DEFENDING REASON: A response to presuppositionalism Ozymandias Ramses II 2013-12-07 | I respond to some comments and questions which arose out of my earlier video about presuppositionalism and the use of the primacy of existence as a counter-apologetic.Here's the prior video: http://youtu.be/sA64V6AIbiw
Agnostic Atheism: Does it make sense? Ozymandias Ramses II 2017-10-02 | I expound upon a point raised by Matt Dillahunty about how to make sense of so-called 'agnostic atheism'.Anthony Magnabosco's channel: youtube.com/user/magnabosco210Matt Dillahunty's channel: youtube.com/user/SansDeitySource video used in this video: youtu.be/jzgura2ear8The clip used in this video occurs at 27 minutes.My thanks are owed to Steve McRae for some helpful discussions on this subject.
Matt Dillahunty & Ozy in Conversation (mirror) Ozymandias Ramses II 2016-07-28 | This is an interview I did with Matt Dillahunty (host of the Atheist Experience TV show), for the Atheist Debates Project. I have synced up the audio. We hope this will be the first of several conversations and we are looking forward to discussing other subjects where we enjoy less agreement.The topics on this occasion included: what role philosophy has within the Great Debate; the value of formal debates and how they might better be structured; knowledge vs well-warranted belief; the problem of special-pleading in arguments and how to achieve agreement when people disagree with one's epistemic norms; whether one must one always be aware of what justifies our beliefs for one to be justified; belief-forming processes vs belief-forming practices.Matt's video is mirrored here with his permission. The original video can be viewed here, on Matt's Channel: youtube.com/watch?v=qbK3Uv8ZIu0If you enjoy his content, please consider becoming a patron of his channel: patreon.com/AtheistDebates
Why backcountry camping is so satisfying (improved audio) Ozymandias Ramses II 2016-03-06 | A short photo essay and narration (with improved audio) about what I find so satisfying about backcountry camping. This video is a departure from my usual content, but I offer it for those who have been curious about my passion for the outdoors. I discussed this and other personal interests I have at much greater length with Bert Poole on his channel: youtu.be/97kWWuGW1gsI am grateful to David Ezzio who generously and skillfully corrected the miserable audio quality from my original uploaded yesterday. Thank you, David, for the improvements you made to this video.I apologize to those who took the time to post comments under the original upload.
Why backcountry camping is so satisfying (poor audio quality) Ozymandias Ramses II 2016-03-05 | Improved audio version here: youtu.be/IIXyKiEDeYcA little photo essay and narration about what I find so satisfying about backcountry camping. I may not keep this video up here, but just uploaded it to set the stage for my discussion with Bert Poole very shortly: youtu.be/97kWWuGW1gs
Can an omnibenevolent god be omnipotent? Ozymandias Ramses II 2016-01-14 | A question by a fellow YouTuber prompted me to muse briefly on the apologetical attempt to secure God's omnibenevolence by appealing to God's nature.ArguingFromIgnorance's YouTube channel:youtube.com/user/ArguingFromIgnoranceArguingFromIgnorance's GooglePlus page:plus.google.com/u/0/+ArguingFromIgnorance/posts
AronRa & Ozy: arguing faith, atheism & burden of justification Ozymandias Ramses II 2016-01-01 | AronRa and I had a passionate, yet civil, discussion about what atheism is, whether atheists have a burden of justification, and what faith is.Hosted by Dr. Michael W. Jones and Bob Greaves.This conversation was broadcast live by The New Covenant Group / Cult of Honesty on YouTube on December 30th, 2015. This video is mirrored on this channel with the kind permission of the New Covenant Group / Cult of Honesty.The original video can be viewed on the New Covenant Group's channel called theNewCovenantGroup: youtube.com/watch?v=LfVmEcmDi2gYou can participate in these discussions and hangouts by joining the Cult of Honesty Facebook page.
A Secular Source of Moral Obligations & Duties: Speech Acts Ozymandias Ramses II 2015-11-20 | This is an excerpt of a hangout where I describe the source and nature of moral obligations and duties and how, as I see it, they can be naturalistically grounded using Speech Act theory. This conversation took place on November 16, 2015 in a hangout hosted by Nadia Yvette Chambers. The original video can be viewed here: youtube.com/watch?v=vWYIPGXZtAUMy thanks go out to Helena Handbaskit for initiating this and similar conversations.My thanks are also owed to Bert Poole for excerpting this 1-hour portion of the full 8-hour hangout.
CAN GOD LIE? On what is wrong with lying. Ozymandias Ramses II 2015-07-30 | Is lying the telling of falsehoods? If so, are all falsehoods lies? Are all lies falsehood? Is it always wrong to lie? And could a morally perfect god lie?
