim of reason was to answer just this kind of question. Nowadays we often think of reason as allied to the twin aims of (1) scientific skepticism, that is, following the results of consensus science as…
Read MoreSecular Meditation: A Review
When I reviewed Sam Harris’ book, Waking Up, in these pages, I lamented that the book failed to live up to its subtitle, “A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion.” Indeed, there are a growing number of volumes, from writers like Harris, Stephen Batchelor and others, that discuss the philosophical underpinnings of living a spiritual life…
Read MoreSecular Buddhism, Thin and Thick
There is an important split in the way many of us approach Secular Buddhism. Some of us want a “big tent” form of Secular Buddhism that welcomes believers from any and all faith backgrounds who are looking for a way to incorporate meditative practice within the context of their own views about religion, salvation, God,…
Read MoreEpisode 146 :: David Chapman :: Enlightenment and Epistemology
David Chapman Buddhist blogger David Chapman returns to the podcast to speak with us about how we can gain provisional understanding of what is true, from what is false. We’ve had some recent discussion on the Secular Buddhist Association website about what is sometimes perceived as a dogmatic adherence to “scientism”. That is, we absolutely…
Read MoreThe Buddha's Manifesto on Miracles and Revelation
The Kevaddha Sutta* (Dīgha Nikāya 11) opens with Kevaddha, a householder, who tells the Buddha that there are many potential converts to the Buddha dhamma living nearby in Nāḷandā. He suggests that the Buddha get one of his monks to use miracles to excite and amaze them. This would, he says, be sure to gain many…
Read MoreBruce Hood "The Self Illusion: How Your Brain Creates You" TAM 2012
Psychologist Bruce Hood explores how the brain creates the illusion of the self. Live on stage from TAM 2012. With a special musical introduction from TAM emcee George Hrab. Bruce Hood “The Self Illusion: How Your Brain Creates You” TAM 2012
Read MoreEpisode 128 :: Gert de Boer, Brennen McKenzie, Doug Smith :: Scientific Skepticism and Buddhism
Gert de Boer, Brennen McKenzie, and Doug Smith join us to talk about scientific skepticism and Buddhism. We’ve found that there is a wonderful alignment between scientific naturalism, and secular Buddhism. Attitudes about Gotama’s presence as a human and the constraints of that embodiment, the veracity of first person experiences, and how we value the…
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