Volume 6 Number 2

Observations and Speculations Concerning Neuroscience, Gun Control, Artificial Intelligence, and Politics

Observations and Speculations Concerning Neuroscience, Gun Control, Artificial Intelligence, and Politics

There have been advances in several fields which have relevance to political communication. New information in the areas of psychology and neuroscience suggest possible explanations for divergent political views. In addition, social media and the internet in general have provided new means of communicating political messages, as well as a wealth of information about political beliefs down to the individual level. The fusion of this new information poses opportunities as well as risks. These are explored through a discussion of the gun control debate and how that debate illuminates our understanding of conservative versus liberal politics and political messaging. The implications relevant to recent political and technical developments, and the real and potential roles of artificial intelligence as both a threat and a possible solution, are presented.

Who Was the First Man to Do What Jane Goodall Did?

Who Was the First Man to Do What Jane Goodall Did?

Jane Goodall’s work has been groundbreaking in many ways. Her approach to the study of chimpanzees could almost be described as anthropological, treating those who happen to have no grammar-based language as equals. The moral consequences of being able to successfully engage in such an endeavor are vast, calling_ into question much of what we take for granted about the nature of morality and humanist beliefs. While instinctual behavior is increasingly used for understanding human morality, Goodall’s focus has always been on the human treatment of the nonhuman world. I argue that drawing moral inferences from nonhuman to human behavior can be problematic, because humans are capable of communicating using grammar-based languages. It is a specifically human responsibility to counteract the destructiveness that our language capacity has enabled. Goodall’s approach towards taking this responsibility could be characterized as augmenting our language-based moralities with the perspectives of nonhuman and human, future and current life. While Goodall has received much credit for her observations of chimpanzees, modern culture has yet to follow her lead by adapting our beliefs about justice to make them consistent with our scientific understanding.

Racism in Organized Nontheism

Racism in Organized Nontheism

Racism is a problem in the organized humanist movement, just as it is in the wider society. Humanists will never successfully combat racism in humanist organizations unless they first combat it in the greater society. Regardless of any success made in fighting racism in organized humanism, non-White humanists have the right to organize among themselves. Such a show of unity is more often than not centered on common interests and common objectives, rather than antipathy toward Whites.

The Effects of Illusory Truth

The Effects of Illusory Truth

Despite prominent news media and fact-check outlets demonstrating that Trump lied much more frequently than Clinton, pre-election polls showed that most voters perceived Clinton as less honest than Trump. This perception came from the Trump campaign’s successful manipulations through the illusory truth effect. This thinking error happens when false statements are repeated many times, and as a result we begin to see these lies as true. Trump used the illusory truth effect throughout his campaign. Examples of his frequently-repeated false claims, which most of his base eventually grew to believe, include him always opposing the war in Iraq and depicting NAFTA as the “worst trade deal ever.” The “Vote Leave” campaign in Brexit used similar tactics. Prominent advocates such as Nigel Farage and Priti Patel stated time and time again that Britain sends the EU £350 million a week, a lie denounced by the UK Statistics Authority and other venues, but still believed by the public. The illusory truth effect has been used in other contexts and settings to lead to false impressions of reality.

Civilizations, Science, and Human Values

Civilizations, Science, and Human Values

Praising one’s cultural heritage can be considered chauvinistic, especially if seen in contrast with other cultural backgrounds. Nevertheless, the examination of cultural backgrounds can be a legitimate task and may help to illustrate developments related to humanist values. An important contribution to humanist values has been mainstream Western Civilization science. The purpose of this paper is to examine, by way of a broad sketch, the historical development of science as related to humanist values in Western Civilization, including some comparisons with other civilizations.

A Theology of Quackery: How Alternative Health Became a Secular Religion

A Theology of Quackery: How Alternative Health Became a Secular Religion

Approaching alternative health as a secular religion has important implications for how we address belief in pseudoscience. Alternative health shares many features with conventional religious belief including a creation myth, fall from grace, demons and salvation. It explains why education in the sciences, or specific disciplines of immunology, oncology, etc. has limited effectiveness in changing deep-seated alternative health beliefs.

A Footnote in Hume

A Footnote in Hume

David Hume’s An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (1748) advanced the idea that Benevolence is at the core of ethics. While this is well known, he also claimed that empathetic emotions had in human affairs, the force that gravity played in the physical world. He also denied that self-love was a major motivator in ethics. This is contrasted with the views of Ayn Rand, with a suggestion that in the present time, when empathy is receiving new attention among scholars and philosophers, new attention to Hume’s theory is warranted.

Steve Allen: The Start of Something Big

Steve Allen: The Start of Something Big

Besides having invented the late-night TV talk show in 1953, entertainer and musical composer Steve Allen went on to have a many-faceted career. He wrote more than 50 books, fourteen of which were published by Prometheus Books, the publishing house founded by Paul Kurtz. For nearly three decades he and Kurtz were colleagues and friends. A philosopher, as well, and a dynamic advocate for rationalism and reason, Allen wrote about religion, politics and social issues. Unalterably opposed to censorship, he was nevertheless a harsh critic of the trend towards coarseness in popular culture. Allen died in 2000, so he was spared the spectacle of the United States of America’s 45th president.