Unapologetic Review – Part 4: More Effort Required
“Communication is Hard” My wife is a very intelligent woman. I enjoy discussing religion, politics, and philosophy with her. When I lay out an argument, either for my own viewpoint or (as the devil’s advocate) for some alternative viewpoint, she almost always raises one or two sharp objections to the argument. She is also a … Unapologetic Review – Part 4: More Effort Required
Consciousness and souls
Substance dualists insist that no matter what goes on in the squishy 3 pound lump of brain inside the human skull, none of it constitutes what is really essential to human cognition. Something else, an immaterial soul, has to be added to the brain in order for it to … well, to do something – … Consciousness and souls
Unapologetic Review – Part 3: The Main Argument
I cannot recommend the book Unapologetic by John Loftus, because I have not carefully read the whole book yet. But I have read Chapter 5, which I take to be the heart of the book, and I can recommend reading Chapter 5 of Unapologetic. It is an interesting, informative, and thought-provoking chapter about the philosophy … Unapologetic Review – Part 3: The Main Argument
Ex-Apologist on Epicurean Cosmological Arguments for Matter’s Necessity
Our friend Ex-Apologist recently posted a nice piece on his blog summing up Epircurean cosmological arguments for matter’s necessity. I highly recommend it. LINK
Geisler’s Five Ways – Part 9: The Supreme Moral Lawgiver
In Phase 1 of his case for the existence of God (in When Skeptics Ask, hereafter: WSA), Norman Geisler argues for the existence of a “supreme moral Lawgiver”. The argument goes like this (see WSA, p. 22): Geisler’s Moral Argument 32. There is an objective moral law. 33. Moral laws imply a moral lawgiver. THEREFORE: … Geisler’s Five Ways – Part 9: The Supreme Moral Lawgiver
Unapologetic Review – Part 2: The Heart of the Book
A couple of the comments on my previous post (see Unapologetic Review – Part 1) were critical about my provision of details about the general physical characteristics of John Loftus’ new book Unapologetic. The commenters did not explain WHY this was objectionable, but I suspect it is a matter of childish impatience on the part … Unapologetic Review – Part 2: The Heart of the Book
Geisler’s Five Ways – Part 8: The Design of the Human Brain
The third argument in Phase 2 of Geisler’s case for God is another development of his argument from design, and it has many of the same problems as the second argument in Phase 2. Here is the third argument, sticking closely to the words used by Geisler: ARGUMENT #3 of PHASE 2 26. God … Geisler’s Five Ways – Part 8: The Design of the Human Brain
Unapologetic Review – Part 1
John Loftus’ new book has just been released: Unapologetic: Why Philosophy of Religion Must End (Durham, NC: Pitchstone Publishing, 2016) My copy arrived from Amazon by UPS yesterday. The text starts on page 7 (the Forward); the introduction starts on page 11, and the main body of the text ends on page 235. There is … Unapologetic Review – Part 1
Living in the Post-Truth Era
Donald Trump sailed into the White House on an ocean of lies. His erstwhile political opponent, and then wishy-washy supporter, Sen. Ted Cruz called Trump a “pathological liar.” I take it that a liar becomes pathological when his lies are no longer conscious fabrications, but merely statements made with no regard to truth or falsity. … Living in the Post-Truth Era
Geisler’s Five Ways – Part 7: Argument #2 of Phase 2
Here is the second argument in Phase 2 of Geisler’s case for the existence of God: ARGUMENT #2 of PHASE 2 21. “…the design of the universe is far beyond anything that man could devise.” (WSA, p.26) 22. IF the design of the universe is far beyond anything that man could devise, THEN the designer … Geisler’s Five Ways – Part 7: Argument #2 of Phase 2