At the end of each year, I do a roundup of the stories and ideas that I kept revisiting over the previous twelve months. Here at Freethought Blogs, I’m carrying on the tradition.

OnlySky Dies… and Rises Again

At the beginning of 2024, I was a regular columnist for OnlySky, a media site founded by Shawn Hardin to advance the secular perspective through journalism and storytelling. I had great hopes for OnlySky, but it ran out of funding at the worst possible time. In March, it shut down, and Freethought Blogs graciously extended me an invitation to come on board.

But that wasn’t the end of the story. Later in the year, OnlySky returned to life with a new, more focused mission of exploring possible futures. I’m contributing regularly again (here are my OS 2.0 columns) while continuing to publish my own musings on other topics here at FTB.

AI Is Eating the Internet

For better or for worse, AI is all the rage this year. On FTB, I wrote about “Justin” the Catholic chatbot, and how AI makes the perfect religious apologist because it contradicts itself with no shame but never changes its mind. I noted that social media has become a wasteland thanks to spammy AI and algorithmic garbage.

On OnlySky, I followed up with a column on how AI slop may destroy the internet as we know it, and how AI itself may be headed for a crash because of a problem called model collapse.

The Horseman of War Rides On

Israel’s indiscriminate destruction of Gaza hasn’t ended. In April, I wrote that Israel briefly had the world’s sympathy, but squandered it. I criticized politicians who think the First Amendment has an “Israel exception”, and rhetorically asked what the right way to protest is.

Meanwhile, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is approaching its third year. I wrote about how Russia is cannibalizing its own future by persecuting scientists, engineers and basically anyone educated, while sending the rest of its population to die in the trenches.

Where are they going to replace these massive losses? From American right-wingers, perhaps. In August, Putin threw open the doors to volunteers for the meat grinder. He’s also been busily recruiting useful idiots. At least some of these efforts are bearing fruit, as in my post about what kind of Westerner voluntarily moves to Russia.

The 2024 Eclipse

In a year with so many low points, one of the high points was the total eclipse in April. I mused about why we’re lucky enough to get these on Earth.

On the date, I made the long drive north to see it. Although I was concerned about the weather, I was lucky: upstate New York had perfect clear blue skies, some of the best weather in the nation for sky-watchers. The eclipse was an awe-inspiring sight, like a hole in the sky. Seeing it was one of the greatest experiences of my life, without question.

Capitalism, Religion and American Decline

The 2024 election is one giant leap down the road of American decline. The hemorrhaging of red states, and especially the slow dying of West Virginia, could be a glimpse of what’s in store.

In December, the assassination of a healthcare CEO shone a spotlight on the cruelties of unchecked capitalism and the evils it wreaks on our lives. It’s the perfect illustration of my maxim that capitalism (and religion) are their own worst enemies.

All this poses the question: Does living under capitalism inherently make us unhappy? My answer: no, but also yes.

Atheist Demographics

There’s one bright spot for freethinkers to take heart in: the nonreligious are still growing, while religions are shrinking across the board. And, in a massive shift that I’m sure we’ll hear more about, more women than men are shucking off religion for the first time.

Coming Soon

It’s been too long since I’ve done a review of a libertarian political novel. In 2025, I’m going to do a new one: The Probability Broach by L. Neil Smith. This book is as gloriously deranged as anything that ever came from Ayn Rand’s pen. It’s going to be great.

I’m planning to publish the reviews first on my Patreon, so if you want an early look, subscribe today! They’ll appear on FTB at a later date, never fear.