About the Euthanasia Debate The topic for this debate is: Is There a Rationalist Case Against Euthanasia? The debaters have agreed to the following debate format: Opening statements, submitted independently of one another, 1 December 2000 First rebuttals, submitted independently of one another, due 1 January 2001 Second rebuttals, submitted independently of one another, due […]

On The Issue of Euthanasia: The debate over euthanasia or assisted suicide has been raging within the media. Public awareness and opinion on the variety of issues involved has reached unprecedented levels. Also called "mercy killing", euthanasia evokes a great deal of emotional reaction and moral indecision, often at the expense of a rational investigation […]

On The Subject of Cryonics: The technology of cryonics seeks to cheat death by freezing people in the hope that future medical technology will revive them. Since its beginning in the 1960s, cryonics has not garnered much support from the general public or medical community. Even secular non-religious people, which should be more inclined to […]

On The Subject of Conscription: Conscription, or compulsory military service, has often found opposition from the religious community based on their belief. Some Americans suggest that the country would better off if it were restored, saying it would bring a better sense of duty and patriotism to the people. On the same side, are those […]

Meet the Debators The topic for this debate is: Is There a Humanist Case For Capital Punishment? Arguing For Capital Punishment is Daniel Strain Daniel T. Strain, an artist by profession, lives in Houston, Texas. He is the founder and former Director of the Houston Secular Humanists (HSH) and the former Chair of the Houston […]

About the Capital Punishment Debate The topic for this debate is: Is There a Humanist Case For Capital Punishment? The debaters have agreed to the following debate format: Opening statements, submitted independently of one another, 1 January 2001 First rebuttals, submitted independently of one another, due 1 February 2001 Second rebuttals, submitted independently of one […]

On The Issue of Capital Punishment: Capital Punishment is still used in the US Penal System as punishment for serious crime. Great controversy exists on whether it is a just solution, a moral one, and an effective one. Arguments are many and varied both for and against capital punishment. It is often assumed that the […]

On The Subject of Cannibalism as a Survival Strategy: Survival pushes humans to extreme measures. Cannibalism is one of the strategies taken that society has deemed extreme. Cannibalism is still practiced in many societies and was very common in civilizations of the past. Modern cases have surfaced showing that civilized people have resorted to cannibalism […]

On The Subject of Artificial Intelligence: Advancements in the field of artificial intelligence continue to rage forward. Skeptics question how successful research in this field will be. Advocates believe the field offers valuable insight into human intelligence and consciousness and will provide useful knowledge. Critics disagree, believing that vary little comparison can be made and […]

On The Issue of Animal Rights: The inhumane treatment of animals is a popular subject within society today. Animal Rights Activists campaign tirelessly against the exploitation of animals, sometimes going to extremes. There is a diversity of opinion that exists on the subject of animal rights; touching on such issues as sentience, intelligence, the benefit […]

On The Issue of Affirmative Action: Affirmative Action is part of the socialist political platform but it can also be found in various facets of our society. Many interpretations exist on the issue, along with varying degrees of support and opposition. Plainly put, affirmative action seeks to restore, or initiate, equality of opportunity among all […]

On The Evolutionary Adaptation of Religious Belief: Does religious belief have survival value? Was it naturally selected for in the environment of our ancestors or is it an example of cultural selection? Some people claim that if religion were completely maladaptive and useless, it never would have stuck around so long and became a dominant […]

A Secular Case Against Abortion Closing Statement by Jen Roth   Introduction I would like to thank Richard Carrier for agreeing to this debate, the Internet Infidels for agreeing to host it, and Amanda Chesworth for coordinating it. It has been extremely refreshing to participate in a discussion of abortion without being subjected to accusations […]

The Secular Case Against Abortion by Jennifer Roth It seems that I was premature in proclaiming that Mr. Carrier and I had reached agreement on a number of key issues. I had hoped to focus attention on the question of the definition of a person, since I believed (and still believe) that to be the […]

