humanism Archives • Richard Carrier Blogs

How Pseudo-Rationality Grounds Conservative Worldviews: My Debatecon Followup

Richard Carrier — Sat, 29 Nov 2025 20:42:17 +0000

This month I was invited to two debates at Debatecon 6 in Nashville hosted by Modern Day Debate: the existence of God with Michael Jones of Inspiring Philosophy and Christian Nationalism vs. Secular Humanism with Andrew Wilson. It was okay. But I have thoughts. I’ll first describe my personal impressions. Then summarize why the Wilson […]

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The Carrier-Wilson Debate in Nashville: Christianity Or Secular Humanism, Which Is Best for Society?

Richard Carrier — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 16:06:56 +0000

I will be debating Andrew Wilson, live on stage, in Nashville, Tennessee, this November 16. Yes, that Andrew Wilson. I expect it will be a dumpster fire like it was with Sargon, and as experienced by Dillahunty last year with Wilson. But I’ll stick around. Because I only do this for real money now, as […]

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Justin Brierley and the Folly of Christianity

Richard Carrier — Sun, 22 May 2022 23:45:19 +0000

This is the final entry in my series on Justin Brierley’s book Unbelievable? Why After Ten Years of Talking with Atheists, I’m Still a Christian. You can read my general summary of this book; where also at the bottom is a TOC linking to all the follow-ups, in which I delve more deeply into specific subjects […]

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Justin Brierley and the Meaning of Life

Richard Carrier — Sat, 23 Apr 2022 18:47:29 +0000

“These are the reasons,” Justin Brierley says, “that I believe God is the best explanation of human existence, value and purpose” (p. 93). What reasons does he mean? Really, nothing more than a repeated confusion between the obvious natural reasons why we like getting to be alive—and can appreciate much of what we are able […]

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Free Will in the Real World … and Why It Matters

Richard Carrier — Fri, 13 Nov 2020 03:18:15 +0000

“Since all events are causally determined, and we don’t control our past, then we don’t control our future, and if we don’t control our future we have no free will.” The argument is compelling, but fallacious: it depends on an equivocation fallacy, switching from beginning to end between entirely different definitions of “control.” This article […]

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The Carrier-McDurmon Debate: Which Worldview Produces the Better World?

Richard Carrier — Wed, 28 Nov 2018 23:09:33 +0000

Joel McDurmon is an odd fellow. Founder of American Vision, he is simultaneously an old school arch-conservative who thinks all taxation is theft and public schools must be abolished, and a passionate, well-reasoned advocate for liberal talking points like that the United States should take in and care for immigrants and refugees—because the Bible commands […]

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I’ll Be Live During the Quantum Hug Marathon!

Richard Carrier — Tue, 29 May 2018 00:16:19 +0000

June 1 there will be a day long Quantum Hug Initiative online! Google Hangout of atheists, humanists, & others talking about mental health, critical thinking, the pursuit of happiness, & all manner of things. And I’ll be doing an hour, live, from 10 to 11am Central Time. That’s this Friday! Check out the whole schedule, […]

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Speaking Near Detroit on April 1

Richard Carrier — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 22:23:06 +0000

I’ll be delivering a talk and Q&A on “What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?” for the Michigan Atheists at The Birmingham Temple Congregation for Humanistic Judaism (28611 W 12 Mile Rd., Farmington Hills, Michigan) on Sunday, April 1, from 5 PM to 8 PM. The subtitle is “Discovering the Pagan Foundations of Modern […]

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The Left and Anti-Left Both Have Much Still to Learn

Richard Carrier — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 00:55:21 +0000

My last article on the growing irrationality of the atheist left and right covered a lot. But some things it addressed only too briefly, and need a little more attention. Not least being, everyone ignoring its message. Not long after I wrote that article, the atheist left and anti-left did the same stupid shit all […]

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Why Mythicist Milwaukee Is Right and Their Critics Wrong

Richard Carrier — Wed, 06 Sep 2017 15:15:22 +0000

I’m seeing way too much fascism and irrationality on the left these days. Particularly in atheism now. We have enough of it on the right. We don’t need the left doing it too. And mind you, I am a leftist. I fully support reasonable socialism, to check and balance the excesses of an equally necessary […]

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