The Problem With Religious Moderates & Religious Liberals Ozymandias Ramses II 2015-07-10 | I read out a thoughtful, articulate comment by Will2Power which captures much of my own thinking about what I see as the main problem with religious moderates and religious liberals, especially as applied to Christianity.While I do not endorse everything he says here, his views do closely approximate my own both in his general thrust and in many of the particulars.Below is a link to the full text of his comment if you wish to read the original.plus.google.com/103315296856293931136/posts/4QrKiJMU6TTLink to the Deeper Than Dogma Show's channel: youtube.com/channel/UCKV2dR8rvDPQOU55tlc8Wsw
Can something come from nothing? Ozymandias Ramses II 2015-06-02 | Can something come from nothing? Is it logically impossible? Is it physically impossible? Do we have good reasons for thinking it's impossible in any sense? I argue why it isn't logically impossible.TheAtheistChef's channel: youtube.com/channel/UCuGDV7pM7D56rIYkXXTMw-Q/videos
A Critique of Sye-Clone Presuppositionalism with FloydFP (Mirror) Ozymandias Ramses II 2015-05-12 | 'FloydFP' presents a clear, well-reasoned critique of the Sye-Clone version of presuppositionalism to which I offered my comments along the way. We discussed the definition of knowledge, whether knowledge requires certainty, and the internalist vs externalist conceptions of justification as they apply to presuppositionalism.This was a special 'rogue' hangout hosted by 'Socka Count' who, along with 'XboxF iend', host the DEEPER THAN DOGMA online show every Friday evening. The original video can be viewed here: youtube.com/watch?v=iNa3NaJyLw0Check out Deeper Than Dogma for other interesting, civil discussions of relevance to the Great Debate.youtube.com/channel/UCKV2dR8rvDPQOU55tlc8Wsw/videos
A brief message concerning other content by me. Ozymandias Ramses II 2015-04-23 | For any who might be interested in watching or hearing me in hangouts and shows in which I have participated I have a playlist on my channel with content descriptions and timestamps.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSO-KqpXp4gfxqjJGRuDOUA3KwI_f_Cf2
In Defense of Sam Harris: Does he give cover to atheist extremists? Ozymandias Ramses II 2015-02-20 | I defend Sam Harris against the allegation that he and moderate atheists provide 'cover' and legitimacy to militant atheists and the extreme actions (including violence) carried out by militant atheists.My video of the Sam Harris podcast: http://youtu.be/REm-iYqwaFQThe comment which inspired this video was posted under the video linked above by the YouTuber Gambleor S. He was articulating this position, but does not actually endorse it. I am grateful to him for this and other thought-filled comments he has posted under my videos. Link to his channel: youtube.com/user/gambleor/videos
Sam Harris on Chapel Hill murders, moral panic & obfuscation Ozymandias Ramses II 2015-02-19 | A hard-hitting podcast by Sam Harris on 'militant' atheism, the Chapel Hill murders, moral panic and the politics of deliberate obfuscation.Link to my follow up video: A Defense of Sam Harris http://youtu.be/uN-_Y-DtphkThe original audio podcast by Sam Harris from February 17, 2015, is entitled: The Chapel Hill Murders and 'Militant' Atheism.The original podcast can be heard here: http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/the-chapel-hill-murders-and-militant-atheism
Is Religion a Mental Illness? Ya gotta be crazy to think so. Ozymandias Ramses II 2015-02-12 | I explain why it's a mistake to describe religion or religiosity as a mental illness or mental disorder.
Do Religious Moderates Provide Cover For Fundamentalism? Ozymandias Ramses II 2015-01-15 | I explain how some religious moderates inadvertently lend protective cover to fundamentalism. I provide some specific examples connected to the terrorist attack on the cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo magazine.It is my view is that some moderates sometimes provide cover for fundamentalism, and usually inadvertently, even when they are in the very act of condemning some heinous act. So, I think we should point that out when it happens, but we need not vilify people for the actions of others nor describe them as being "just as bad" as those who commit heinous acts, but nor should moderates be seen as immune from such challenges when they are seen to be lending cover. The quotations I provide in this video are drawn from comments under the following comment threads:plus.google.com/+OzymandiasRamsesII/posts/bxsipV6GjFeplus.google.com/u/0/100685907790766795780/posts/bKF992cJQ5jMy video, 'Theism, Atheism & Moral Atrocities' is here: http://youtu.be/athbATPmMmUOne of the people I quote in this video responds on G+ here:plus.google.com/101063377224996329682/posts/7xL2UXDTW7i
Burden of Justification & Atheism: My interview with RETHINK Ozymandias Ramses II 2014-09-28 | This was an interview I did for the newly launched skeptic site RETHINK on the subject of burden of justification as it applies to atheism.This video is mirrored on my channel with the kind permission of the Bryant of RETHINK.The original video can be seen here: youtube.com/watch?v=qUZJYhjh_cU&feature=youtu.beFounded in 2013, RETHINK is a loose collective of critical thinkers dedicated to advancing scientifically-minded critical inquiry about extraordinary claims of all types and to serve as a resource about the big questions of our day with a focus on, but not limited to:religion, history, science & tech, art & culture, philosophy, policy, geopolitics, social issues, finance.http://reverseenginears.com/rethink
