Jesse is a career atheist, and is currently Communications Director for the Secular Student Alliance. Before that, he worked for the Secular Coalition for America and the American Humanist Association. He also blogs about science, philosophy, and rationality at Measure of Doubt with his sister Julia.
(The views expressed are not representing the Secular Student Alliance or any other organization.)
You hear a loud noise. Involuntarily, your heart skips a beat, your lungs inhale sharply, your muscles tense to fight or run. An instant later, you realize it’s the smoke detector letting you know you left your bagel in the toaster and it’s started to burn. Your body’s reaction — pumping adrenaline and cortisol through your system — is extremely important. When it detects something wrong, the stress response helps you assess and handle the problem. In this case, it… Read more
by Jesse Galef – It’s my birthday! I turn 26 today, a fun if utterly insignificant anniversary. It snuck up on me this year – the past month passed in the blink of an eye as I spent all my time acting as Publicity Director for the Reason Rally. I’m still coming to grips with what we pulled off. Suddenly, after all the Facebook ads, the media interviews, the emails, the press releases, the organized chaos, and the excitement… it’s… Read more
by Jesse Galef – I’m not usually one to feel that sense of awe about the universe. But… wow. This new image NASA released yesterday as part of their “Blue Marble” project is incredible: (I also found the absolutely enormous, 8000×8000 px version. It blew my mind.) Really gives a sense of perspective, doesn’t it? … And then you realize that the planet is a tiny speck in the solar system, which is an even smaller speck in the galaxy,… Read more
by Jesse Galef – Perhaps I’d gotten too cynical, but I didn’t see this good turn of events coming. As announced yesterday, religious leaders in Cranston, Rhode Island stepped up to defend Jessica and speak out against the hateful comments, the bullying, and the threats. Here were the rapid reactions I jotted down as I watched: Yes, like you, I cringed every time the news anchors opened their mouths to talk about the case. I would have loved it if… Read more
by Jesse Galef – That’s right: religion is ruining the true spirit of Christmas. That’s my argument in today’s US News & World Report Debate topic “Has Christmas Become Too Secular?” Believe me, I had a lot of fun answering. The secular submissions are dominating the religious ones – go upvote the ones you like! US News gathered four secular representatives: Me, with the Secular Student Alliance Roy Speckhardt of the American Humanist Association, Annie Laurie Gaylor with the Freedom… Read more
