I am a graduate of medicine and theology with a Ph.D in medical ethics. I tutor in medical ethics at the University of Melbourne, am an (occasional) adjunct Lecturer in Ethics at Ridley Melbourne, and a voluntary researcher with Ethos. I am also a Fellow of ISCAST and a past chair of the Melbourne Chapter of Christians for Biblical Equality. I have special interests in professional ethics, sexual ethics and the ethics of virtue.
by Jesse Galef – I’m usually so proud of the way atheists are willing to stand up for their views. But watching the drama unfold around Everybody Draw Muhammad Day, I’m left wondering what changed… and I’m a little disappointed. It’s strange to see atheists arguing and criticizing each other for promoting an important message for fear that the message might offend people. Some Secular Student Alliance affiliates had an important idea to express: “No religious figure should be so… Read more
by Jesse Galef — When is society justified in discouraging certain ideas from being expressed? I see this question at the heart of the controversy around our recent “Chalking Muhammad” campaigns. The issue has never been about the law. Pretty much everyone is on the same page that death threats are unacceptable and that people have the legal right to draw images of Muhammad if they so choose. But wherever secular students actually try to do it, they’re met with… Read more
by Jesse Galef – I have quite a lot to say on the subject of drawing Muhammad. At my day job as Communications Director for the Secular Student Alliance I’m watching the recent developments closely, and on a personal level I feel passionately about the issues of free speech, respect, and taboos. But I won’t get into all of that quite yet. I just wanted to take a moment to dispute something in Eboo Patel’s OnFaith paean to religious respect. … Read more
by Jesse Galef – Should we organize around the word “atheist”? Yesterday I wrote about my disagreement with Michael De Dora Jr.’s “The Problems with the Atheistic Approach to the World” – only to have him publish a response to criticism a couple hours before my post was scheduled to go up. In his new post, he addresses one complaint that his statement “many atheists define their entire lives around unbelief and critique of theism” is untrue: In my piece,… Read more
by Jesse Galef – I’ll admit to being confused and disappointed by Michael De Dora Jr.’s post on the CFI blog last week entitled “The Problems with the Atheistic Approach to the World.” I’ve met Michael a couple of times and like him a lot, and I’ve found myself both agreeing and disagreeing with him in the past. Not only is he Executive Director of CFI-NYC, he’s also a new co-blogger on Rationally Speaking with Massimo Pigliucci and my sister,… Read more
