Friday, July 25, 2008

Free Will










A discussion about the nature of free will and its relevance to ethics.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Request








Greetings, Apologia listeners, I have a personal message for you all. I'm very pleased to note that our daily feed activity is approaching 500 people per day, and our most recent discussions seem to have attracted an audience of about 1000. As moderator and on behalf of the Apologia participants, I can tell you that it is an absolute pleasure to organize and produce this podcast, hopefully as much as it is a pleasure for you to listen to it. As you are aware, the strength of the Apologia format comes from its commitment to different points of view, particularly along the theist - atheist axis, as well as the generous and civil way in which the participants share their various perspectives. Throughout its lifetime, the Apologia podcast has benefitted from new people and fresh ideas, and I'd like to see that continue and even accelerate, with your help. The vision for this podcast comes from its conception in a pub, over a few pints of beer, my friends and I saw the potential in translating open and honest barside conversations about religion, philosophy, and morality to a medium that allows a broader audience to, as it were, lean their chairs in the direction of our discussion.

It's no secret that these subjects are no longer being monopolized by the Christian worldview, and as individuals who find atheism, naturalism, or other secular positions persuasive gain traction in our culture, we'll need to choose between redrawing our tribal boundaries around those who share our own particular beliefs, or alternatively, venturing over to the other side of the fence to really get to know those individuals who, although they may not share our personal conclusions, at least share our commitment to the personal exploration of truth, wherever it leads.

And so in that spirit, I'd like to reach out to the Apologia listeners. Would you be interested in joining the conversation? Several of our participants have been listeners who simply asked if there was room for one more at the table. And there certainly is, especially for individuals who represent a theist point of view, whether that be jewish, muslim, hindu, etc., and especially for any women, as the feminine perspective has been, admittedly, severely under-represented in the Apologia discussion. The requirements are few, but important. You must be committed to an open and honest investigation of truth, and you have to be relatively comfortable speaking your mind in a setting with several other opinionated individuals who enjoy nothing more than to probe the limits of each others beliefs, in the hope of finding common understanding and agreement. If you think that you may be one of those individuals, or you may know of someone who is, please feel free to contact me by email at zach@drzach.net, or post a note here at the blog.

I appreciate your support, and I hope to talk to you next time on Apologia.