On the definition of naturalism

Here is a DI2 post on the definition of naturalism. 

Renewing Dangerous Idea 2

Here.  It's my dedicated AFR blog. 

An interview on the AFR

 An interview of me on the AFR. 

Here.

Materialism and morally motivated actions

1. No act is morally motivated if it can be fully explained in terms of nonmoral causes.

2. If materialistic atheism is true, then all actions can be fully explained in terms of nonmoral causes.

3. But some actions are morally motivated.

Therefore, materialistic atheism is false.

Abortion and stigma

 Supporters of abortion are concerned about women being stigmatized for getting abortions. I wonder if women who refuse abortions and have children under difficult circumstances now run the risk of being themselves stigmatized, i. e., women who choose to carry Down's Syndrome babies to term.

Quite apart from pro-choice, there is a pro-abortion movement that really does encourage people to get abortions. I think pro-lifers put too much emphasis on winning a political battle over abortion laws and even abortion funding. The real abortion battle takes place in the minds and hearts of women making choices about difficult pregnancies. I think the mainstream position at Planned Parenthood is to push the idea that women should never be stigmatized for getting an abortion. In this way they minimize the serious moral decision that has to be made, and I think it's going to have the effect of stigmatizing people who DON'T get abortions when other people think they should. "Well, you had a choice. You knew this was going to be difficult. Why do you go ahead and have the baby?"

This article, by a pro-choice philosopher, illustrates the problem.

What would happen if you vaporized Planned Parenthood?

 Planned Parenthood does more than abort babies. If you defunded it, or vaporized it, would the abortion rate go up or down? I think Hillary Clinton talked about a county in Texas the defunded Planned Parenthood, and the abortion rate went up. 

Of course, these consequential issues remind me of another question. Is the point of murder laws to prevent murder? What if we lived in a possible world in which murder laws actually resulted in there being more murders than there would otherwise be. Should murder be illegal if that were true? 

A debate on the argument from reason

 Between Max Baker-Hytch and the Cosmic Skeptic. 

Here.