History
-
God of the Galapagos
Talk by Dr Karel de Pauw on the the religious and philosophical implications of Darwinism. When I asked Karel for an abstract he suggested the quote that first inspired him to give a talk on this topic.
-
A History of Tarot
This talk was given at Leeds Skeptics under the title "Confessions of a Tarot Reader".
-
The European Witch Hunts
Hugh Clayden addresses three common misconceptions of the European Witch Hunts. Were they a persecution of pre-existing Pagan cults? Was it inter-religious persecution between Catholics and Protestants? Was it persecution of women by men?
-
Origins of Islam
The talk is about the mythical origins of Islam. Most people know that much of the origins of Christianity and Judaism is mythological, but it is not so widely known that Islam's origins are similarly mythical. This is not least because Muslims insist Islam is rooted in factual history and get 'touchy' if this, or any aspect of Islam, is questioned.
-
Alan Turing: The Building of a Brain
2012 was the 100th anniversary of the birth of Alan Turing - mathematician, Bletchley Park decoding genius, father of computer science, and seminal figure in artificial intelligence and developmental biology. Every stored-program computer today is an embodiment of his 1936 Universal Turing Machine.
-
Good and Evil in Gospel Myth
Unfortunately we only captured the first half of this talk. Jim Hatfield explores the hidden meanings that can be found below the surface of Gospel language.
-
Christmas Traditions Around the World
Although the Christian traditions for the Christmas holiday have come to dominate Western society, many cultures around the world have their own different holiday traditions.
-
A History of Atheist Charity
People have often claimed that religious people are more generous when it comes to giving to charity. The stats don't hold up though - Sweden give the biggest percentage of their GDP to charity in the world; they're also one of the most irreligious nations.