Why Christians can’t justify voting for Trump — In a recent op-ed in the New York Times, conservative Christian David French laments the impact of figures like Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson on contemporary American Christianity. But he also asks liberal readers to show some empathy for Trump’s Christian voters. In countless personal conversations with Christians who are…

Why no citizen should ever lose the right to vote — In most American states convicted felons lose the right to vote, at least during the term of their sentences, and sometimes longer. But as I’ll argue in this piece, disenfranchising people convicted of crimes is actually a terrible policy. Not only should convicts be allowed to vote, they should be…

Or, The Hero’s Journey Through the Forest of Logical Fallacies — Back in 2017, during a live Q and A on Jordan Peterson’s Patreon channel, a viewer posed him this question: Australia is holding a plebiscite on whether to legalize gay marriage. I’m against the “Yes” campaign, but only because it’s backed by cultural Marxists. …

What their settlement with Dominion Voting Systems means — In their $1.6 billion staring contest with Dominion Voting Systems, the world’s biggest right-wing propaganda machine just blinked. On Tuesday this week, on the very eve of the trial, Dominion announced it had settled its defamation suit against Fox News for nearly $800 million. And while I’m a little disappointed…

Orwell’s dystopia is more famous, but Huxley’s is more true to life — When we talk about possible dystopian futures, we tend to think of them in terms of that most famous of all dystopian novels: 1984. In that novel, Big Brother symbolizes the malevolent force of unchecked power, and his agents, like O’Brien, are the human face of uncompromising tyranny. But a…

Why anti-drag laws violate the First Amendment — Lately, Republican-controlled state governments all over the country have been introducing bills that would ban drag performances in public places. Anti-drag legislation is moving through the political process in states like Arkansas, Arizona, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and perhaps a dozen other states. Tennessee governor Bill Lee signed the first such bill…

On the fear and frustration of being a parent in America — Yesterday I learned that one of my friends from high school lost his daughter in the shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville. Her name was Evelyn. She was nine years old. Looking at her picture, I felt deep sadness and anger. When will it be my turn, I wondered…

But the idea’s popularity does tell us a lot about ourselves — In 2003, philosopher Nick Bostrom asserted that we’re probably living in a simulation. Here’s the gist of his argument: There are three possibilities. All civilizations in the universe go extinct before they develop the technological capacity to create simulated universes, including the laws of physics and the experience of consciousness.

More thoughts on HBO’s docuseries “The Anarchists” — Welcome back for part two of my two-part dive into the new HBO docuseries “The Anarchists.” In part one I asked why the anarcho-capitalism practiced by the anarchists of Acapulco was so suffused with New Age spirituality and other forms of pseudo-scientific woo. As promised, this article is going to…