Ask Ozy Anything Q & A for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Ozymandias Ramses II 2014-09-11 | This video features my hour-long contribution to the 24-hour fundraising marathon for MSF, organized by DPRJones and the Magic Sandwich Show.Please consider donating to Doctors Without Borders (MSF). You can do so at either of these sites:justgiving.com/MSF-DWBhttp://pitchinbox.com/redirect.php?id=2007497288This hour of the marathon is mirrored here with the kind permission of DPRJones and the Magic Sandwich Show channel. The original video may be viewed here: http://youtu.be/HKSXyKYVn98Questioners and Timestamps:6:50 Shanna Rockey7:30 Daniel Lassander & Ricky Hernandez (& the not so fantastic man)12:45 backroad4runner13:00 Sebastian Frintzer15:40 BlackFloyd94 (1st question)17:10 Prometheus Light20:50 Rational Agenda24:05 MereChristianLogos27:05 Prudent Discourse27:55 BlackFloyd94 (2nd question)28:15 demonorse30:30 bena berry30:50 MyOnlyFarph31:05 Mathew Steele33:55 Trey Jadlow35:05 Bob B. Orchard40:50 acetominophen41:10 mjt53244:40 Allen Serrell45:45 Gavin Smith49:25 Vlad Tepes49:45 MakingItExplicit Redivivus50:50 David Campbell51:35 spydrebyte53:10 collidingmembranes53:40 Hugh Jarce56:45 dprjonesMy thanks to Mathew Steele for these timestamps.
Ask Ozy ANYTHING !!! Ozymandias Ramses II 2014-09-04 | Here is the link to my Q&A session: http://youtu.be/n_nvd9l5_RUI've gone through the comments in this promo video and answered all the questions that were remaining which I could not answer during the Q&A session.Thanks to all who participated and who donated.Join me for 24 hours in support of MSF/DWB over the weekend of 6/7 September 2014.Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders is a charity that helps people worldwide where the need is greatest, delivering emergency medical aid to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters or exclusion from healthcare.(http://www.msf.org.uk/about-msf)The Schedule for the event can be found here:http://tinyurl.com/3c6xqgsThe donation pages are here:Just givingjustgiving.com/MSF-DWBPitch-Inhttp://pitchinbox.com/redirect.php?id=2007497288The event will be broadcast on google hangouts. It will be split into 3 parts which will be broadcast here:Part 1.youtube.com/watch?v=HKSXyKYVn98Part 2.youtube.com/watch?v=QX_AIsDSgdcPart 3.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb1WeUTHfnoAfter show:youtube.com/watch?v=-BRngQYS4PcPlease publicize, promote, and support this event and DONATE!
Beliefs, Actions & Pascals Wager Ozymandias Ramses II 2014-08-31 | Matt Dillahunty's video on Pascal's Wager: http://youtu.be/YBCDGohZT70I intend to upload a video shortly arguing against doxastic voluntarism or why we do not choose our beliefs.
Ozy takes the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Ozymandias Ramses II 2014-08-27 | Click here to donate: secure2.convio.net/alsa/site/Donation2;jsessionid=D71E7433E1FA1CF0ED093AB08D04E52C.app296b?df_id=27420&27420.donation=form1Ben Crowden, Lenotaur, and Fabio Andreozzi: You have 24 hours to accept this challenge.Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed. The condition is ultimately fatal.Thank you JD Wiley and Shanna Rockey for this challenge.Fabio accepted the challenge. His video is here: http://youtu.be/_C4i3wOPvZkBen Crowden accepted the challenge. His video is here: youtube.com/watch?v=VFtfp3tuUpYLenotaur accepted the challenge: http://youtu.be/m-6wu_J6QMIMy wife was nominated by someone later this day, so she took the Ice Bucket challenge herself the next day. youtube.com/watch?v=YmKWPu8-zR0
My date with C0nc0rdance on The Place at NCG Ozymandias Ramses II 2014-08-20 | Sunday, August 24th, at 9pm-11pm (eastern)/ 1am UTC on 'The Place' on theNewCovenantGroup channel:youtube.com/watch?v=gSYxI1p-t9o&feature=youtu.beC0nc0rdance's channel: youtube.com/user/C0nc0rdanceEvitable Replicator's video is mirrored here with his permission.Evitable's channel: youtube.com/channel/UCb824S9UKwnzA4lmNsfa_fQThe short clip is taken from the debut episode of Thinking Out Loud: Episode 1 - What's In A Name? youtube.com/watch?v=AjisB hosted by TheGlobalAtheism: youtube.com/user/TheGlobalAtheism/videos
Does Science Rest on the Fallacy of Affirming the Consequent? Ozymandias Ramses II 2014-07-15 | I explain why, contrary to what some apologists have been claiming, science does not rest on the fallacy of deductive logic known as 'affirming the consequent'. In the process, I explain a bit about logical inference rules and the concept of logical validity. ==================================The video clip of Dustin Segers is from a video on the Biblethumpingwingnut channelyoutube.com/watch?v=qNOJ61TKXcMstarting at about 2:45 minutes.The 2 clips of Jason Peterson are from a hangout on his channel, starting at 23:30 minutes. youtube.com/watch?v=XmPbwxw6BScNote, Peterson does not permit comments on this video, so if you wish to comment about that hangout, it is mirrored in it's entirety on BennyOcean's channelyoutube.com/watch?v=fi6AsK5_qCg
A ROCK TOO HEAVY FOR GOD? Why its not an objection to divine omnipotence. Ozymandias Ramses II 2014-07-12 | I explain some of the historical context behind the oft-posed challenge to divine omnipotence, "Can God create a rock so heavy even he can't lift it?", and why it's not a good objection to the concept of omnipotence or divine omnipotence.
