RSA Daily

For atheists, rationalists and secular humanists in Australia

Monday, January 29, 2024

Good morning ,

In our lead stories, an interesting (albeit slightly biased, IMHO) comparison of Rationalism and Stoicism as life philosophies. I say "biased" because the article clearly favours Stoicism ... but then again, I think the author's analysis is pretty sound!

Perhaps we should rebrand the RSA as the SSA - the Stoicism Society of Australia? Thoughts?

Lead stories

How do Stoicism and Rationalism compare? Here's where they are similar:

• Reason is the governing principle of the universe
• Human intellect is to be prioritised over intuition
• Emotions are normal in humans but should not be relied upon as sources of knowledge.

And here's where they differ:

• Rationalism seeks to answer the question, "What can be known reliably and how can we know it?"
• Stoicism seeks to answer the question, "How can I live a good life?"

Read our letter to Independents, calling on them to support the Productivity Commission’s recommendation to remove the concept of ‘Basic Religious Charities’ (BRCs). Would you believe it? The religious lobby group, Freedom for Faith, described the PC's recommendations as demonstrating “a clear anti-religion agenda”; and the National Catholic Education Commission said the report was “direct attack” on faith communities. Unbelievable chutzpah!

Other stories of interest

Exclusive: NSW government to exclude 'religious counselling' from gay conversion laws, says faith leader | Rationalist Society of Australia

The New South Wales government has given religious communities a guarantee that its proposed conversion therapy laws will not impact “religious counselling”, according to a member of the state’s new Faith Council.

Seeking common ground across the political divide - Rationale Magazine

Interesting ... but not sure that it works.

The dismissal: Truth at last - Rationale Magazine

Hooray for Jenny Hocking!

The maths of rightwing populism: easy answers + confidence = reassuring certainty

"the second law of thermodynamics .. says that over time, order will turn into disorder, or, in the present context, reliable information will be overwhelmed by confusion, uncertainties and noise." Yep. That's why respect for the rule of law is so important - laws serve to counter chaos.

Got a comment on any of these stories? 

Write to me at president@rationalist.com.au

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