Tag Archives: Debate

White Horse Inn interviews Michael Shermer on skepticism

Look at what Reformed Seth sent me in my e-mail on Thursday morning! A podcast!

Here is the description:

On this program, Michael Horton talks with Michael Shermer, editor of Skeptic magazine and author of numerous books including, Why People Believe Weird Things, Why Darwin Matters, and most recently The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies—How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths. The conversation centers on Shermer’s new book, and why he believes his skeptical and agnostic worldview presents a better explanation for the universe than the claims of the Christian faith. Following the interview, Michael Horton talks with Dean L. Overman, author of The Case Against Accident & Self Organization, about the mathematical improbability of life forming by chance.

You can listen on their web page, or grab the MP3 file here.

And here are the questions asked:

  • Tell us about your background, how did you transition to agnosticism?
  • Are you firm in your convictions, or are you open to changing your mind?
  • What is your new book “The Believing Brain” about?
  • Was your skepticism also the result of the subjective, emotional belief-generating process described in the book?
  • How do you explain the mathematical underpinnings of nature?
  • How do you account for the foundational beliefs that make science possible?
  • Are these precursor beliefs for science also the result of the subjective, emotional belief-generating process?
  • How do you explain the fine-tuning of the universe on naturalism?
  • How do you respond to the historical claims of Christianity, like the resurrection of Jesus?
  • Is it accurate to put all religious claims in the same category without evaluating the claims specifically?
  • Why do you think that if there are two large groups that disagree about a claim, that no one is right?
  • Explain why reason itself is not undermined if man is the result of a random process of evolution?

This interview reminded me a lot of the post I wrote analyzing the apostasy of Dan Barker.

I wanted to write an angry refutation of Shermer’s ignorant speculations. But then I found this follow-up program (MP3 here) featuring the magnificent Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason. Greg’s refutation of Shermer is a lot more respectful than what I would say. Maybe it’s better if I wait a bit and then weigh in later in the comments.

You will also benefit enormously from this debate transcript featuring Michael Shermer and Greg Koukl.

Rick Santorum wins Fox News Republican primary debate (with video)

Santorum wins, Gingrich came second.

Part 1 of 11:

All the parts:

Here’s a review from Jennifer Rubin at the Washington Post.

Excerpt:

When the Republican presidential contenders debated in Orlando tonight, it was really two debates. In the first third of the evening, a series of disjointed questions without follow-ups, Texas Gov. Rick Perry seemed strong and well-prepared. But he faded over the rest of the debate, appearing to lose his steam just as he was trying to paint Mitt Romney as a flip-flopper.

The big winner of the night, however, was Rick Santorum.

Santorum has been waiting for the chance to supplant Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) as the third-ranking candidate in the race. Tonight he went a long way toward achieving that. Bachmann never managed to make a presence. Santorum, however, socked Perry on in-state tuition breaks for Texas college students who are illegal immigrants, making the point that Perry is subsidizing those people over non-Texan American citizens. On Afghanistan, he hit a home run, telling off Jon Huntsman Jr. over the latter’s suggestion to bug out of a war short of victory. He barked, “Just because our economy is sick doesn’t mean America is sick.” When asked about right-to-work laws, Santorum smartly steered the discussion to public employee unions. As the debate went on, he received more and more questions, a sure sign he was becoming a contender.

And another review:

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum breathed new life into his bid for the Republican presidential nomination Thursday, issuing a string of critiques at his Republican counterparts

Speaking in a GOP debate hosted by Google and Fox News, the Pennsylvania Republican slammed critics of his campaign, calling for a renewed commitment in Iraq and Afghanistan, and condemning a repeal of the military’s controversial “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

Mr. Santorum on Thursday said the military has one responsibility: protecting the country. He says that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly is a distraction to that role. The former U.S. senator made the statement in response to a video question from a gay soldier that yielded boos from the debate audience.

Mr. Santorum said that “sexual activity has absolutely no place in the military,” adding that the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which took effect this week, was injecting “social policy into the military.”

“What we’re doing is playing social experimentation with our military right now, and that’s tragic,” Mr. Santorum said.

The Pennsylvania Republican slammed former Utah governor Jon Huntsman, questioning his recent comments on on U.S. foreign policy in the Mideast. Mr. Santorum took issue with Mr. Huntsman’s suggestion that the U.S. should leave Afghanistan short of victory.

“Just because our economy is sick doesn’t mean America is sick,” Mr. Santorum said.

Mr. Santorum, who continues to trail former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Texas Republican Rick Perry in the latest polls, had struggled to gain support in recent months. The Pennsylvania Republican has focused his campaign on Iowa, where recent polls seems to suggest Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann and Mr. Perry as the leading candidates. Still, the Pennsylvania Republican has repeatedly said he remains confident of his chances of securing the 2012 nomination.

The performance at Thursday night’s GOP debate comes as Mr. Santorum has sought to increase his presence within the national debate. Speaking Tuesday, Mr. Santorum launched a scathing rebuke of Mr. Perry’s assessment of U.S. relations with Israel.

“I’ve forgotten more about Israel than Rick Perry knows about Israel,” Mr. Santorum told Politico. “There he is, reading a speech that I’m sure he didn’t write, and has never taken a position on any of this stuff before, and [the media is] taking this guy seriously.”

Preceding the debate hosted by Google, Mr. Santorum made national headlines after issuing a plea to the search engine, requesting that the address search results related to his name. Mr. Santorum’s contacting of Google comes as Google searches for Mr. Santorum’s name have generated some inappropriate results since gay columnist Dan Savage organized an online campaign to link graphic sexual terms to Mr. Santorum’s campaign.

It was a great debate, I recommend watching at least the first half.

Eight Republicans will participate in tonight’s Fox News debate in Orlando

From Fox News:

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) – Fox News and Google announced today that they will present a presidential debate on Sept. 22 from 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET in Orlando, Fla., in conjunction with the Republican Party of Florida.

In making the joint announcement, Michael Clemente, senior vice president of news editorial, Fox News, said, “For access to news and information, it’s hard to imagine two more powerful brands than Fox News and Google, which is why we are proud to partner with a leader in global technology. The strength and reach of both should ensure a thorough and engaging debate that anyone can participate in.”

Moderated by Special Report anchor Bret Baier with panelists Chris Wallace, host of “Fox News Sunday” and Megyn Kelly, anchor of “America Live,” the debate will incorporate video and text questions submitted by the public on YouTube.com/FoxNews.

Viewers will be able to vote on the questions they want the candidates to answer, and Fox News will use the votes to help choose which questions are posed to the candidates. In addition, Fox News and Google will present public data and Google search trends on air to help provide context to the questions and inform the debate throughout the evening.

Steve Grove, head of news and politics for YouTube, said, “We’re delighted to give voters across the country this opportunity to ask their questions of the GOP candidates. Through this joint debate with Fox News we hope to bring more voices into the arena to create an informed and lively dialogue about the future of our country.”

The Fox News/Google debate will be presented live from the Orange County Convention Center on Fox News Channel (FNC) and live-streamed on YouTube.com/FoxNews, in addition to Fox News Radio, Fox News Mobile, and FoxNews.com.

I’ll be watching, hope you will too! Bret Baier, Chris Wallace and Megyn Kelly are my three favorite people on Fox News.