Truth, Reality and Correspondence Theory Ozymandias Ramses II 2014-07-04 | I discuss how, under the correspondence theory of truth, reality and truth are not synonymous, identical, nor co-referential terms, with a view to clearing up some confusions that permeate discussions about knowledge, especially in conversations about presuppositionalism.
Teleonomic Design: What it is, what it isnt, & why. Ozymandias Ramses II 2014-06-19 | A follow-up video where I clarify and elaborate upon the concept of teleonomic design in evolution to address viewer questions & comments about my last video. Here's the link to the original video entitled Design Implies a Designer: Teleology & Teleonomy: http://youtu.be/EP2Fd3IqBdwPlease watch it first or else this video might make little sense.
Design Implies a Designer: Teleology & Teleonomy Ozymandias Ramses II 2014-06-12 | Do living organisms actually exhibit designed traits or do they merely look as if they are designed? And if they are designed, does this design imply a designer? And if so, what can we infer about the designer?Here's the link if you'd like to view my follow-up video addressing viewer comments and questions about teleonomy and design.http://youtu.be/Wk01qZ7scmU
Same-Sex Marriage, Double Standards & Discrimination Ozymandias Ramses II 2014-05-31 | Opponents of same-sex marriage often argue that their position recommends no double standard and so cannot be discriminatory or unjust to homosexuals. I explain why the absence of a double standard is irrelevant to the issue of discrimination and injustice with respect to same-sex marriage.
Is Theism Rational? A spirited discussion between theists and atheists at the New Covenant Group Ozymandias Ramses II 2014-04-18 | Atheist Greg Brahe and I had a passionate, yet civil, argument with 3 theists at the New Covenant Group on whether it is rational to be a theist. The sparks flew.Hosted by Dr. Michael W. JonesThe participants were: Greg Brahe (atheist)Nate Cunningham (mainstream Christian)Bob Greaves (agnostic theist)Ozymandias Ramses II (atheist)William Caicedo Torres (theist & follower of Jesus)Darryl Furlow commented briefly at the end.This conversation was broadcast live by The New Covenant Group / Cult of Honesty on YouTube on April 16th, 2014. This video is mirrored on this channel with the kind permission of the New Covenant Group / Cult of Honesty.The original video can be viewed on the New Covenant Group's channel called theNewCovenantGroup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pzzujjebNY&feature=shareYou can participate in these discussions and hangouts by joining the Cult of Honesty Facebook page.
