We do not know what sort of major social and even geopolitical dislocations we may encounter even in the coming decades and we are therefore totally in the dark about how human communities will respond to them, including what the religious response will be. But it would be remarkable if some such dislocations were not coming our way – perhaps about as remarkable as would be an ability to predict either what they will be or how human religious reflection will respond to them. [More]

Just as atheists can claim, “Religion is not true, it is useful”, the religious adherent can claim the same about atheists. Philosophical and psychological arguments about “who’s right” tend to be inconclusive largely for the same reasons evidence for and against religious truth claims are. [More]

According to Dr. Robert McKim, "Many religious perspectives make sense from the inside and have associated with them forms of life and a host of experiences that simply are inaccessible to most outsiders. So some have evidence that others lack. And access to all of the relevant evidence is beyond any one of us. We should all face up to this and adjust our attitudes to others and to their beliefs accordingly." Do you agree? [More]

Everyone should recognize that many religious perspectives other than their own are endorsed by many people of integrity. Broadly speaking I favor the idea of being interested in others as they are, and the idea of adopting an exploratory, courteous, kind, and inquisitive approach to them and to their views and insights. [More]

Most societies revere the individual liberty exercised in the right to speak freely without fear of punishment. Conversely, most societies equally cherish and demand respect for one’s religious beliefs. Nonetheless, it is a philosophical challenge to advocate unrestrained free speech while maintaining respectful consideration of religious beliefs. [More]

Nice essay by Feser on his journey from Catholicism, to atheism, and back again. [More]

Interesting stuff from around the web: a scientist claims that philosophy is useless, apologizes, then claims that philosophy is really useless. A real-world example of the prisoner's dilemma. Interesting infographic of logical fallacies. Can evolution provide a foundation for moral law? [More]

Does an evolutionary theory of religious belief undermine faith? This podcast explores that question. [More]

News and happenings from the week of March 26, 2012. Warn your kids about philosophy; Why getting a philosophy degree beats a business degree; FBI questions philosophy prof.; delaying death and its implications; UFO sighted; new books [More]

New and noteworthy philosophy from around the web. Global atheism, religious humans, faith as a delusion, slippery slopes, republicans and linguistics, evidence for bigfoot, moral monsters, JFK, existential psychology. [More]