A Tippling Philosopher

Deep Dive

Off the edge of the map

The best-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley, said the Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1785. Burns, as the plowman, destroys the nest of a mouse who then has no resources or wherewithal to rebuild it over the winter. Burns, as the plowman, rues his own plans that

nominalism

IVF ruling: When courts skip critical thinking

The recent IVF ruling shows scant regard for some rudimentary philosophizing we can do. The Justice needs some critical thinking lessons.

Separation of Church and State

Moses Johnson delivers sermon tantamount to theocracy

Mike Johnson, Speaker for the House of Representatives where the Republicans are hanging tenuously onto a slim majority, recently remained true to his label as a Christian nationalist. There was no sign of an interest in constitutional secularism at a GOP retreat intended to discuss and plan for a continued

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Crosshairs: A Christian fighter in Ukraine, and the question of God in war

War is not uncommon in the Bible, but it's still interesting to hear religious soldiers justifying their actions on the frontlines.

editor's pick

Kherson by night: On the frontlines in two worlds

Jonathan MS Pearce reports from Kherson, a frontline Ukrainian city that has borne the brunt of Russian aggression and is now suffering the consequences. There is no military benefit to assaulting Kherson. It is an act borne out of deep-seated vengeance. Hope is in short supply.

editor's pick

Crowdfunding a war against autocracy

War in the 21st century can look very different from wars of the past. Now, people can come together to crowdfund the defense of a nation. Jonathan MS Pearce reporting from Ukraine.

editor's pick

Gen Z views are rapidly splitting in half by gender—and the gap is not small

Today's young people (under 30) are going through a rather significant demographic and sociological shift. Young women appeared to be more concerned with and aligned to progressive values and issues, while young men are moving in a more conservative direction. This isn't just happening in the US.

evangelical Christianity

Religion, gender, debt, and patriots: Fargo's latest excellent season

The latest season of the television series Fargo has recently concluded, and it is a delight to watch—though given their challenging resonance in our current politics, "delight" may not be quite the word. I could wax lyrical about the superb acting from the likes of Juno Temple,

border politics

Southern border vs Ukraine's borders: A dangerous leverage

$61 billion in aid to Ukraine is being held hostage by the GOP in return for US border reforms. What is going on here and why?

News

Boebert: 'Chasing Jesus' to punch her ex-husband in the face?

Lauren Boebert often courts controversy. She is full of rhetoric. But does her behavior reflect or contradict her Christian rhetoric?

Trump

Bad politics, bad religion collide in 'God Made Trump'

Sometimes claims are so off-the-wall that you really wonder whether the claimants believe themselves. Case in point: "God Made Trump"?

secularism

Jesus was not the new Moses. That would be Mike Johnson

Christian nationalist and Speaker Mike Johnson recently gave a speech declaring himself the new Moses. American secularism has never been more vulnerable.

News|Deep Dive

About that handcart: Where's it going?

As the old adage goes, we're going to hell in a handcart. Over the decades, and even centuries, people have variously claimed that we are, indeed, heading in the wrong direction. Whether it be Malthus and impending population crises, crime and the youth of today, secularism and waning

artificial intelligence

Dealing with the demons of disinformation

In a world of growing epistemic insecurity, members of the media need to step up in defense of the truth. But technology may also have a role in saving the day.

abortion

Kate Cox and the Texas abortion debacle

A Texas woman has been denied an abortion by the Texas State Supreme Court, even though the pregnancy was not viable and it threatened her health.

humanism

UK Ministry of Defence to recruit nonreligious chaplains

When he joined the Royal Navy, a friend of mine was asked his religion. When he answered that he was nonreligious, he received the reply, "Well in that case, we'll put you down as Free Church." There was no existing way to accommodate such a category

Biblical Exegesis

The Book of Daniel: Historical people, places, and problems

The book of Daniel purports to relate the experiences and visions of its title character, a Hebrew noble and prophet, during the Babylonian Exile in the 6th century BCE. As with myriad other marvelous accounts from antiquity, Daniel’s text explicitly (and implicitly) refers to a number of verified individuals,

Disinformation

Stoking division: How Putin is helping the rise of the right

The rise of the far right in Russia is deeply concerning for the global community. Is it organic, or is it covered with the dirty fingerprints of Vladimir Putin?

atheism

A response to Hirsi Ali's response to her critics

Former atheist anti-Islamic author Ayaan Hirsi Ali recently wrote a column for UnHerd declaring her new identity as a Christian. This caused quite some uproar in certain circles given her previous ardent advocacy for rejecting Islam for unbelief. The author and public critic of Islam was associated with the New

conversion

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, former atheist, becomes Christian

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is now a former ardent atheist, embracing the lure of Christianity. But how justified and surprising is her move back to religion?

David Austin

The Resurrection of Jesus—a hypothesis

I have long been fascinated by the Resurrection of Jesus, which is really the core tenet of the Christian faith. The Apostle Paul makes this abundantly clear when he states “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also

Christian nationalism

Christian nationalists: Drop Mike, hold on to your Johnson

Move over Mike Pence, Mike Johnson is in the big chair—and in a position to enact all of his Christian nationalist dreams.

editor's pick

'Tell us where the Jews are': History coins a terrifying rhyme

Antisemitism is raising its ugly head again as the winds of discontent and prejudice circle the globe. A mob hunting for Jewish travelers at a Dagestan airport is just the latest incidence in a rising epidemic.

abortion

Defending against Natural Law arguments concerning abortion

This is the final installment in a series of pieces looking at arguments from a religious apologist, a Molinist, in answer to my first book, The Unnecessary Science. Previously reviewed and discussed here at OnlySky, the book gives a philosophical and critical look at the thinking of Aristotle and Thomas

Critical thinking

The information war over the al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion

In the information age, more than ever before, war is a threat not only to life and property but to the truth itself. The dueling narratives around the explosion at al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza are just the latest example.