Philosophy

Recently, a financially struggling elderly woman wrote to Pat Robertson explaining that she has been tithing (giving 10 percent of her income to charity) since childhood and that she and her husband are still tithing despite his medical expenses. She explained that they “barely have any money” and are both…

In this episode of Reason at Large, Craig Biddle answers a question from Nick: "Can there be objective morality without God? In other words, can morality be both secular and absolute?" In answering, Biddle zeros in on the basic reason people need morality, which is in order to live and…

Christian Lunsford, a fifteen-year old-high school student living in Oklahoma, really wanted to go to band camp. His father—who has played a minimal role in his life—gave him $250 toward the expenses of the camp. Unfortunately, Lunsford learned, his father likely stole that money from elderly Tona Herndon as she…

After shooting schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai in the head last year but failing to kill her, Pakistan’s Taliban have sworn to assault her again—in case anyone needed another reminder of the evil of which Islamic terrorists are capable. Malala’s alleged crime? She advocates girls attending school—a practice that’s contrary to the…

E. W. Jackson—a candidate for lieutenant governor in North Virginia—recently said: There is no other means of salvation but through Jesus Christ, and if you don’t know him and you don’t follow him and you don’t go through him, you are engaged in some sort of false religion. Jackson miraculously…

When someone does something evil, does the devil make him do it? Most Americans believe that’s possible, as the Washington Examiner reports. According to a poll recently conducted by YouGov, 57 percent of Americans believe the devil exists. For some groups, the percentage is even higher: 72 percent of blacks…

In this episode of Reason at Large, Craig Biddle answers a question from Jeff: "What is 'social justice'? Is it a legitimate term? If so, what does it mean? If not, why not?" In answering, Biddle discusses the purpose behind "social justice," defines and concretizes justice, compares and contrasts instances…

With this week’s DVD release of Star Trek into Darkness, now is a good time to evaluate or reevaluate the oft-stated Star Trek claim, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” (or “the one”). This claim is made in various scenes in the films, including in…

In late June, a coalition of religious leaders fighting against ObamaCare’s contraception mandate, which forces employer health insurance plans to provide birth control coverage, rejected the Obama administration's “final compromise” on the issue. The proposed “compromise” consists of a range of administrative changes, but these tweaks hardly satisfy the religious…

Author’s note: The following is a section on the virtue of honesty from chapter 6 of my book Loving Life: The Morality of Self-Interest and the Facts that Support It (Richmond: Glen Allen Press, 2002). The book is an introduction to Ayn Rand’s morality of rational egoism. Honesty “is the…