BibleThumpingWingnut asks me about certainty Ozymandias Ramses II 2014-03-12 | BibleThumpingWingnut's video, A Question For All "Atheists" can be found here: http://youtu.be/SPFFTpCAjmwIn the comments below, BibleThumpingWingnut responded with:Hey +Ozymandias Ramses II, thanks for taking the time to respond. I get what you are saying about certainty here however I think you have overlooked or missed the question I asked in the video. I know I asked multiple questions in my video thus I take the blame for not communicating well.The question is simple, at least meant to be..."Could you be wrong about everything you know?" No need to explain or justify your answer. I have no script here and no followup questions for you. I am just wondering how you would answer that question. - thanks again.-------------------------- To which I replied with:+biblethumpingwingnut, I didn't neglect your question by reason of some oversight; I was addressing the point of all the questions you asked in your video, which I thought would be a much more useful exercise. Your specific question to me now is "Could you be wrong about everything you know?"The first thing to say is that the question you have just asked is ill-posed. If by 'knowledge' you have in mind something like justified, true belief, then it's impossible, by definition, for me to be wrong about what I know. Nobody is wrong about what they know, because knowledge implies truth. So, if I actually do know something, then, ex hypothesi, it's true and I can't be mistaken about it. So, that way of formulating the question is incorrect. So, I take it you mean to ask something more like, "Could you be mistaken about everything you think or believe that you know?"The answer to that question would depend entirely on what you mean by "everything you know". Just how far would you extend the scope of that 'everything'? For instance, what about my lexical beliefs? Those would be my beliefs about what the words we're using right now mean. Could I be wrong about even those? Well, if I were, I could not even understand the question.So, to answer the question - even to understand the question - one has to assume one knows the meanings of the words one is hearing and speaking. Doubt (to crib a line from Wittgenstein) comes after certainty (the feeling of deep conviction). We presuppose a lot - a whole lot - before we can ever muster a doubt about anything. This is because we do not enter the world as blank slates who are disposed to doubt and don't adopt beliefs until we have reasons and evidence. Rather, we enter the world like other mammals, filled with behavioral and doxastic dispositions, that is, pre-rational assumptions, which are sometimes described as 'properly basic beliefs' by philosophers and cognitive scientists. Among those dispositions are ones to trust our memories, senses, inferential practices and whatever we're told by our epistemic and linguistic communities as we are growing up.Thus, we are not born as skeptics who learn to believe. We are born credulists who learn to doubt. Doubt happens within the scope of pre-rational properly basic beliefs. And so it is only within the scope of what we already believe and take for granted that specific doubts can arise, be expressed, and explored in the hopes of confirming them or assuaging them.So, could I be wrong about any particular belief within my belief set? Yes. There is no particular belief within my belief set that's immune to the possibility of error.Could I be wrong about everything in my belief set, all at once? Only at the price of the question itself being utterly incoherent and unintelligible. Unintelligible questions don't admit of yes or no answers. They don't admit of answers, period. Your question, if it's meant to refer to absolutely every belief I have, simultaneously, could not admit of any answer because if it were true, it'd be utterly unintelligible to me. The question presupposes I possess knowledge. You presuppose I possess lexical knowledge in the act of asking the question and I presuppose I possess lexical knowledge when I hear it, understand it, and answer it as I am doing now.So, no, I can't be wrong about every one of my beliefs simultaneously except on pain of not understanding the question, which, if that were the case, would not be an answer to your question and would make your question nonsensical. "Wrong" or "error" would not even be the right words to describe the epistemic circumstance you are tasking people to imagine when you ask that ill-posed question.In any case, the fact that I can't be mistaken about every belief I have simultaneously doesn't imply that any one particular item in my belief set is certain or needs to be certain. That would be a non sequitur. Certainty isn't an ingredient in justification, much less knowledge. But to get as far as asking and understanding a question (any question), that presupposes, minimally, lexical knowledge.I hope this helps,- Ozy
Policing Our Own? My conversation with CapriciousBlackBox & Christopher Maute Ozymandias Ramses II 2014-02-21 | This hangout was hosted by Christopher Maute on February 20th, 2014 to discuss "policing our own" within the atheist/skeptical movement.This video is mirrored on this channel with the kind permission of Christopher Maute. The original can be viewed on his channel here: youtube.com/watch?v=so_D5HvBNf8Our hangout sparked a short-lived bit of YouTube drama when, following our discussion, Christopher Maute made a short video addressed to Livelife: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pYCmjgHTXA&feature=shareand then Christopher did a short hangout with Matthew4Nineteen:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7TbdIhyzMs&feature=shareThis motivated xxxild to make a response video to Chris Maute:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcy2BrsE_IM&feature=shareand then Chris did a hangout with xxxild which brought this bit of drama to a fitting end.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S84SPk_ZVM&feature=share
Gratitude & Shout-Outs (Canadian-style) Ozymandias Ramses II 2014-02-19 | SHOUT-OUTS: Carneades: youtube.com/user/carneadesofcyrene/videos Edjacobson77: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC46R748o6q23ZtvJlYTmHQwMy heartfelt thanks are owed to the following YouTubers for their generous shout-outs: CapriciousBlackBox: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2ODPgiLUrhpPRBxuwRTHlw Steves Shives: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD4qMoFPUEzSn4CurFLJkIQ Brett Palmer (The Bible Skeptic): http://www.youtube.com/user/brettppalmerSteve's shout-out to me is here: http://youtu.be/TPVPPVtmF3Y , beginning at 23:46.Brett's shout-out to me is here: http://youtu.be/XtaUm1i05DUCapriciousBlackBox's shout-out to me is here: http://youtu.be/dXLRmS07US4My very sincere thanks go out to the following for the privilege of participating in their shows: DPRJones, host and moderator of the the Magic Sandwich Show; Alex Botten and Jim Gardner of Fundamentally Flawed; Rhonda Jones and Dr. Michael Jones, co-hosts at The Place; Christopher Maute, host of Meeting of the Minds; Joey Livingston and Greg Brahe, co-hosts of Clash Course; and Mathew Steele, host of The Elephant in the Room. Lastly, and to my embarrassment, I neglected to publicly thank Bob Greaves, who's show on NCG is the Unconventional Pastor. I didn't script this video and was just shooting from the hip, and in an effort to not forget anyone at NCG to whom I owed my thanks for directing people to my channel, I listed the shows in which I'd participated, never realizing that I was thereby omitting Bob Greaves! This was a real oversight because, though I've never been on his show, no one has 'talked me up' more frequently and consistently than Bob. Many people watch his show and he has helped me grow my little channel by his generous words of praise. This omission on my part is especially embarrassing because I happen to think Bob's show (The Unconventional Pastor) is consistently the best show in the entire NCG line-up. My heartfelt apologies to Bob.
