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Sample the Skeptic's Dictionary
naturalism
Naturalism is a metaphysical theory that holds that all phenomena can be explained mechanistically in terms of natural (as opposed to supernatural) causes and laws. Naturalism posits that the universe is a vast "machine" or "organism," devoid of general purpose and indifferent to human needs and desires.>>more
sample the Skeptic's Dictionary for Kids
natural
Many people think that if something is natural it must be good. They might try to have you take a medicine because it's natural. They might even try to get you to not take a medicine because it's not natural. Just remember that some natural things are poisonous, so if a medicine is good for you it isn't good because it's natural. It's good because it does something to make you better. Also, if a medicine is bad for you, it isn't because it's not natural. It's because it does something that makes you worse off. >>more
a blast from the past
What Darwin Means to Me
I wish I could say that my parents named me after Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882) because they wanted to connect their firstborn, even if only through his middle name, to one of the greatest scientific minds who ever lived. Alas, my parents had many good qualities but love of science was not one of them. I think that of all things on earth my father loved baseball more than anything else and my mother loved serving God, which for her meant serving her church and trying to live a Jesus-like existence. How much more fortunate could I get? My dad took me to my first major league baseball game on May 26, 1953. I can still see the ivy on the walls at Wrigley Field [though this memory may be false] and I have the souvenir program (cost 10¢) that tells me that we played the Cardinals and that Red Schoendienst hit a home run in the first inning and Stan Musial got a double in the fourth. >>more
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