Hey, I just discovered that at least the first part of this book is available on Google Books! I've now been able to start reading while I wait for the copy I reserved from my library. So far I've finished the intro - I'm hooked When I click on that link I don't get a preview Saffron. Any special t...

I think most people can reason in the manner that Plato suggested and in the manner that Jefferson suggested, and in the manner that Hume suggested. People may have a tendency to favour one form, but I think most people can and do use all of them in some circumstances.

I think you're missing the point if you try to explain why any given example is wrong. Any example can always be tweaked to become an example that is immune to most of the reasons people give. The point is to find out whether people react first and explain ad hoc, or whether they assess and analyse ...

By the way, Sam Harris said he is writing a book called Waking Up: A Scientist Looks at Spirituality, which I am very interested to read. I'm about to reveal my prejudices here, but if you want serious thinking about subjects like this then forget the scientists. They are too hedgehoggy to provide ...

I think you could incorporate this issue into the discussion on Jonathan Haidt's book! His views on human reasoning (mainly moral reasoning) are germane to the discussion at hand, although I don't think he's as insightful as Hume or Newman, or modern Humeans such as Simon Blackburn and Alan Gibbard....

I find Haidt's work very interesting (I love the work on moral dumbfounding), but I often disagree with his explanations and interpretations of his research. I'm looking forward to reading the book, but may be a slightly late starter depending on when my copy arrives. Another resource that people mi...

I'm not a believer, but my grandfather is and he is as skeptical, down-to-earth and practical a person as I know. He and a friend both bought home a German flag from a naval vessel they captured in WWII and the friend with granddad at his parents' house. They both had the same dream about dead Germa...

He spoke about two research projects that he was involved with that took the principles of evolution and applied them to human society.

I look forward to seeing this published. I've had vaguely similar ideas after reading Guns, Germs, and Steel but I'm not an expert in the area.

He also addressed the issue of the value of church - he is an atheist. He is an attender. His explanation: church congregations are the best examples of a functional community that can accomplish goals that we have going. Sounds very familiar to me. If I want to do volunteer work, the best organise...

I have access to a fully annotated version on my uni website. It will be twice as easy to understand but take twice as long to read. or maybe it will be twice as hard to understand and take twice as long to read - we'll see.