A Discussion Hosted By Matthew Bell About DNA & Intelligent Design (Mirror) Ozymandias Ramses II 2014-01-31 | This hangout was hosted by Matthew Bell on January 30th, 2014 to discuss a specific argument he was considering.Here is the argument we discussed:Premise 1. The pattern in DNA is a code.Premise 2. All other known codes are the result of intelligent design.Conclusion. Therefore the pattern in DNA is the result of intelligent design. This video is mirrored on this channel with the kind permission of Matthew Bell. The original can be viewed on his channel here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwVnLHAMgOw&feature=share
A Conversation with Nathan Phelps, formerly of Westboro Baptist Church, on The Place Ozymandias Ramses II 2014-01-27 | We had the pleasure of speaking to Nathan Phelps, son of the notorious Fred Phelps who founded Westboro Baptist Church. Nate described his life in that church, the abuse therein, his literal escape from it, and his painful and slow journey out of fundamentalism and into atheism. This conversation was broadcast live by The New Covenant Group / Cult of Honesty on YouTube on January 26th, 2014. It is mirrored on this channel with the kind permission of the New Covenant Group / Cult of Honesty.The original video can be viewed on the New Covenant Group's channel called theNewCovenantGroup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f34pYWGYpa8&feature=share
Atheism, Babies, & Burden of Evidence: A conversation with Mathew Steele (Mirror) Ozymandias Ramses II 2014-01-22 | This was the first episode of a new weekly show called 'The Elephant In The Room', hosted by Mathew Steele. It is my intention to upload a video shortly where I will elaborate on the question of 'lacktheism', 'atheism', and burdens of evidence. This conversation broadcast live by The New Covenant Group / Cult of Honesty on YouTube on January 19th, 2014. It is mirrored on this channel with the kind permission of Mathew Steele and the New Covenant Group / Cult of Honesty.The original video can be viewed on the New Covenant Group's channel called theNewCovenantGroup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gktbx-jpqOo&feature=share
Theism, Atheism & Moral Atrocities Ozymandias Ramses II 2014-01-04 | I discuss why atheism and theism are not worldviews, why it's a mistake to attribute historical atrocities to mere theism and atheism, including the atrocities of 20th Century atheistic regimes.
Presuppositionalism & Properly Basic Beliefs Ozymandias Ramses II 2013-12-18 | I expound upon the concept of properly basic beliefs, why such unsupported beliefs are not a license to believe in just anything, and I argue why I think presuppositionalists can't meet the challenge they set out for the rest of us when it comes to justifying the use of reason.Link to my earlier video of which I make mention: http://youtu.be/MlPY4JBo8w0On my view, properly basic beliefs are:1) They are all unstated assumptions (though one can become or be made aware of them). You were never taught to trust your senses, to rely on your memory, look for causes, think of yourself as a self, or apply induction, etc.2)They are all universally-held. Good luck finding anyone who or any culture which don't make these assumptions.3) They are ingredient to rationality and reasonableness to such a degree that their denial manifests itself as obvious irrationality and even madness. Try to imagine a person who lived as if his sense weren't reliable, who never assumed that something was an effect of some other thing, who invariably violated basic norms of deduction (such as believing manifest contradictions, not just failing to recognize contradictions), etc. Such a person would seem daft, if not utterly incomprehensible and we'd likely institutionalize the person for his or her own good.4) They cannot be defended except on pain of circularity.And so, they are 5) Irrevisable (not to be confused with indubitable, or inerrant). We have no grounds for rejecting them because we'd have to employ them in the very act of reasoning about why rejecting them. It's not that we couldn't be mistaken about the, but grounds for rejecting them are lacking, except on pain of circularity. They constitute, in other words, the very basis by which we can reason and arrive at the rest of our beliefs. This sets them apart.They are not merely unwarranted. They are unwarrantABLE.
