The Psychology Behind Morality — This hour-long interview serves as a good intro or overview on the current research and social science views on moral norms and moral reasoning. The guest, Jonathan Haidt, is the author of the bestselling book, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion (Vintage, 2013). His […]
Items included on this page come from a variety of sources. The perspectives conveyed may or may not express a Lutheran ethos. They can serve our instruction as discussion-starters, examples (positive and negative), and illustrations of intersections between God’s two kingdoms, intersections sometimes characterized by tension, sometimes by congruence. Inclusion does not imply endorsement.
Science, Stats, Research–and Trust
Science, Stats, Research–and Trust — This article addressed current issues in research, replication, and the reliability of science methods and practitioners. While the author concludes with a positive outlook, the issues raise several questions about evidence, how evidence is collected and interpreted, and distinguishing evidence from non-evidential factors such as “trust,” gate-keeping, and the is-and-ought […]
Science, Trust, Stats, and Research
Science, Trust, Stats, and Research — This article addressed current issues in research, replication, and the reliability of science methods and practitioners. While the author concludes with a positive outlook, the issues raise several questions about evidence, how evidence is collected and interpreted, and distinguishing evidence from non-evidential factors such as “trust,” gate-keeping, and the […]
Regulating Speech and World Views in the Sciences
Regulating Speech and World Views in the Sciences — On May 20, the American College of Pediatrics filed a brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down the California law prohibiting “sexual orientation change efforts ” as unconstitutional for infringing on free speech. It argues the law violates the First Amendment by prohibiting doctors […]
The Evolutionist View of Religion
The Evolutionist View of Religion — This conventional kinship hypothesis of religion proposes that serving God and serving the “circle” of people to whom one is psychologically (and sometimes genetically) tied become synonymous. Over time the “circle of kin” expands to include more and more non-relatives, as within-group ties are strengthened by shared practices and beliefs. […]
23 Weeks 6 Days: The Borderland of Premees
23 Weeks 6 Days: The Borderland of Premees — Kelley and Tom’s daughter was born at 23 weeks and 6 days, roughly halfway to full term. This story addresses the questions about the lines between life and death, reflex and will, and the confusing tug of war between two basic moral touchstones: doing no harm […]
Do We Know What Life Is?
Do We Know What Life Is? — Philosopher Alva Noe critiques the renewed PBS series, “Cosmos,” by noticing what the program’s host, cosmologist Neil deGrass Tyson, did not include about evolution: “Here’s what he didn’t say: Darwin’s theory of evolution doesn’t speak to the question of how life got started…. the question of life’s origins […]
When Science Comes to Church
When Science Comes to Church — We don’t have to have all the answers to our kids’ (or our own) questions about the complex intersection of science and faith. We just have to be in the game. If we’re willing to address the topic, people will listen eagerly and engage with us. If we’re not […]
61.1% of U.S. Scientists Identify Selves as Christian
61.1% (not a mis-type) U.S. Scientists Identify as Selves as Christian — A study commissioned by the AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion (DoSER) and the Religion and Public Life Program at Rice University presented at the AAAS meeting on 16 February reports rather surprising findings on attitudes of scientists, the public, and religion. See […]
Looking For God in All the Wrong Places
Looking for God in all the Wrong Places and Intelligent Design Might Be Wrong, But Not the Way You Think — A recent exchange on I.D. with attention to causation, Aquinas, interventionism, and occasionalism. The discussions are not reducible to simple solutions and may serve as a working example for students of tension in the […]
Models, Examples, and Suggestions for Instruction
True Paradox: How Christianity Make Sense of Our Complex World by David Skeel (Veritas Books IVP, 2014)
David Skeel teaches corporate law at the UofPenn Law School. This book calmly presents five chapters in 160 pages that explain the Christian account of life to a skeptical, distracted, yet still-interested society. No simple answers here to human complexities. Rather, Skeel discusses how these complexities point us toward Christ.