Second Rebuttal Jennifer Roth Before getting to the main subjects of dispute which remain between us, let me quickly summarize the surprising number of points on which Mr. Carrier and I seem to agree. We agree that both the mother and father of a child have obligations toward that child. (Assuming that a "child" is […]

First Rebuttal Jennifer Roth In his opening statement, Mr. Carrier identified two sources of disagreement on moral issues: disputes over facts, and disputes over values. I agree with his assessment; however, some disputes do not lend themselves to easy categorization. Take, for example, the question of when a human individual comes into existence. The answer […]

A Secular Case Against Abortion By Jennifer Roth Introduction First of all, I’d like to thank Richard Carrier for agreeing to this debate, and the Internet Infidels for sponsoring it. I hope to find that this format will allow us to go beyond the soundbites and emotionalism that characterize all too many discussions of abortion. […]

Meet the Debators The topic for this debate is: Is There a Secular Case Against Abortion? Arguing For A Secular Case Against Abortion is Jennifer Roth Jennifer Roth works as a system administrator for the Academic Outreach divisions of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She sits on the board of directors of the Seamless […]

Abortion is not Immoral and Should not be Illegal Closing Statement by Richard C. Carrier Conclusions on the Main Issues The present debate is about two things: what the facts are and what the universally shared values are that relate to those facts.  After all that has been said in this debate, there does not […]

Abortion is not Immoral and Should not be Illegal by Richard C. Carrier It is always refreshing debating someone who is not fanatically attached to a bizarre worldview.  We always come to enlightened agreement on many issues.  This is one of the reasons I believe secularism is the correct view–whereas theism leads to greater dispute […]

Abortion is not Immoral and Should not be Illegal by Richard C. Carrier I. Disputed Facts In Jen Roth’s first rebuttal, several factual arguments are made that I do not believe are correct.  I will address these first.  However, these factual disputes are not very major–they do not go to the heart of the debate.  […]

by Richard C. Carrier Fundamentals of Agreement and Disagreement Jen Roth has composed her case well, and I can see this debate will be of great value to everyone, not only secularists.  I will begin with the major points of fundamental agreement and disagreement between us.  Roth is quite right when she identifies the two […]

Abortion is not Immoral and Should not be Illegal by Richard C. Carrier   Introduction This opening argument against the immorality and illegality of abortion is simple, short and largely unoriginal: the arguments have all been voiced and heard a thousand times before. As will become apparent, the present argument leaves numerous fundamental assumptions as […]

About the Abortion Debate The topic for this debate is: Is There a Secular Case Against Abortion? The debaters have agreed to the following debate format: Opening statements, submitted independently of one another, 18 April, 2000 First rebuttals, submitted independently of one another, due 1 May, 2000 Second rebuttals, submitted independently of one another, due […]

On The Issue of Abortion: Abortion remains one of the more divisive moral issues in America today. The controversy over its legal and moral status rages on. Several labels have been invented to define the variety of stances available on the issue. Pro-Life is often synonymous with Anti-Abortion, and related partially to Anti-Choice. Pro-Choice is […]

Debates Is Creationism True? [Index] God or Blind Nature? Philosophers Debate the Evidence (2007) [ Index ] edited by Paul Draper Should We Believe in God? [Index] Why Be an Atheist? [Index]

Book Review: David O’Connor, God and Inscrutable Evil: In Defense of Theism and Atheism, Lanham/London, Rowman & Littlefield, 1998, pp. xiii + 273, $28.95 paper, $78.50 cloth. (To purchase the book, click on the image of the book cover to the right.)   “There is a great deal of evil in the world, much of […]

Asa and Archer: Does the Bible contain errors? David Zaitzeff   The Bible contains many passages which seem to contradict other passages. Unbelievers, skeptics and modernist Christians see these passages as evidence the Bible contains errors. Conservative or “fundamentalist” Christians respond with books on “Bible difficulties.” These books attempt to explain the contradictions. The usual […]