Is Naturalism Falisfiable? at 7:45 pm

Hi gang,

Thanks to the 7 who showed up last meeting for a good discussion about how a naturalistic understanding of ourselves might impact justifications for punishment. There was considerable consensus that retribution is more difficult to justify under naturalism, but less so on how quickly or how much our criminal justice system should change to reflect this.

For May 12, note that we're starting at 7:45, not 7:00 due to a scheduling conflict at Z Square, sorry for any inconvencience.

The topic: Is Naturalism Falisfiable? Naturalists are sometimes asked whether naturalism is falsifiable. Is there any evidence that would count against naturalism, or change your mind about naturalism? Dan Barker, an atheist (and therefore likely a naturalist) said in a debate recently that if Jesus were to appear and perform miracles, he would give up his atheism and believe in the supernatural. But note that Jesus couldn?t ever explain how he performs miracles since that would be to show the mechanisms of his powers, which would naturalize them. Can a phenomenon be intelligible to us and yet remain supernatural? What evidence could convince us that a phenomenon is likely or necessarily supernatural, that it transcends the cause and effect relations that seem to hold universally in the natural world? Richard Carrier, a very astute defender of naturalism, discusses the natural-supernatural distinction here.

So, hope to see you May 12, 7:45 at Z-Square.

best,

Tom

twc at naturalism.org
617-480-8846

General description of what we're about (this bit doesn't change from month to month):

Allies of Naturalism welcomes those interested in exploring a science-based, humanistic and progressive naturalism that can make a difference in our lives. To see what's involved in being a humanistic and progressive naturalist (more or less), check out Naturalism.Org, centerfornaturalism.org and the Guide to Naturalism at http://www.centerforn....

Essentially, naturalism shows our full connection to the world and others, leads to an ethics of compassion, and gives us far greater control over our circumstances. We don't need anything supernatural either above us or inside us to lead moral and meaningful lives: nature is enough. Naturalism is a viable alternative to faith-based worldviews such as traditional religions and new age philosophies, offering a set of ideas with positive personal and social consequences.

The meetings offer a chance to meet fellow naturalists in an informal, relaxed setting, but with at least some structure. That's to say that we'll try to have one or two topics suggested in advance for people to think about, and then discuss when we get together. Ultimately the focus and format of the meetings will be determined by participants, but will certainly include time for socializing and networking. Watch the discussion board for topic announcements and other details. Hope to see you there!