We welcome special guest Jeff Guenther LPC to defend the Law of Attraction, which we lambasted in #37 Vision Bored. Creator of Therapy Den and the Portland Therapy Center, Jeff claims that the law of attraction is the best model we have for how the universe works, and that there’s nothing problematic about it. José and Danielle are not so sure.
Read MoreDanielle and José circle back to their conversation about the existence of God that they first had in episode #12: Is it Morally Wrong to Believe in God? This time, they debate not only the morality of the belief, but get right to the heart of the question: Does God exist? José is a theist and Danielle an atheist, so the conversation is rather lively!
Read MoreDanielle is an atheist and José is a theist, but he feels bad about believing in something for which he does not have evidence. Given all of the warfare and destruction in the name of God, is it morally wrong to hold this belief without sufficient evidence? José outlines an argument by William James, which attempts to justify belief in God as a special and specific kind of belief that one can hold by pure will. Is it enough to convince Danielle?
Read MoreDanielle and José assess whether or not the Law of Attraction is total bullshit. After careful consideration, we’ve determined that although there are lots of ways in which the Law of Attraction might be helpful, it also can be politically dangerous and, at times, utter nonsense.
Read MoreFor those who don’t believe in a benevolent, higher power, where do we look for hope and guidance when things are looking grim? This episode, we bring you the audio from a public lecture that Danielle gave to Sunday Assembly Portland. Afterward, we do a Q and A, and José gets a chance to ask questions and challenge some ideas.
Read MoreThis episode, Danielle claims that we should be teaching hopeful thinking as an integral part of teaching critical thinking. If ignorance is bliss, critical thinking often can lead to depression, cynicism, and apathy, as students lose faith in old values, beliefs, and structures of meaning. Danielle argues that we must also teach our students to create new values and beliefs and to take action, even in the face of meaningless absurdity. José wonders how to best teach this. We end by giving recommendations in our What We’ve Been Thinking About segment.
Read MoreDanielle is an atheist and José is a theist, but he feels bad about believing in something for which he does not have evidence. Given all of the warfare and destruction in the name of God, is it morally wrong to hold this belief without sufficient evidence? José outlines an argument by William James, which attempts to justify belief in God as a special and specific kind of belief that one can hold by pure will. Is it enough to convince Danielle?
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