The Irrelevance of Naturalistic Metaethics to Arguments from Evil Against God’s Existence
Consider the following exchange between Christi, a Christian, and Natty, a naturalist, on the problem of evil. Natty: If God exists, then why is there so much evil and suffering in the world? Christi: Well, if God exists, it’s logically possible that so much of the evil and suffering in the world is due to … The Irrelevance of Naturalistic Metaethics to Arguments from Evil Against God’s Existence
Hypocrisy on Moral Arguments, Arguments from Evil, and Logical Inconsistency
Many theists are fond of linking the problem of evil with a moral argument for God’s existence. The idea is that by making an argument from evil against God’s existence, the atheist has supposedly contradicted herself since the the argument from evil presupposes an objective evil and objective evil, in turn, presupposes God’s existence. Since … Hypocrisy on Moral Arguments, Arguments from Evil, and Logical Inconsistency
The Slaughter of the Canaanites – Part 2
In Part 1 of this series, I outlined three main Christian responses to the stories of Jehovah commanding the slaughter of the Canaanites and of the Israelites carrying out this command. There are significant problems with each of the three Christian responses, but the response with the most obvious and most serious problems is the … The Slaughter of the Canaanites – Part 2
The Fragility of Value and God’s Non-Existence
I’m working on a new version of the problem of evil. I don’t know if the argument works, but I’ll summarize it here in the hope of getting feedback. The basic idea is the fragility of value, viz., how (relatively) easy it is to destroy things compared to how (relatively) difficult it is to create … The Fragility of Value and God’s Non-Existence
William Rowe’s Fawn
I spotted this fawn this morning while walking my dog. Judging by the size and the wet fur on the top of the head, I’d guess it was born in the last day. It’s bigger than my cats but smaller than my dog. The mother was nowhere to be seen, presumably off foraging for food. Hopefully … William Rowe’s Fawn
G&T Rebuttal, Part 6: Chapter 7
Chapter 7. Mother Theresa vs. Hitler In this chapter, G&T present a version of the moral argument for God’s existence which I call the “Moral Laws Require a Moral Lawgiver Argument,” which they formulate as follows. Like the earlier arguments, this argument is deductively valid. Like the earlier chapters about this argument, I plan to … G&T Rebuttal, Part 6: Chapter 7
Evolution vs. The Argument from Providence
In the Existence of God (2nd edition, hereafter: EOG) Richard Swinburne lays out a carefully constructed, systematically presented case for the the claim that it is more likely than not that God exists. I have previously argued that there is a big problem with this case that arises with the third argument. In order to know that … Evolution vs. The Argument from Providence
Index: Draper’s Evidential Argument from Pain and Pleasure
The purpose of this page is to provide an index for my blog series on Paul Draper’s classic 1989 article defending an evidential argument from evil which focuses on the biological role (and apparent moral randomness) of pain and pleasure. See also: Your name Your email Subject Your message (optional)
Draper on Pain and Pleasure: Part 4
This post is part of a series on Paul Draper’s classic version of the evidential argument from evil. In the previous entry, I summarized Draper’s refutation of three theodicies which might be used as an objection to the claim that HI explains the facts about the biological role of pain and pleasure much better than T … Draper on Pain and Pleasure: Part 4
Draper on Pain and Pleasure: Part 3
This post is part of a series on Paul Draper’s classic version of the evidential argument from evil. In the previous entry, I summarized Draper’s first argument, which attempts to show that certain facts about the types, quantity, and distribution of pain and pleasure (P&P) are much more probable on the hypothesis of indifference (HI) … Draper on Pain and Pleasure: Part 3