Arguing Atheism - A Conversation with Dr Peter Boghossian

Podcast: http://www.fdrurl.com/FDR2169

Stefan Molyneux, host of Freedomain Radio defends Jesus - and discusses faith, reason, philosophy and religion with Dr Peter Boghossian.

Dr. Peter Boghossian's main focus is bringing the tools of professional philosophers to people in a wide variety of contexts. Peter has a teaching pedigree spanning more than 20 years and 30 thousand students--in prisons, hospitals, public and private schools, seminaries, colleges and universities, Fortune 100 companies and small businesses. His fundamental objective is to teach people how to think through what often seem to be intractable problems.

Peter's primary research areas are critical thinking and moral reasoning. His doctoral research studies, funded by the State of Oregon and supported by the Oregon Department of Corrections, consisted of using the Socratic method to help prison inmates to increase their critical thinking and moral reasoning abilities and to increase their desistance to criminal behavior.

Peter's publications can be found in Diálogos, Education Policy Analysis Archives, The Clearing House: Educational Research Controversy and Practices, The Radical Academy; Offender Programs Report, Teaching Philosophy, Corrections Today, Informal Logic, The Skeptic, Journal of Philosophy of Education, Educational Philosophy and Theory, Inside Higher Ed, Essays in Philosophy, Federal Probation Journal, and the Journal of Correctional Education. If you'd like to learn more about his scholarship, his podcast interview with Philosophy News http://www.philosophynews.com/post/20... is a great place to start.

His work has been noted on The Huffington Post, The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Science and Reason, and other media outlets; he was an invited guest on the Lars Larson Show, interviewed for the cover story of the Mercury, and advocated via social media by the Executive Director of the Skeptic Society, Michael Shermer, and bestselling author and head of Project Reason, Sam Harris.

Peter was a Councilman for the State of Oregon (LSTA), an advisor to Sockeye Magazine and The Weekly Alibi, wrote national philosophy curricula for the University of Phoenix and was a research fellow for the National Center for Teaching and Learning. Currently, he is the Chairman of the Prison Advisory Committee for Columbia River Correctional Institution, teaches Critical Thinking, Science and Pseudoscience, the Philosophy of Education, and Atheism at Portland State University, is an Affiliate Research Assistant Professor Oregon Health Science University, is Co-Director and Co-Founder (with Dr. Randy Blazak) of PSU's Center for Correction's Research, and a speaker for the Center for Inquiry http://www.centerforinquiry.net/speak....

When he's not working, Peter spends time with his family, practices jiu jutsu, watches science fiction movies and television (Stargate Universe, Battlestar Galactica, Misfits, Fringe), and plays computer games (Star Craft 2, Fallout 3, Skyrim, Diablo III).

You can follow Peter on Twitter @peterboghossian. If you want to join Peter's mailing list and learn about his upcoming public lectures and debates, from your mobile phone text "DELUSION" + your email address to 22333, or enter your email address on the bottom right of this page: http://philosophynews.com/peterboghos...

Freedomain Radio is the largest and most popular philosophy show on the web - http://www.freedomainradio.com

• Category

  Education

[jacopman]

A good show...my abandonment of faith in biblical revelation was not from the problems in the text itself......nor of all the scientific evidence in conflict with my faith...but the death of it was in my understanding of how the bible and the manuscripts were constructed. When I applied an independent investigation of the process of information exchange of just how the convoluted the documentation process of antiquity was exercised I knew right then that I was holding a failed process as truth.

[Wal Bertross]

Its going to happen anyway. I wouldnt send my kids to a school in the first place.

[C D Hanks]

Because if you do not insist on teaching reason and logic you will have bible-thumpers trying to inject their religion in schools as science.

[Wal Bertross]

I understand that its great to educate people about reason and logic, but when peter says "we must".....why must I? Why do I have to try and wake people up?

[zlyons1191]

I'm sure you'll disagree but I know that I've experienced Jesus Christ. But I will definitely check out Di-Tamah! Thanks for the reference!

[twombonu]

If you had experienced Di-Tamah, you would have a better understanding of anything spiritual.

[zlyons1191]

I do believe that most religious people do not seek truth and solely use faith for their explanations.

[zlyons1191]

Do you not think think that destruction of the 'faith' virus would lead to decreased morality? I find so many holes in this talk... some brilliance, some foolishness.

[heythereguys1]

Stefan plays a good theist

[garkzen12]

I'm an Atheist who just went one god further. Do you not reject the belief of many other religions gods? Aren't you an Atheist? Of course, you're talking about full-Atheism, but I feel like people forget that nearly everyone is an Atheist by definition.