Op-Ed | Free Inquiry (original) (raw)
Free Inquiry Volume 44, No. 6
October/November 2024
S. T. Joshi
My heart bleeds for Samuel Alito, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. He must be a very unhappy man. You see, everybody has been picking on him lately, and he has not received the support he feels he is due, either from his fellow justices or from the public at large. He has been …
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Free Inquiry Volume 44,
Shadia B. Drury
These were the words of the Republican nominee for president at the Republican National Convention held in Milwaukee in July 2024. The event was a classic case of American exceptionalism on steroids. American exceptionalism is not simply the claim that America is unique; most countries are unique in some way or other. American exceptionalism is …
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The Rise of Hindu Nationalism in India: A Warning for All
Free Inquiry Volume 44, No. 5
August/September 2024
Barry Kosmin
Secularism as understood in India means that all religions and cultures are treated equally and that the government does not interfere in religious affairs. The Indian Constitution also states that no discrimination will occur based on caste, creed, gender, or class. All these good intentions are appropriate for the world’s most populous and diverse society. …
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Free Inquiry Volume 44, No. 5
August/September 2024
Russell Blackford
In a 2024 article published in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science, a team of researchers led by Cory J. Clark reported the findings of a large-scale survey of tenured and tenure-track psychology academics from America’s most prestigious universities and graduate programs. Titled “Taboos and Self-Censorship among U.S. Psychology Professors,” the article examines attitudes toward …
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Free Inquiry Volume 44, No. 5
August/September 2024
Shadia B. Drury
In a secular reading of the story of Genesis, Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) attempted to write the history of humanity. He began his account with two characters who could walk, talk, and think coherently: Adam and Eve. Kant was convinced that nothing of worth is given by nature; everything worthwhile is attained by human effort. So, …
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Free Inquiry Volume 44, No. 4
June/July 2024
S. T. Joshi
By this time, I imagine, we have long become inured to the spectacle of Christians in positions of power and influence saying and doing appalling, offensive, and downright stupid things. But of late we have had some exceptionally rib-tickling instances of such bad behavior, and one suspects the trend is likely to continue as the …
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Free Inquiry Volume 44, No. 4
June/July 2024
Robert J. Muscat
To blaspheme is to utter contempt for God or to disrespect or insult the sacred. It is ironic, and strangely overlooked, that the greatest blasphemers have been the deeply religious. How is this possible? In most religions, the creator god made man his supreme handiwork. In the Abrahamic bible, God makes man in “his own …
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The Age of Unreason, Self-Delusion, and Self-Destruction
Free Inquiry Volume 44, No. 3
April/May 2024
Barry Kosmin
The Enlightenment that introduced the world to secular humanism emerged during the Age of Reason. Human beings were thought to be throwing off superstitions and fanciful beliefs in the pursuit of social and economic progress and betterment. This outlook led in turn to the idea of rational economic men and women pursuing their own self-interest, …
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Academic Freedom in the News: The Jo Phoenix Case
Free Inquiry Volume 44, No. 3
April/May 2024
Russell Blackford
Western democracies accord prestige to free inquiry and discussion in the realms of science, scholarship, and philosophy. These freedoms are often under threat, but few commentators repudiate them entirely. Since the nineteenth century, universities have been seen as especially important centers for inquiry and discussion, but they’ve come under attack from opponents with a bewildering …
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Don’t Bother Evangelizing Atheism
Free Inquiry Volume 44, No. 3
April/May 2024
Duke Mertz
I often see instances of atheists, in articles and throughout social media, discussing what should be said to others to bring them “into the fold” of nonbelief, and the suggestions always fall short. I don’t believe there is a way to “evangelize” atheism. In fact, I propose that we should do everything in our power …
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Free Inquiry Volume 44, No. 3
April/May 2024
Eric Shaver
Few natural phenomena have captivated the human mind and influenced human culture in quite the same way as a total eclipse of the Sun. A cross-cultural comparison reveals that over the centuries, the solar eclipse has been illustrated and mythologized in several distinctive forms around the world. From mythological dragons consuming the Sun and deities reacting …
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Celestial Myths and Superstitions
Free Inquiry Volume 44, No. 3
April/May 2024
Nicole Scott
As Eric Shaver describes in his essay in this issue, the total solar eclipse happening in April 2024 is a once in a lifetime event, especially for those in areas of the United States that will be in the path of totality. Leading up to the fateful day, the Center for Inquiry Western New York …
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Netanyahu and Hamas: Two Birds of a Feather
Free Inquiry Volume 44, No. 2
February/March 2024
Shadia B. Drury
The grotesque Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, on Israeli civilians was totally unjustified. This is not the same as saying that it was unprovoked. Gaza has been under siege for sixteen years with no end in sight. Benjamin Netanyahu’s reaction to the Hamas attacks was predictable. Israel has bombed Gaza in 2007, 2008, 2012, …
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Free Inquiry Volume 44, No. 2
February/March 2024
S. T. Joshi
I am writing this column in early November 2023. I mention this because by the time it is published, it is anyone’s guess whether the newly minted Speaker of the House, one Mike Johnson, will still be in that exalted post, given the self-annihilating chaos that the GOP has adopted as an alternative to governing. …
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What Would Ingersoll Think of America in 2023?
