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Users present the reasoning behind particular beliefs - moral, political, scientific, religious, etc. - as chains of very simple arguments, with the conclusion of each such link in a chain becoming a premise of the next, and with the conclusion of the final link being the belief which the whole chain attempts to justify. Users then work together to try to ensure that the chain is as clear and concise as possible, with people left to make their own assessment of the logic of the chain and the truth of its premises.

See also: What Chains of Reason is, and is not · Why this format? · FAQ

Chain 3: Life on Earth is the product of evolution by natural selection.

Link 1

Premise 1

A plant or animal's prospects of surviving and reproducing are affected by the nature of its anatomy.

Premise 2

There is slight, random variation in the hereditary anatomical features of the members of any species of plant or animal.

Conclusion

Some hereditary anatomical variations within the population of any species of plant or animal will be more conducive to survival and reproduction than others. »

Link 2

Premise 1

» Some hereditary anatomical variations within the population of any species of plant or animal will be more conducive to survival and reproduction than others.

Premise 2

The more an hereditary anatomical feature of a plant or animal is conducive to survival and reproduction, the more likely it is to pass into the next generation.

Conclusion

Some hereditary anatomical variations within the population of any species of plant or animal will be inherently more likely to pass into the next generation than others. »

Link 3

Premise 1

» Some hereditary anatomical variations within the population of any species of plant or animal will be inherently more likely to pass into the next generation than others.

Premise 2

In the competition between members of any species of plant or animal for finite resources and mates, any hereditary anatomical variations which are inherently more likely to pass into the next generation than others will tend to do so at the expense of those others.

Conclusion

Some hereditary anatomical variations within the population of any species of plant or animal will tend, in a non-random way, to become increasingly common in the population with each new generation, at the expense of other such variations. »

• The brain and mind
• Ethics
• Politics
• Religion
• Reason and beliefs

Browse by chain number

Chain 32: It is logically impossible for any intelligent being to possess free will.

Chain 31: The morality or immorality of a person's actions depends on not just whether the act is in accordance moral rules, but also the person's motivation.

Chain 30: The morality or immorality of a person's actions depends on not just whether the act is in accordance moral rules, but also the person's motivation.

Chain 29: The 'moral emotions', such as guilt and empathy, are not the product of morality.

Chain 28: Morality could be purely a creation of the human mind.

Chain 27: Moral laws are not laws of nature.

Chain 26: Human emotions are innate to the human species rather than learnt.

Chain 25: The death penalty for those who commit murder is not immoral.

Chain 24: The death penalty is immoral.

Chain 23: Abortion is not immoral.

Chain 22: All sincerely held beliefs must be the product of logic.

Chain 21: Smacking a child should be illegal.

Chain 20: A person who never lies may still say things which are untrue.

Chain 19: Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.

Chain 18: Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, the Son of God.

Chain 17: Abortion is immoral.

Chain 16: Moral responsibility does not require free will.

Chain 15: Moral responsibility requires free will.

Chain 14: Religious blasphemy by nonbelievers is not possible.

Chain 13: It is unprincipled to support the democratic process.

Chain 12: A person's ability to make their own decisions, based on their own will, is not in itself free will.

Chain 11: People possess free will.

Chain 10: The mental image of the external world created during visual perception is not in turn perceived in order to be experienced.

Chain 9: One's visual world is not merely a mental image of the external world.

Chain 8: It is in one's interests to believe in the existence of the god of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. [Pascal's wager.]

Chain 7: The god of Judaism, Christianity and Islam does not exist. [The problem of evil.]

Chain 6: Physical pain is not a sensation, but an emotion.

Chain 5: The god of Judaism, Christianity and Islam exists. [The design (or 'teleological') argument.]

Chain 4: People do not possess free will.

Chain 3: Life on Earth is the product of evolution by natural selection.

Chain 2: The brain is a biological computer.

Chain 1: The world of one's perceptions is merely a mental simulation of the external world.