Our Experts are some of the most widely respected thought-leaders in the world. Here, they are free to express their opinions on secularism and science. Their personal views do not necessarily reflect those of the Council as a whole.

Secular Global Institute

Roundup of Recent Activities, Honors, and Events of Our SGI Famous Team

We are pleased to report that many SGI Fellows and communicators have made the news and are engaged in spreading secularism to our growing non-religious brothers and sisters worldwide. Michael Shermer’s latest book “The Believing Brain“In this, his magnum opus, one of the world’s best known skeptics and critical thinkers Dr. Michael Shermer—founding publisher of […]

Secular Spirituality

The subject of spirituality has long been controversial among atheists. Some argue that no self-respecting atheist should talk about spirituality because it implies supernatural entities of some sort. Perhaps they do not realize that not all atheists are metaphysical naturalists. Other atheists are determined to convince us that spirituality is good for everyone and that atheists should embrace […]

Stephen Hawking Is An Atheist

After much speculation and confusion due to his previous statements, Stephen Hawking finally came out of the closet and embraced his atheism publicly, in an interview for the Spanish newspaper El Mundo: – “In my second question, I ask him to clarify his stance on God and religion, which has generated an intense debate among […]

The Cato Institute's 13th Annual Constitution Day Symposium

Edwina Rogers – SGI Fellow Attended Cato Symposium

SGI’s Government Affairs Fellow, Edwina Rogers attended the Cato Institute’s 13th Annual Constitution Day Symposium on Wednesday, September 17th. There are thirty-nine cases already scheduled for the fall term for the Supreme Court. The distinguished panel at the event focused on looking ahead for the October Supreme Court term 2014, and had numerous observations and […]

The Top 10 Craziest Sex Laws in America

Laws are supposed to protects us, but when the government decides to get in our pants, some crazy sexual taboos become laws. Here are some actual sex laws for the record books: 1. In  Bakersfield, California, if you’re going to have sex with Satan, you’ve gotta use a condom. And definitely come up with a holy religious […]

Russell Blackford

The Trouble With “Islamophobia”

The title of this article places the word “Islamophobia” in quotation marks for the very good reason that I propose to talk about the trouble with the word itself. First, this is not an innocent word. It has a specific, very recent origin and history, and particularly a history of deliberate politicking for its acceptance. […]

The Limits of Philosophy Vs. Science

Or should I say – “The trouble with philosophy?” Whatever. The title certainly makes a change from those like “The Limits of science.” How many times have I seen such titles on articles written by religious apologists, philosophers of religion, or even straight non-religious philosophers. These articles usually annoy me because they often set up […]

Mind vs. Matter

The assumption that mind and matter are not the same stuff is the root of many beliefs in supernatural phenomena, such as an immortal soul, reincarnation, communication with the dead, mental telepathy, and out-of-body experiences. I see that you have composed six symphonies, received the Pulitzer prize for poetry, and teach philosophy at Harvard. However, […]

If We Create Life, Who Will Control It?

He makes it look easy! Scientism:  “We can create life!” God:  “Really? Go ahead.” Scientism:  “We’ll need some of your dirt.” God:  “Get your own dirt…” Perhaps I shouldn’t have used a conditional in the title. After all, we are already creating life. Recently, Craig Venter, from the J. Craig Venter Institute, announced the creation […]