2015 Nobel Prize : Literature

Today’s Nobel Award moves on from science to Literature. The leap from science to literature might appear odd, but is like this because Alfred Nobel within his will decreed it… one part to the person who shall have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction The written word is … Read more

2015 Nobel Prize: Physiology or Medicine

It is once again the time of year when the Nobel Prizes are awarded, and so each day this week we will be hearing about an award for one specific category. The roadmap is as follows: Mon 5 Oct – Physiology or Medicine Tues 6 Oct – Physics Wed 7 Oct – Chemistry Thur 8 Oct – Literature Fri 9 Oct … Read more

Morality with and without a god.

The most common arguments that are often presented to make the claim that you can’t be truly good without a religious belief are as follows: Divine Command: Belief has absolute, god given rules. If you reject god, then you are simply making up your own ethical standard and so your morality would be relative and … Read more

Saudi Arabia, Human Rights and the UN … some shocking news

You would perhaps expect Saudi Arabia to be facing considerable pressure from the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), but apparently not. Let’s first make this abundantly clear … The Mandate and goal of the UNHRC is that it is … a United Nations System inter-governmental body whose 47 member states are responsible for promoting and protecting human rights around … Read more

Heroes for today: Nelson Mandela

It is perhaps natural for humans to hero worship, and yet I can’t help but think that the individuals put up on a pedestal are often the wrong ones. If asked to name a ‘hero’ I suspect the names that would pop up might include media or political personalities, some of whom might indeed truly deserve the … Read more

Suffering at the hands of the highly religious

I was writing a couple of days about about the meaning of life, and pointed you at an article written by Tom Chivers that was a result of him asking atheists how they found meaning in life. Tom has another great article that is now up and in this one he asks “What is it like to … Read more