Published in Psychology Today on 29th September 2016. Are you looking forward to reading an article about death? Probably not. Simply reading it-that-must-not-be-named can arrest us in our place. With torturous futility, we fill our heads with whatever is in mind’s reach to ignore one of the surest of facts: To paraphrase Descartes, “I think, therefore I’ll die”. The certainty that our mortality…
Category: Religion
Is Vegetarianism a Religion?
Over the past year, author and neuroscientist Sam Harris has made his abandonment of eating animals public – and it’s been inspiring. As I previously noted in an unfortunately titled Salon article, Sam’s secateurs of reasoning attend to the weeds in his own garden as much as those that lie over the fence. Last year…
Bigotry Against the Mentally Ill Cannot Solve Bigotry Against Muslims
*Originally published in Psychology Today. Republished in The Daily Banter. – “Orlando may be strongest example yet showing how mental illness is ignored as factor when mass shooter is non-white” – Glen Greenwald after Orlando shootings. – “Every country has homophobia and mental illness. Not every country has guns.” – Gary Younge, Editor-at-large for The Guardian,…
Nothing Lasts Forever: How an Atheist Copes With the Fear of Death
Published in Elephant Journal, 19th January 2016: ‘Nothing Lasts Forever: How an Atheist Copes With the Fear of Death’. Excerpt: “Death. Simply reading the word can arrest us in our place, causing an instant tingling of visceral unease. The certainty that our mortality will eventually be realized binds us not only in solidarity, but in…
‘Vegan’ and ‘Veganism’: Ideas Versus People in the Wider Fight For Progress
Published in The Daily Banter, 17th January 2016: ‘Vegan’ and ‘Veganism’: Ideas Versus People in the Wider Fight For Progress. Excerpt: “When one demands their right to criticize religion, they can do so by appealing to their fundamental right to lambast any idea. In the words of Maajid Nawaz, “No idea is above scrutiny, just…
Letter From The Rubble Of A Salon Article
Published in The Daily Banter, 11th January 2016: ‘Letter From The Rubble Of A Salon Article’ As The Daily Banter said, “Steve Stankevicius published an article on Salon.com, only for the editors to distort what he said and refuse to change it. This follows a worrying trend on a site that claims to be a serious…
New Atheists Must Become New Vegans: Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins and the extra burden on moral leaders
Published on Salon, 10th January 2016: “New atheists must become new vegans: Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins and the extra burden on moral leaders”. As some of you might know, Salon altered the title of the article without my consent to include the words “must”, “moral leaders”, and include the names of Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins. This was misleading,…
Does God Exist? Perhaps No Evidence Could Ever Be Sufficient
Could there ever be sufficient evidence to prove god’s existence? Given the possibility that we live in a computer simulation, perhaps not. Atheists commonly say that whilst they do not believe in a god, this view could easily shift if presented with the right evidence. For example, if the stars aligned themselves into a particular…
Is Medicine Infected By Religion?
You wouldn’t have noticed, but there may have been someone else in the consultation room when you last saw your doctor. If this someone else was a medical student or a nurse you would be asked to give consent for their presence. However, in this case, it’s unlikely your permission was sought. What’s more unnerving…
Steve Stankevicius 