Giving the Devil His Due: Reflections of a Scientific HumanistWho is the 'Devil'? And what is he due? The Devil is anyone who disagrees with you. And what he is due is the right to speak his mind. He must have this for your own safety's sake because his freedom is inextricably tied to your own. If he can be censored, why shouldn't you be censored? If we put barriers up to silence 'unpleasant' ideas, what's to stop the silencing of any discussion? This book is a full-throated defense of free speech and open inquiry in politics, science, and culture by the New York Times bestselling author and skeptic Michael Shermer. The new collection of essays and articles takes the Devil by the horns by tackling five key themes: free thought and free speech, politics and society, scientific humanism, religion, and the ideas of controversial intellectuals. For our own sake, we must give the Devil his due. |
Contents
Acknowledgments pagex | 1 |
Why Freedom of Inquiry | 19 |
In the Shadow of the Christchurch Massacre | 28 |
Defending Holocaust Denier | 38 |
The EvolutionCreationism Controversy | 44 |
Why Intelligent Design Advocates | 55 |
What Went Wrong? Campus Unrest Viewpoint Diversity | 64 |
REFLECTIONS ON | 79 |
What We Can and Cannot | 161 |
OnGunsandTyranny | 177 |
The Lesson from Evolutionary | 198 |
REFLECTIONS | 219 |
Tear Down This Wall A Response to George | 236 |
How to Build | 243 |
and Luck What We Can and Cannot Control | 254 |
REFLECTIONS | 267 |
Raising Consciousness for Religious | 86 |
a Cult? | 93 |
Does the Universe Have a Purpose? Alvys Error | 103 |
Why Is There Something Rather Than Nothing? Answering | 110 |
REFLECTIONS | 127 |
The Case for Classical | 134 |
Lessons for the Red Planet | 145 |
Other editions - View all
Giving the Devil his Due: Reflections of a Scientific Humanist Michael Shermer No preview available - 2021 |
Common terms and phrases
According American argument asked authority believe better called causes century CHAPTER civil claim conservatives created crime culture Darwin death debate economic effect essay evidence evil evolution example existence experiment explained fact Figure firearm forces free speech freedom give going happened hate Hitch human ideas individual Intelligent issue John laws leads less liberals live mass matter means million mind moral murder natural never noted opinion originally percent person Peterson physical political positions present Press principle problem protect published question race reason religion religious response result Richard scientific scientists selection sense Skeptic social society species speech theory things thought truth turn understand universe violence wrong York