The New Covenant Group Goes To Hell Ozymandias Ramses II 2013-12-16 | This was my most enjoyable experiences on 'The Place'.Author and blogger Jim Palmer discussed spirituality and the idea of 'God is love'; two ideas I challenged. In the 2nd hour filmmaker Kevin Palmer joined us to discuss his documentary 'Hellbound?' and lead a thought-provoking discussion of the concept of hell within modern Christianity. The participants included:Bob Greaves (the Unconventional Pastor)Dr. Michael Jones (Co-host of The Place)Rhonda Jones (Co-host of The Place)Christopher Maute (host of Meeting of the Minds)Kevin Miller (special guest and filmmaker)Jim Palmer (special guest and author)Ozymandias Ramses IIDr. John Shook (philosopher)'The Place' was broadcast live by The New Covenant Group / Cult of Honesty on YouTube on Dec 15th, 2013.This video is mirrored on this channel with the kind permission of the New Covenant Group / Cult of Honesty.The original video can be viewed on the New Covenant Group's channel called theNewCovenantGroup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0N5iKSL5U4&feature=share
Discussing WHY I BELIEVE IN GOD by Cornelius Van Til, father of presuppositionalism Ozymandias Ramses II 2013-12-13 | We discussed the article "Why I Believe In God" by Cornelius Van TilThe participants were:Jibran LudwigJohn F. McDropout (host and moderator)Ozymandias Ramses IIand Elijah-Lees, who joined us late in the discussion.This hangout was broadcast live by Jon F. McDropout for the Left Coast Atheists. on YouTube on Dec 12th, 2013.This video is mirrored on this channel with the kind permission of John F. Mcdropout. The original video can be viewed on his channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG8Okp7dzRc&feature=share
TYPES OF FAITH & INTEGRITY IN APOLOGETICS: a discussion between theists & atheists Ozymandias Ramses II 2013-12-12 | In this Cult of Honesty hangout we explored some ways of thinking about faith. Things got a little tense in the latter half when we began to discuss the question of intellectual honesty within apologetics and theology.The participants included:Greg Brahe (host of Clash Course)DrewFabio AndreozziBob Greaves (the Unconventional Pastor)Dr. Michael Jones (Host of The Place)Joey Livingston (producer at NCG)Christopher Maute (host of Meeting of the Minds)Ozymandias Ramses IIDr. John Shook (philosopher)Mathew Steel (from the Skeptic Fence)This hangout was broadcast live by The New Covenant Group / Cult of Honesty on YouTube on Dec 11th, 2013.This video is mirrored on this channel with the kind permission of the New Covenant Group / Cult of Honesty.The original video can be viewed on the New Covenant Group's channel called theNewCovenantGroup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJPZ3sA83bI&feature=share
Lawrence M. Krauss on The Place Ozymandias Ramses II 2013-12-09 | Theoretical physicist Lawrence M. Krauss joined the panel on THE PLACE at the New Covenant Group.The participants were:Bob Greaves (the Unconventional Pastor)Dr. Michael Jones (Host of The PlaceProfessor Laurence M. Krauss (physicist, author, and outspoken atheist)Christopher Maute (host of Meeting of the Minds)Ozymandias Ramses IIThis hangout was broadcast live by The New Covenant Group / Cult of Honesty on YouTube on Dec 8th, 2013.This video is mirrored on this channel with the kind permission of the New Covenant Group / Cult of Honesty.The original video can be viewed on the New Covenant Group's channel called theNewCovenantGroup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlcruVpZEMI&feature=share
Morality & C.S. Lewis with Steve Shives: a discussion Ozymandias Ramses II 2013-12-06 | This was a casual discussion of the moral argument presented in C. S. Lewis' 'Mere Christianity' and morality in general. This led into a discussion of other apologists such as Josh McDowell, Lee Strobel, William Lane Craig. The participants were:Christopher Maute (host and moderator)Ilana FireFlowerSteve ShivesOzymandias Ramses IIThis hangout was broadcast live by The New Covenant Group / Cult of Honesty on YouTube on Dec 5th, 2013.This video is mirrored on this channel with the kind permission of the New Covenant Group / Cult of Honesty.The original video can be viewed on the New Covenant Group's channel called theNewCovenantGroup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4VBWW9_y18&feature=share
Properly Basic Beliefs: a discussion between theists & atheists Ozymandias Ramses II 2013-12-04 | This is the 2nd half of a 2-hour episode of 'The Place', broadcast live by The New Covenant Group on YouTube on Dec 1st, 2013.We discussed what I would call 'universally-held presuppositions' or properly basic beliefs which, I maintain, we hold without rational justification, and which are at the very heart of our other beliefs. This led into a discussion of how people of faith can be disabused of a naive and credulous attitude towards the Bible. I hope people will be take heed of my careless equivocation throughout this discussion about what I meant by the expression "my side"; sometimes I was referring to my fellow atheists and sometimes I was referring to people who are devoted proponents of rationality and skepticism, irrrespective of their religiosity or atheism. I hope that people will be able to recognize which I meant at various points in the discussion.The participants were:Michael FulfordBob Greaves (aka The Unconventional Pastor)Michael Jones (host of The Place)Christopher Maute (host of Meeting of the Minds)MK_SkepticOzymandias Ramses IIThis video is mirrored on this channel with the kind permission of the New Covenant Group / Cult of Honesty.The entire original 2-hour video can be viewed on the New Covenant Group's channel called theNewCovenantGroup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdIddQVR4Cg&feature=share
