Free Inquiry

06/04/2026

"The development of AI will present us with significant moral and political issues, to which we need to give serious consideration. But any attempt to develop a coherent, morally justifiable approach to these issues by relying on religious authorities is a deeply misguided project."

A little over a week ago, Pope Leo XIV issued an encyclical addressing various aspects of artificial intelligence (AI). The issuance of the encyclical recei ...

05/29/2026

Richard Dawkins writes: "I, an atheist, may be a cultural Christian. The pity is that so many who call themselves believers haven’t the faintest understanding of the religion they profess."

Editor’s note: Earlier this year, the Washington Post invited Richard Dawkins to write an 800-word article on “why you describe yourself as a cultural Chris ...

05/29/2026

Most Free Inquiry readers can recall John Lennon’s gentle command for listeners to imagine “there’s no heaven,” “no hell below us,” and “no religion too.” They might also remember how, in the 1950s and 1960s, rock ’n’ roll, including the Beatles, helped foster the “sexual revolution.” But much less well known is how rock and the sexual revolution contributed to the rise of the Nones in the United States.

Most Free Inquiry readers can recall John Lennon’s gentle command for listeners to imagine “there’s no heaven,” “no hell below us,” and “no religion too.” T ...

05/27/2026

"These ideas are not idle philosophical ruminations. As they infiltrate the brain trust of the MAGA movement, they serve to rationalize President Trump’s vandalism of Enlightenment innovations such as science, free trade, international institutions, and checks on executive power."

Would we be better off living in the Middle Ages? Astonishingly, influential voices on the American intellectual Right now seem to think so. Rather than aff ...

05/27/2026

"We are neither a Christian nation nor a nation soaked in and cursed by racism, sexism, ableism, predatory capitalism, and all the other isms the Left can manufacture. We are people like any other people in the world, neither inherently evil nor good. We are susceptible to mistakes and misjudgments, but what we still have going for us is a democratic system of government and at least the remnants of a culture of free speech."

As we approach the celebrations surrounding the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States, we can expect at least a couple of dueling narra ...

05/26/2026

The June/July 2026 issue of Free Inquiry is now available to read online! As we approach the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, this latest issue explores "The U.S.: Where It's Been, Where It Is, Where It Should Go." Check it out!
https://secularhumanism.org/volume/no-4-vol-46/

04/30/2026

"To state the obvious: killing another human is presumptively wrong. Deeply wrong. That presumption is even stronger with respect to a democratically elected leader—and Trump did win the 2024 election. I don’t know if Cole Allen is a whack job (his bio doesn’t suggest that) but his actions, besides being highly imprudent, were morally wrong."

The reaction to what seems to have been an attempt to assassinate President Donald Trump and perhaps other members of his administration has been what one m ...

04/23/2026

"Trump is a horrible person on many levels, including in terms of his policies and his character. But Pope Leo—well, I can’t say anything definitive about his character ... However, many of the Church’s polices, although they have different focus, are as objectionable and lacking in rational justification as those of the Trump administration."

The tiff between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo was a major news story this past week, besides being grist for the mill of late-night comedy. The story ...

04/09/2026

"The news this week featured headlines about how the Artemis II crew had traveled farther away from the Earth than anyone else in prior lunar missions. An amazing achievement, and a testament to the rigorous application of scientific principles and evidence.

"In the same time frame, however, we had reminders of how much of humanity remains trapped in detrimental religious fantasies."

So, the news this week featured headlines about how the Artemis II crew had traveled farther away from the Earth than anyone else in prior lunar missions. A ...

04/03/2026

"But one can legitimately criticize Israel’s actions without being an anti-Semite—and to the extent Israel’s government and its supporters dismiss criticism of Israeli actions as merely expressions of anti-Semitism, they are indulging in a dangerous illusion."

That anti-Semitism continues to be a problem, both in the United States and elsewhere, cannot be disputed. Moreover, there is substantial evidence that more ...