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Nomological Harmony

The argument from nomological harmony is a recent theistic argument. It is trying to show that there is something in need of explanation about the way the laws of nature and the actual contents/state of the universe fit together, and that theism explains that fit better than brute naturalism does. The core idea is the universe is not just a pile of stuff plus a separate list of laws. The laws we have actually apply to the stuff that exists, and when applied to the universe’s states they generate further states. Cutter and Saad describe the striking fact this way: our universe has a “harmonious match between laws and states.” They also say things might have been otherwise: the universe could have been “stillborn,” with laws that did not engage its initial state in any productive way. So the argument is doing two things at once. First, it identifies a surprising fact; why do the actual laws "hook into"...

Nationalism, Extremism, and Wartime Propaganda

Table of Contents Analysis of Schopenhauer Nationalism in Historical Context Modern Nationalism How nationalism is propagated in modern media The Religious Extremism Driving the Current War Israeli Religious Extremism Far Right Extremism in the United States Iranian Religious Extremism This Zealotry is the Minority Wartime Propaganda Evaluation Resources I want to discuss this quote by Arthur Schopenhauer because I think it’s quite relevant. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably notice the massive uptick in nationalism rhetoric just about everywhere. Well, here is what Schopenhauer has to say about that: The cheapest sort of pride is national pride; for if a man is proud of his own nation, it argues that he ha...