Joshua Spatha

A common criticism of the biblical text is that it does not clearly and unequivocally condemn slavery. This fact, according to the critics, is proof that the Bible is not a good moral foundation to build a society upon. It is true that—particularly in the Old Testament—there are many beliefs, practices, and norms which seem very alien and shocking to modern Western audiences. However, while foreign concepts often elicit strong emotional reactions, both nuance and specificity are important in...

It is often said that atheism is simply a lack of belief in God or gods, but in reality, the atheistic worldview requires belief as every worldview rests upon a certain number of unproved and unprovable presuppositions. Due to humanity's finite nature, we do not possess all knowledge, but rather, a tiny fraction of it, and our direct observational capability is quite limited. Therefore, we must rest a large amount of what we do know upon inferences and assumptions as evidence only goes so...

The postmodern age introduced speech regulation and redefinition eerily reminiscent of George Orwell's "newspeak" in his dystopian novel, 1984 and it would seem even science has embraced it. Concepts such as "Regimes of Truth," derived from Michel Foucault's ideas (who coincidentally died in 1984), are mixed with those of Jacques Derrida that claim language doesn't have actual meaning, but rather, words only derive meaning by how they are related to other words. This philosophical concoction...