Annaka Harris’s “Conscious” and the Trap of Dualism
Annaka Harris’s recent book Conscious presents a concise and well-written exploration of consciousness, with an emphasis on the mystery of subjective experience. Harris approaches this difficult topic from a secular,…
Can We Make Ourselves Believe? A Letter Exchange
Peter Boghossian is an assistant professor of philosophy at Portland State University. He is the author of A Manual for Creating Atheists (2013) and, with James Lindsay, of the forthcoming…
The Case For Culture
I would like people to speak more openly about culture as a causal phenomenon. In addition to citing biological and socio-economic factors to help us make sense of the world,…
Weighing in on Abortion as a Man
The issue of abortion remains a key battleground in today’s culture wars. Whether you oppose or support abortion, you put yourself in the line of fire, especially as a man.…
Meet the New Conservatives, Same As the Old Conservatives
Someone unfamiliar with American political history might be forgiven for thinking that American social conservatives have historically been in favor of individualism and small government and have only recently embraced…
Does Everyone Really Need to Go to School?
A student of mine—let’s call him Jackson— is trapped in public education. He shuns school and receives many tickets for his truancy, but the law ushers him back in over…
Minds Without Bodies: Transgenderism and the Authentic Self
Jazz Jennings, teenage transgender superstar, turns to the camera: “To all of the kids out there who are hearing this book for the first time, I just want to say…
The Codification of Sex and the Problem with Sex Addiction
There is an old joke in psychological circles that a sex addict is someone who is having more sex than his therapist. If we accept that—as psychoanalysis claims—every joke contains…
How Religious Arguments Cheat in the Marketplace of Ideas
While the separation of church and state is a norm in many western societies, it is often inadequately upheld in the marketplace of ideas. Claims that the country is a…
The Myth of the Natural
If you want people to buy your product just label it natural. If you want to disapprove of something just label it unnatural. Yet, to embrace the idea that everything…
Fascism and How to Fight It: A Letter Exchange
Gretchen Mullen is an award-winning journalist and the author of the blog Skeptic Review. Michael Isaacson has a PhD in economics. He is the cofounder of the Antifa group, Smash…
The Treaty on Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians
Australia—like many other Commonwealth nations settled by colonial force—has a difficult relationship with its Indigenous peoples. In fact, Australia is the only Commonwealth nation lacking any kind of formal treaty…
Free Will and Sam Harris’ Puppet Analogy: A Reply to Iona Italia
I’ve been exchanging letters with Jon Rosen about free will and determinism on the platform Letter. A few days ago, I was happy to read Iona Italia’s thoughtful article about…
That Mysterious Property, White Privilege
In Molière’s play Le Malade Imaginaire (1673), the president of the faculty of medicine poses the question “Quare opium facit dormire?” (“Why does opium induce sleep?”). The character Thomas Diafoirus…
In Defense of Liberal Feminism
Feminism is controversial, even among women themselves. Recent surveys have found that most young women in the US do not identify as feminists. Similar results were found in the UK. In Denmark,…
Andrew Yang’s “The War on Normal People.” Book Review
Tech entrepreneur and nonprofit aficionado Andrew Yang is by far the most interesting presidential candidate of recent memory—and there is not even a close second. After the two minutes of…
On Free Will: A Letter Exchange
Benjamin Burgis teaches philosophy at Rutgers University in New Jersey and is a sci fi author. His new book, Give Them an Argument: Logic for the Left has been reviewed…
