Month: October 2014

Link: Why the Argument from Causal Closure Against the Existence of Immaterial Things is Bad

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I am quoting the abstract of this paper here, without comment pro or con, for interested readers who may wish to read the paper for themselves. Feel free to debate in the combox. Abstract. Some argue for materialism claiming that a physical event cannot have a non-physical cause, or by claiming the ‘Principle of Causal Closure’ to … Link: Why the Argument from Causal Closure Against the Existence of Immaterial Things is Bad

Do the Bee Police Enforce God’s Law? Or Are They Darwinian Nihilists? by Larry Arnhart

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I want to a link to another terrific blog post by philosopher Larry Arnhart. One worry–perhaps the worry–about basing morality on the biology of human nature is that it makes morality species-specific. Darwin himself voiced this concern in The Descent of Man: “In the same manner as various animals have some sense of beauty, though they admire widely different … Do the Bee Police Enforce God’s Law? Or Are They Darwinian Nihilists? by Larry Arnhart

Atheism, Morality, and Divine Nature Theories vs. Ideal Observer Theories

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This another item I found while organizing material on my hard drive. I think I am the author, but I am not certain of that. What is the advantage of divine nature theories over ideal observer theories?  Consider, for example, a divine nature theory of moral value.  On such a view, God’s nature, not God, … Atheism, Morality, and Divine Nature Theories vs. Ideal Observer Theories

Quentin Smith’s Argument for Moral Realism

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I am summarizing Smith’s argument here, without comment pro or con, for interested readers. Feel free to debate in the combox. In his history of 20th century moral philosophy, Ethical and Religious Thought, Quentin Smith draws the following distinction between first-level and second-level ethical beliefs: A first-level ethical belief is that something is good or evil … Quentin Smith’s Argument for Moral Realism