The Euthyphro Dilemma, Part 3: Reasons and Moral Obligations
This is the third in a series of posts about the Euthyphro dilemma. In this series, I am making a case that the Euthyphro dilemma provides the basis of a definitive objection to DCT. This case will take several posts to present fully. In part 1, I explained what the two options of the dilemma … The Euthyphro Dilemma, Part 3: Reasons and Moral Obligations
41,000 Denominations?
Bold Atheism recently tweeted the following meme: #atheist #god #religion #bible #faith #church #atheism #noreligion #religionfree #antireligion #freedomfromreligion #goodwithoutgod #nogod #godless #heathen #nonbeliever #skeptic #secular #humanist #freethinker #think #logic #reason #prayer #sin #atheis… https://t.co/C6MpS2iS9J pic.twitter.com/85cipxGvbH — Bold Atheism (@boldatheism) March 18, 2019 What should we make of this meme?
Do We Need a Finely-Tuned God?
I have recently had a most interesting e-mail exchange with Professor Jason Waller of Kenyon College. His new book Cosmological Fine-Tuning Arguments will be coming out soon from Routledge. While, of course, I do not accept the fine-tuning argument (FTA), I think Prof. Waller’s treatment is, by far, the best defense of it that I … Do We Need a Finely-Tuned God?
The Euthyphro Dilemma, Part 2: Arbitrariness
In the first post in this series, I pointed out that when we apply the Euthyphro question to DCT, we get the following options (I) The reason that God commands that we perform morally obligatory actions is that they are morally obligatory. (II) Morally obligatory actions are morally obligatory in virtue of the fact that … The Euthyphro Dilemma, Part 2: Arbitrariness
The Possible Worlds Argument
This is somewhat more technical than our usual posts here at Secular Outpost. However, we have always thought of SO as a serious site for serious thinkers, and not for the usual invective that pollutes too much of the Internet. So, here is my take on the possible worlds version of the ontological argument. Possible … The Possible Worlds Argument
Is It Time to Rename the ‘Problem of Evil’ / ‘Argument from Evil’?
I’m starting to wonder if the so-called ‘problem of evil’ / ‘argument from evil’ needs a name change. Consider the following list of known facts about ‘evil’ which have been used as the explanandum for various evidential arguments from evil: Putting aside the bogus objection that atheism entails there is no such thing as objective … Is It Time to Rename the ‘Problem of Evil’ / ‘Argument from Evil’?
The Euthyphro Dilemma, Part 1: The Question and the Options
The Euthyphro dilemma has been used for centuries as a basis for undermining theories that account for moral value in virtue of God’s will, activities, and/or nature, including various versions of Divine Command Theory (DCT)[1]. Beginning in the latter half of the 20th century the arguments directed against DCT that are grounded in this dilemma … The Euthyphro Dilemma, Part 1: The Question and the Options
When Are Appeals to Human Ignorance a Legitimate Defeater of an Evidential Argument?
(A1) Evidential arguments from ‘evil’ say: known facts about the types, quantity, and distribution of good and evil are much more probable on naturalism than on theism. (O1) Critics of evidential arguments from evil say: we don’t know that. We have far too limited an understanding of the interconnectedness of things to make such a … When Are Appeals to Human Ignorance a Legitimate Defeater of an Evidential Argument?