This is the deal: we are happy to single out people as superior just as long as they don't accept the description themselves. We want heroes and idols, but we also want egalitarianism, and that requires proclamations of humility from our gods. Julian Baggini acceptdealdescription share on social
On social networking sites, we may expose ourselves, but we choose to do so. We are in control and, often wrongly, we do not feel we are giving away tradable data. Julian Baggini choosecontroldatum Change image and share on social
Traditional arguments for the existence of God and contemporary attempts to use fine-tuning and cosmology to back up the case for his existence always strike me as kinds of games, since hardly anyone believes on the basis of these arguments at all. Julian Baggini argumentattemptback share on social
You should protest about the views of people you disagree with over major moral issues, and argue them down, but you should not try to silence them, however repugnant you find them. That is the bitter pill free speech requires us to swallow. Julian Baggini arguebitterdisagree share on social
If we find it hard to believe that winning millions might not be so lucky after all, we just don't have a good enough imagination. If I fantasise about winning the lottery, it doesn't take long before all sorts of worrisome potential consequences occur to me. Julian Baggini consequencefantasisefind share on social
Since Plato, we have been considering the nature of knowledge, the meaning of meaning and the status of the physical world. Julian Baggini knowledgemeannature Change image and share on social
No one who has understood even a fraction of what science has told us about the universe can fail to be in awe of both the cosmos and of science. Julian Baggini awecosmosfail Change image and share on social
If you believe you are right, then you should believe that you can make the case that you're right. This requires you to deal with serious objections properly. Julian Baggini casedealmake Change image and share on social
Perhaps the biggest myth about cynicism is that it deepens with age. I think what really happens is that experience painfully rips away layers of scales from our eyes, and so we do indeed become more cynical about many of the things we naively accepted when younger. Julian Baggini acceptagebig share on social
True virtue would never liken its rewards to points on a loyalty card, not because it is its own reward, but because it is not something we should practice to accrue future benefits. Julian Baggini accruebenefitcard Change image and share on social