Free Inquiry Volume 44, No. 1
December 2023/January 2024
Robyn E. Blumner
Robert Green Ingersoll (1833–1899) was an American lawyer, writer, and orator during the nineteenth century. He was nicknamed “the Great Agnostic” for his promotion of agnosticism. The Council for Secular Humanism, copublisher of Free Inquiry, owns and operates the Robert Green Ingersoll Birthplace Museum in Dresden, New York. On August 12, 2023, the Museum hosted …
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The Challenge of Pessimism in the Present Moment
Free Inquiry Volume 44, No. 1
December 2023/January 2024
Barry Kosmin
The Zeigeist, the spirit of the times, suggests we may have entered a new epoch, a transformation of how people see the world and situate themselves. Most previous historical epochs over the past few centuries, at least in the West, have increased humans’ optimism and sense of control over the environment. The Age of Discovery …
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Free Inquiry Volume 44, No. 1
December 2023/January 2024
Russell Blackford
In the past, I’ve joined other secular thinkers in criticizing science organizations when they make statements to the effect that religion and science are entirely compatible. That is a philosophically contentious claim, and any attempt to settle it requires broad reflection on the nature of science, the nature of religion, and the complex historical relationship …
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Free Inquiry Volume 43, No. 6
October/November 2023
Shadia B. Drury
American foreign policy mavens have long had a fascination with Athens as the fount of Western civilization. As the heir of Athens and leader of the West, America is duty bound to defend the values of Western civilization against all enemies. However, it is a mistake to assume that defending the values of the West …
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Free Inquiry Volume 43, No. 6
October/November 2023
S. T. Joshi
As an atheist, I don’t believe in the devil, but I believe in devil’s bargains. Let me explain. I am not certain how the phrase “the devil’s bargain” originated. I suspect it dates to the period when witch-hunters came up with the notion that suspected witches were not merely malicious women (most of the accused …
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Patterns, Meaning, and 11:11 a.m.
Free Inquiry Volume 43, No. 6
October/November 2023
Kile Jones
“I swear, every day I randomly check the time,” my supervisor at the mental health clinic where we work tells me, “and it’s always 11:11 a.m.” She is convinced there’s “something” behind it other than sheer happenstance. I had tried researching the phenomenon, as other coworkers have brought up similar “synchronicities” they have experienced. There …
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Free Inquiry Volume 43, No. 6
October/November 2023
Gary Whittenberger
American democracy is in trouble. While it faces threats from those who seek to undermine it, it has its own flaws baked in. Some of those flaws stem from its beginnings, while others have developed over time. Secular humanists are well positioned to try to solve them. After all, democracy is a core tenet of …
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On the Merits of Scientific Merit
Free Inquiry Volume 43, No. 5
August/September
Russell Blackford
In April 2023, the Journal of Controversial Ideas published an article coauthored by twenty-nine scientists and scholars defending the idea of merit in science and related fields (i.e., the so-called STEMM fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine). The point of the article was to push back against the deprecation of merit as a …
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The Social Power of Fasts, Feasts, and Food Taboos
Free Inquiry Volume 43, No. 5
August/September
Barry Kosmin
This Spring season my travels to Morocco, Israel, and Cyprus coincided, respectively, with the religious festivals of Muslim Ramadan, Jewish Passover, and Greek Orthodox Christian Lent and Holy Week. In all three countries, the participation rates in the various forms of food deprivation by the local populations were remarkably high. Muslims deprive themselves of food …
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Free Inquiry Volume 43, No. 4
June/July 2023
Catherine Dunphy
Don’t you think the world could use more happiness? I’m not talking about the excitement of getting the newest gadget or going on a lavish trip … though they both sound nice. I’m talking about a sense of contentment, purpose, joy, and knowing that you are loved and accepted, that you matter. Unfortunately, our society …
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The Dreadful Doctrine of Discovery
Free Inquiry Volume 43, No. 4
June/July 2023
Shadia B. Drury
It is ironic that Christianity, a religion that is defined by the self-abasement of its god, a religion that insists on humility as the supreme virtue, has nevertheless been the source of the self-aggrandizement, pomposity, and self-righteous criminality of the European colonization of Africa and the Americas. In 1493 (a year after Christopher Columbus landed …
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The Mechanical Elephant in the Room
Free Inquiry Volume 43, No. 4
June/July 2023
Chris Oestereich
Artificial intelligence has made quite a racket of late. Much of the attention has been focused on platforms that convert simple requests into written works and others that can turn short descriptions into vivid images. There is plenty of excitement and apprehension in the air over this seeming quantum leap in AI’s capabilities. When I …
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Free Inquiry Volume 43, No. 4
June/July 2023
S. T. Joshi
One of the advantages of studying the history of “Christendom” (the domination of the West by Christian monarchs and theologians), as I have been doing for the past several years, is an awareness of just how much things have changed—and changed, from our perspective, for the better. For a millennium and a half after Christianity …
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Self-Regarding and Other-Regarding Actions and the Religious Imperative for Control
Free Inquiry Volume 43, No. 3
April/May 2023
Barry Kosmin
