By Marcus Clavinicus
Articles & Essays
The following articles and essays provide topical information pertinent to the subject of critical reasoning, scientific inquiry, philosophy, ethics, faith verses science, and other matters germane to the spirit of Enlightened Reason. All articles and essays have been contributed by their respective authors and are held in copyright by their authors. No articles or essays may be copied without permission from the original author, unless otherwise noted.
The Mind of the Cosmos
By Marcus Clavinicus
Most religions (and many philosophies as well) recount fantastic and extraordinary tales about the creation of human beings. Usually, these stories describe how a god or gods fashioned humans and imparted them with a soul.
Evidence For God, and the Proof Against God
By Marcus Clavinicus
For some, the existence of a supreme being (or beings) is not a matter of proof, but strictly a matter of faith. However, having faith in something, no matter how devoted or profound that faith may be, does not make it real. To show something is real, a convincing accumulation of evidence for its existence must be ascertained. While the lack of such evidence does not preclude the existence of a thing, an accumulation of sufficient evidence that stands contrary to its possible existence can shed serious doubts.
What is Knowledge?
By Marcus Clavinicus
What is Enlightenment?
By Immanuel Kant, 1784
Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-imposed immaturity. Immaturity is the inability to use one's understanding without guidance from another. This immaturity is self-imposed when its cause lies not in lack of understanding, but in lack of resolve and courage to use it without guidance from another. Sapere Aude! [dare to know] "Have courage to use your own understanding!"--that is the motto of enlightenment.