Steve Patterson

Author: Steve Patterson

  • My Experience with Christian Evangelicalism

    I had a terrible experience with Christianity growing up. I was lied to, pressured, and scared into believing things which turned out to be nonsense. Because of this, I hold a lot of resentment and bitterness towards the Christian community. Though I am persuaded by the philosophy of Jesus Christ, I believe it stands in contrast to the philosophy of most Christians I’ve ever met.

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  • Colors, Continuums, and Confusion

    The continuum is a formidable opponent. Just when we think an issue is black and white, the continuum turns everything into a shade of grey. What is a continuum? Simple: it’s the boundary between red and pink.

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  • Gay Marriage and the Absurdity of Courts

    We live in a weird world. Imagine you’re an alien, and you decide to visit earth. You want to learn about human social and political institutions – how we interact with one another and by what rules. You’ve overheard that human behavior is strongly influenced by people in Washington DC, so you decide to visit and observe.

    Apparently, you’ve arrived at an exciting time. What do you see? Thousands of people eagerly awaiting something.

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  • The Basics of Libertarianism

  • Is it Honorable to be in the Military?

    Courageous. Noble. Honorable. Just some of the adjectives used to describe military men. In most parts of the United States, being a soldier comes with a guarantee of respect. Americans seem to thank soldiers at every opportunity for “defending our freedom.” The story goes like this:

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  • Steak and Certainty

    A few years ago, my mind was blown. I was thinking about food. Steak, in particular. It was well past midnight, and I was lying in bed, worrying about an idea. I’d been on a quest to find absolute certainty. And I found it; logical necessity provided a bedrock for my worldview. I had certain knowledge about a number things, all of which were ultimately grounded in logical necessity.

    And then it happened: I thought of a distressing sentence which ultimately forced me to expand my worldview:

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