J.L. Schellenberg’s Wisdom to Doubt, Chapter One: The Subject Mode
This is the first in a planned series of blog posts reviewing J.L. Schellenberg’s important book, The Wisdom to Doubt. The first chapter of Schellenberg’s book is valuable to anyone who wants to think clearly about unrecognized evidence, including the implications of unrecognized evidence for arguments from silence and cumulative case arguments. See why.
LINK: My Guest Post at Randal Rauser’s Blog
UPDATED: Part 2 is now available. Randal Rauser was kind enough to allow me to write a guest post for his blog. The post is about the consequences of skeptical theism and is going to be published in two parts. The first part is available now, the second will be available in a couple of days. Here … LINK: My Guest Post at Randal Rauser’s Blog
Chad Gross’s Review of my Debate with Frank Turek
Chad Gross at Truthbomb Apologetics has written a fair, open-minded review of my debate with Frank Turek: “Lowder’s debate style is very similar to that of William Lane Craig. He begins with the contentions he intends to defend and then supports them with his arguments. This should be modeled by all those who desire to debate successfully…. It … Chad Gross’s Review of my Debate with Frank Turek
If Jesus had been a Republican…
It seems like a good time to re-post and update this. If Jesus had been a Republican… He would have said: “Render unto Caesar. And if thou catchest an illegal immigrant, render him also, yea, limb from limb.” “Blessed are the rich, who are the ones who REALLY inherit the earth.” “Love thy neighbor, unless … If Jesus had been a Republican…
Science and Religion: Four Models
I recently spoke at Christ the King Lutheran Church near the Rice University Campus. The topic was “Science and Religion.” This, of course, is a very big topic. How to deal with it in a single short presentation? I think the first thing to do is to some models for simplifying the multifarious complexities here. … Science and Religion: Four Models
Unapologetic Review – Part 10: Evaluation of Reason #9
REVIEW OF ANALYSIS OF REASON #9 In Part 9 of this series, I asserted that the main argument in Unapologetic is Reason #9, and I argued that Reason #9 invoved the following assumptions: 5. ANY claim that is based on faith cannot be reasonably defended. 6. Philosophers ought NOT recognize and participate in an alleged sub-discipline of philosophy that … Unapologetic Review – Part 10: Evaluation of Reason #9
The True Cost of Fundamentalism: Women’s Health
In an editorial titled “Women at Risk,” today’s Houston Chronicle presented some very alarming facts: Put simply, the State of Texas is waging a war against women. This is not partisan rhetoric, but a sober statement of the unavoidable conclusion implied by these facts. Texas has conducted a furious vendetta against Planned Parenthood, the Affordable … The True Cost of Fundamentalism: Women’s Health
A Puzzle About Morality and Rationality
NOTE: This post has been edited since it was originally published in light of a very important observation from commenter Angra Mainyu. His comment revealed that I made an error in my original presentation of the puzzle. If you would like more information about this issue, please see the third footnote at the end of this … A Puzzle About Morality and Rationality
Retributivism, Punishment, and Moral Value
In the comments on another post https://secularfrontier.infidels.org/2017/01/05/memoriam-derek-parfit-1942-2017/ , the contrast between retributivist and consequentialist models of punishment came up. Here is a thought-experiment I present to my classes on this contrast. Suppose that in lieu of life-imprisonment for major crimes, the technology exists to plug offenders into a Matrix-like situation: they are to be imprisoned … Retributivism, Punishment, and Moral Value
Graham Oppy: Yes, There Really Is Such a Thing as Expertise in Philosophy of Religion, and, No, You Can’t Get it from Pop Philosophy of Religion Books
Note: The following post is written by Graham Oppy and posted with his permission. Suppose I wanted to learn all about quantum gravity, starting from a position of total ignorance. How likely is it that there is a book that physicists could recommend to me that I could read, and that would give me the … Graham Oppy: Yes, There Really <I>Is</I> Such a Thing as Expertise in Philosophy of Religion, and, No, You Can’t Get it from Pop Philosophy of Religion Books