My take on the map metaphor

I just came across a note I made in one of my Moleskines, probably from around 2007, in which I wrote the following: Map Metaphor Suppose I walk through a big city, using a map of that city. I arrive at a big square where there is a church. However, when I look at my … Lees verder

Jared Diamond joins the choir of atheists

Jared Diamond, the professor of geography from the University of California, Los Angeles, and who got his fame from voluminous books like The Third Chimpanzee, Guns, Germs and Steel, and Collapse has recently published a new book, titled The World Until Yesterday.

I haven’t read this book yet, but the website Salon.com published an exerpt from the book dealing with religion. I want to share some observations…

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Gert Scobel: Der Ausweg aus dem Fliegenglas (book review)

Just today I finished reading a big German book, Gert Scobel’s Der Ausweg aus dem Fliegenglas: Wie wir Glauben und Vernunft in Einklang bringen können (Frankfurt a.M.: S. Fischer Verlag 2010, 462 pp.). It’s a book that I can warmly recommend, at least for those who are able to read German (the newly released paperback … Lees verder

Is the New Atheism movement dying?

Recently, I came across a very interesting new perspective on the New Atheist movement – or rather, it’s a kind of eulogy written by R. Joseph Hoffmann, a “non-believing” scholar in religious studies (he’s a historian of religion). In his blog entry, “Re-Made in America: Remembering the New Atheism (2006-2011)”, Hoffmann severely criticizes the New … Lees verder