Historically, monopolistic state establishment of religion and accompanying blasphemy laws have been the preferred method for religious authorities to direct and control societies according to the precepts of the official faith. This system was supplemented by the threat of force by the Inquisition in Catholic lands into the nineteenth century and today by Muslim religious …
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Hamline University and Academic Freedom
Free Inquiry Volume 43, No. 3
April/May 2023
Russell Blackford
Hamline University is a small institution of higher education located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Its Latin motto translates as “Divinity, Writing, Liberty,” though we might wonder about the “Liberty” part. In any event, I doubt that many of my readers would have heard of this obscure private university if …
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Incels: The Minions of Christofascism
Free Inquiry Volume 43, No. 3
April/May 2023
Catherine Dunphy
Culture wars are nothing new to our modern, interconnected societies, and perhaps they are simply a part of the human condition. These days, however, conflicts of culture and ideology are saturated with self-replicating ammunition—a deluge of uninformed opinions and disinformation—delivered through a supply line of infinite capacity: the internet. When these mythical ministrations are received …
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The Moral Case for Abortion Rights
Free Inquiry Volume 43, No. 2
February/March 2023
S. T. Joshi
I am writing this column less than a week after the midterm elections, where Democrats performed significantly better than expected. A major factor in this result was a “pink wave” of women (and others who are concerned for their welfare) who were outraged by the overturning of Roe v. Wade by a radicalized U.S. Supreme …
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The Bourgeoisie Are Attempting to Jump Ship—Don’t Let Them
Free Inquiry Volume 43, No. 2
February/March 2023
Justin Allen Rose
The Communist Manifesto predicts several things within the pages of that century-old book. One of those predictions details what some of the elite ruling class will do when they realize a revolution is about to take hold. This prediction seems to be currently coming to fruition in the United States. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels …
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Freethinking Conservatives: Not a Contradiction
Free Inquiry Volume 43, No. 2
February/March 2023
Ronald A. Lindsay
S. T. Joshi argued in these pages recently (FI October/November 2022) that freethinkers—a group he defined as atheists, agnostics, secularists, and “others”—cannot “viably” maintain a politically conservative stance. I disagree. Moreover, I am motivated to make my disagreement public because Joshi’s stance—in which he is far from alone—is harmful to freethought, humanism, and democracy. To …
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Free Inquiry Volume 43, No. 1
December 2022/January 2023
Russell Blackford
It’s not fashionable to defend Karl Marx, and I can think of a few reasons for that. For a start, Marx’s economic theorizing is widely regarded as flawed by mainstream economists. His prediction that workers’ revolutions would first occur in the most advanced capitalist societies of his time (i.e., Britain and Germany) was never fulfilled, …
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Fake Populism Fans the Flames of Fascism
Free Inquiry Volume 43, No. 1
December 2022/January 2023
Shadia B. Drury
Fascism may have been defeated on the battlefields of Europe in World War II, but it has never been defeated in the human heart. It is alive and well in the United States of the twenty-first century. Congress knows that illegal migration serves as a potent fuel of fascism but has made no serious effort …
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Free Inquiry Volume 43, No. 1
December 2022/January 2023
Ophelia Benson
Humans are good at thinking up ways to mollify or distract or befuddle other humans so as to avoid quarrels and wars. We know what we’re like, so we take precautions. Chariot races, oratory, pie-eating contests, disaster movies, Olympic games, religions, football, opera, marathons, chili-eating contests, comic book conventions, fashion shows, Star Wars conventions, chess, …
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Religions’ Fixation with Women’s Hair and Hijab Politics
Free Inquiry Volume 43, No. 1
December 2022/January 2023
Barry Kosmin
According to the Hebrew Bible, a woman’s hair is her “crowning glory,” a symbol of femininity, physical attraction, and seduction. As a result, the patriarchal monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam associate covering hair with propriety and modesty. By contrast, the pagan women of Ancient Greece and Rome expressed high status by flaunting elaborate …
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Free Inquiry Volume 43, No. 1
December 2022/January 2023
James Underdown
If the U.S Supreme Court is honest with themselves about their Kennedy v. Bremerton School District school prayer decision, they’ll admit that this case was not about the right of free religious expression. It’s about religious power: members of one particular faith wielding power over everyone else. At issue in the Kennedy case was whether …
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Free Inquiry Volume 42, No. 6
October/November 2022
Andrea Szalanski
Tom Flynn didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to the Center for Inquiry (CFI). When he died in August 2021, he planned to retire in a few years and had begun to hand off some of his many tasks to very capable successors. But the editorship of Free Inquiry would have been the last …
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The Takeover of Healthcare by a Pro-Death Church
Free Inquiry Volume 42, No. 6
October/November 2022
Ophelia Benson
I wrote a column in the February/March 2013 issue of Free Inquiry about a woman in Ireland who died of a miscarriage because the hospital refused to terminate the remains of her pregnancy. Last October, Savita Halappanavar died at University Hospital Galway. The thirty-one-year old dentist, who had a popular practice in Galway, was seventeen …
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