Philosophy & Society

An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 10 – God 2 (Atheism) – Part 5: Do you believe in Santa Claus?

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Freud suggested that religion, much like the story of Santa Claus, isn’t necessarily a harmful lie, but an illusion born of need. It provides structure to chaos, comfort in the face of an unpredictable world, and offers a cosmic parent figure to protect us. Religion, then, is a psychological shelter—something that helps us cope with our existential fears. As societies evolve, the gods evolve with them—goddesses became gods, and the authority of the divine mirrored shifts in social power. Freud’s sharp insight: belief in God isn’t always about truth—it’s about reassurance. But if God were invented, not discovered, what does that say about the universe, and about ourselves?

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An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 10 – God 2 (Atheism) – Part 4: Have you stopped beating your wife?

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The free will defense, often cited by believers to explain the problem of evil, sounds comforting at first: evil exists because God gave us the freedom to choose. But this reasoning quickly unravels when we consider that free will is selectively interrupted by miracles, prayers, and divine intervention. Why, then, does God intervene sometimes and not others? Additionally, much suffering is not a result of human choice—natural disasters, diseases, birth defects—so the free will defense cannot explain natural evil. And in heaven, a place of perfection, free will seems unnecessary for goodness. The defense falters when we confront the reality of suffering and the fact that, often, telling the grieving that pain is “necessary” for a greater good feels dismissive, not loving. Maybe, the honest response to suffering is not explanation, but humility and presence.

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An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 10 – God 2 (Atheism) – Part 3: Have you ever been in pain?

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Pain doesn’t ask permission. It doesn’t care about belief. It just is. The traditional view of God—powerful, all-knowing, and good—collides with the reality of suffering, leading us to ask: If God could intervene, why does so much pain remain untouched? The problem of evil isn’t a theological trick; it’s a question born from love. It’s the refusal to accept suffering as just the way things are. Sometimes, atheism begins with grief, with the painful recognition that a loving God who doesn’t intervene looks eerily like one who isn’t there at all. So, what do we do with a universe where pain is real, often undeserved, and the most compassionate response isn’t explanation—but presence?

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An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 10 – God 2 (Atheism) – Part 2: Does God have dissociative identity disorder?

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If God were a universal, fixed reality, why is there such discord over God’s nature? The contradictions within religious belief—peace and holy war, mercy and vengeance—are normalized. What we believe about God is often determined by where and when we were born, shaped by culture, language, and history. A God who deeply cares about being known correctly would leave less room for confusion. So the real question is: are we projecting different gods based on our geography, or is God truly fragmented across cultures?

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An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 10 – God 2 (Atheism) – Part 1: Introduction – Are You God?

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What if the God we believe in is a mirror of ourselves? The projection critique suggests that the image of God we carry often aligns with our values, fears, and needs. From ancient gods to modern-day life coaches, we project our desires, intuitions, and hopes onto a figure we imagine to be greater than ourselves. Philosophy invites us to examine our belief and ask: which parts of our God come from tradition, fear, love, and which come from us? Even if God exists, our ideas about God are still human artifacts—and if not, belief is still one of our most powerful ways of understanding ourselves.

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An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 09 – God 1 (Theism) – Part 7: Summary – What’s your favorite color?

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The question isn’t whether we believe in God, but whether we recognize that God believes in us. Whether we’re believers or nonbelievers, the idea of God shows up in our values, our sense of meaning, and our relationships. The light doesn’t vanish because we describe it differently; it shines through in our actions, our resistance to meaninglessness, and our capacity for love. Whether we pray, doubt, or live quietly, the essence of God might not be in belief, but in the life we create and the love we give.

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An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 09 – God 1 (Theism) – Part 6: What’s love got to do with it?

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Love isn’t a necessity for the universe to function, but it persists anyway. It disrupts the cold efficiency of survival and adds something deeper, more tender, to the story of existence. Metaphysics and philosophy ask whether love is a fluke of chemistry or a clue that the universe is more than machinery—it might be the very force that holds the system together, a source of connection, meaning, and goodness that can’t be explained away.

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An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 09 – God 1 (Theism) – Part 5: Feeling lucky?

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Pascal’s wager isn’t about proving God’s existence—it’s about recognizing that life is already a gamble. Whether we believe or not, we’re staking our time, values, and energy on something. Pascal argues that, given the stakes, betting on God is the most rational choice because it offers the highest possible payoff with the least risk. Philosophy invites us to consider: what are you already betting on, and what do you stand to gain or lose?

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An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 09 – God 1 (Theism) – Part 4: Who put this together?

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The teleological argument invites us to consider purpose in the universe. When we see design, we assume a designer. Whether it’s the intricacy of the eye or the precision of the physical constants, the universe seems to behave as if it’s aiming toward something. But does this point to a creator, or just a vast system of function? Philosophy asks: if the universe is designed, then for what? Is it for life, for consciousness, or for something else entirely?

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An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 09 – God 1 (Theism) – Part 3: Which came first – the chicken or the God?

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The cosmological argument begins with an undeniable intuition: everything that begins has a cause. From the origins of the universe to the first domino falling, there must be a first cause – a push that set everything else in motion. This first cause, while not necessarily a personal deity, is where we begin to speak of “God.” The argument doesn’t prove a personality or intention; it simply points to the necessity of something that began the chain. The question is: what does that uncaused cause look like?

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