The War For Children's Minds

Review of my The War For Children's Minds in the Clarion Magazine... go here. Obviously you will want to follow this advice: "Buy it, read it and then buy a copy for the Head of your local school."

Comments

The Atheist Missionary said…

I just went into iTunes hoping that I could buy this as an audio book but no such luck.

I'd be curious to know how Audible.com (the largest audio book provider) determines which books to offer. I am currently listening to Lt. Col. Dave Grossman read his On Killing: The Psychological Cost of learning to Kill in War and Society. Fascinating and highly recommended. There is nothing better than listening to an author read his or her own work.

April 17, 2012 at 11:20 AM

Paul P. Mealing said…

I remember as a teenager challenging the status quo, in particular challenging the local Anglican minister, whom I had known since early childhood (I lived in a country town).

The point is that teens are fertile brains for wanting to think for themselves and challenge authoritarianism. I remember at school wishing there were philosophy classes, even though I knew bugger all about it. My passion at that age was science.

I confess I haven't read it (I've read others of yours, which is how I came by your blog) but I probably should even though I have no kids.

Regards, Paul.

April 18, 2012 at 12:27 AM

EVIDENCE, MIRACLES AND THE EXISTENCE OF JESUS

(Published in Faith and Philosophy 2011. Volume 28, Issue 2, April 2011. Stephen Law. Pages 129-151) EVIDENCE, MIRACLES AND THE EXISTENCE OF JESUS Stephen Law Abstract The vast majority of Biblical historians believe there is evidence sufficient to place Jesus’ existence beyond reasonable doubt. Many believe the New Testament documents alone suffice firmly to establish Jesus as an actual, historical figure. I question these views. In particular, I argue (i) that the three most popular criteria by which various non-miraculous New Testament claims made about Jesus are supposedly corroborated are not sufficient, either singly or jointly, to place his existence beyond reasonable doubt, and (ii) that a prima facie plausible principle concerning how evidence should be assessed – a principle I call the contamination principle – entails that, given the large proportion of uncorroborated miracle claims made about Jesus in the New Testament documents, we should, in the absence of indepen

Aquinas on homosexuality

Thought I would try a bit of a draft out on the blog, for feedback. All comments gratefully received. No doubt I've got at least some details wrong re the Catholic Church's position... AQUINAS AND SEXUAL ETHICS Aquinas’s thinking remains hugely influential within the Catholic Church. In particular, his ideas concerning sexual ethics still heavily shape Church teaching. It is on these ideas that we focus here. In particular, I will look at Aquinas’s justification for morally condemning homosexual acts. When homosexuality is judged to be morally wrong, the justification offered is often that homosexuality is, in some sense, “unnatural”. Aquinas develops a sophisticated version of this sort of argument. The roots of the argument lie in thinking of Aristotle, whom Aquinas believes to be scientifically authoritative. Indeed, one of Aquinas’s over-arching aims was to show how Aristotle’s philosophical system is broadly compatible with Christian thought. I begin with a sketch of Arist

Why I won't be voting Labour at the next General Election, not even to 'keep the Tories out'.

I have always voted Labour, and have often been a member of the Party, campaigning and canvassing for them. For what it’s worth, here’s my feeling about voting Labour next General Election: 1. When the left vote Labour after they move rightwards, they are encouraged to just move further right, to the point where they are now probably right of where e.g. John Major’s Tory party was. And each time the Tories go further right still. At some point we have got to stop fuelling this toxic drift to the right by making the Labour Party realise that it’s going to start costing them votes. I can’t think of anything politically more important than halting this increasingly frightening rightward slide. So I am no longer voting Labour. 2. If a new socialist party starts up, it could easily hoover up many of the 200k former LP members who have left in disgust (I’d join), and perhaps also pick up union affiliations. They could become the second biggest party by membership quite quickly. Our voting

Stephen Law

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