Why The Primacy Of Existence Is No Problem For Any Presuppositionalist Ozymandias Ramses II 2013-11-26 | CapriciousBlackBox's video: http://youtu.be/klsDHJx9pKQ
Building Bridges Between Theists & Atheists: a discussion Ozymandias Ramses II 2013-11-25 | We discussed how to build bridges between atheists and theists and encouraging civil discourse. We even spent a moment or two at the beginning talking about my habit of building igloos (no, really...I build igloos).The present video is a mirror of an episode of 'The Place' which was simulcast on Nov 24th, 2013 on YouTube and Ustream.The hosts were Rhonda Jones and Dr. Michael W. Jones.Panelists were:- Bob Greaves (the Unconventional Pastor)- Richard Maute (host of Meeting of the Minds)- Ozymandias Ramses II (Ozy)We were later joined by: - Michael Scott Fulford- Matthew Jones- Shawn GoodfleischThis video is mirrored on this channel with the kind permission of the New Covenant Group/Cult of Honesty.The original video can be viewed on the New Covenant Group's channel called theNewCovenantGroup:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HINfJQnI5M&feature=shareStart that video at 56:32or it can be viewed on UStream at: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/41092326
Defining Atheism & Agnosticism: a discussion Ozymandias Ramses II 2013-11-21 | The present video is a mirror of an on-air Hangout from Nov 20th, 2013, hosted by Christopher Maute of the New Covenant Group.We discussed the question of 'atheist apologetics' and how to define atheism and agnosticism and whether atheism is a default position.I intend to make one or more scripted videos to further articulate my own position on these questions.This video is mirrored on this channel with the kind permission of Christopher Maute of the Cult of Honesty / New Covenant Group.The original video can be viewed on the New Covenant Group's channel called theNewCovenantGroup:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=543nOF-AQdc&feature=share
Mending Fences: Minor drama and thoughts on the future of online atheism. Ozymandias Ramses II 2013-11-17 | This video is a mirror of a hangout where we I joined several members of the New Covenant Group to discuss a conflict between Alex Botten and Christopher Maute.Alex Botten took umbrage at some things Christopher Maute said when Christopher had BibleThumpingWingnut (aka Tim) on his show to discuss BibleThumpingWingnut's perspective on the exchange he'd had a week earlier with Alex Botten.Alex Botten joined us later in this discussionIn the course of the discussion we talked a bit about some shortcomings we, in the atheist community, fall prey to and how to do better in future.The discussion between Christopher Maute and BibleThumpingWingnut which gave Alex Botten offense can be viewed in one of my recent uploads or here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu7hP-D3iyI&feature=shareThe memorable exchange between BibleThumpingWingnut and Alex Botten can be viewed here: http://youtu.be/9AUj099za8UThe present video is mirrored on this channel with the kind permission of Christopher Maute of the Cult of Honesty / New Covenant Group and the original can be viewed on the New Covenant Group's channel called theNewCovenantGroup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9PY7hJApHw&feature=share
Hangout about BibleThumpingWingnuts appearance on New Covenant Group Ozymandias Ramses II 2013-11-16 | This video is a mirror of a post-show hangout where we discussed BibleThumpingWingnut's discussion with Christopher Maute on Meeting of the Minds (Nov 15th, 2013). During that show Christopher Maute and BibleThumpingWingnut (aka Tim) discussed a memorable exchange between BibleThumpingWingnut and Alex Botten from a week earlier.The discussion between Christopher Maute and BibleThumpingWingnut can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu7hP-D3iyI&feature=shareThe memorable exchange between BibleThumpingWingnut and Alex Botten can be viewed here: http://youtu.be/9AUj099za8UThe present video is mirrored on this channel with the kind permission of Christopher Maute of the Cult of Honesty / New Covenant Group and the original can be viewed on the New Covenant Group's channel called theNewCovenantGroup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oA4asnouY8Y&feature=share
Are Science & Religion Compatible? (with philosopher John Shook) Ozymandias Ramses II 2013-11-16 | The present video is a mirror of a Meeting Of The Minds after-show hangout from Nov 11th, 2013, hosted by Christopher Maute of the New Covenant Group.Philosopher John Shook was the special guest on this panel where we discussed whether science and religion are compatible as well as the concept of the supernatural. This video is mirrored on this channel with the kind permission of Christopher Maute of the Cult of Honesty / New Covenant Group.he original video can be viewed on the New Covenant Group's channel called theNewCovenantGroup:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yUDEBlm218&feature=share&list=PLSO-KqpXp4gfxqjJGRuDOUA3KwI_f_Cf2
