Summary and Assessment of the Craig-Draper Debate on the Existence of God (1998)
(Redated post originally published on 15 October 2011) This is a another very old debate summary, which I wrote back in 1998. I have made some minor changes. SUMMARY AND ASSESSMENT OF THE CRAIG-DRAPER DEBATE: DOES GOD EXIST? (1997) United States Military Academy at West Point Note: the audio of this debate may be heard … Summary and Assessment of the Craig-Draper Debate on the Existence of God (1998)
I Don’t Care – Part 4
I have previously argued that, contrary to popular opinion, there are ZERO arguments for the existence of God in the famous Five Ways passage by Aquinas in Summa Theologica (Part I, Question 2, Article 3: Whether God Exists?). Now I’m getting into what I do care about, namely the ACTUAL argument(s) that Aquinas gives to prove the … I Don’t Care – Part 4
Hostility of the Universe to Life: Understated Evidence about Cosmic Fine-Tuning?
(Redated post originally dated 22 January 2013) I’ve blogged before about the fallacy of understated evidence. Here I want to explore further how it applies to fine-tuning arguments. Let us define the “general fact of cosmic ‘fine-tuning’” as follows. FT: some universe or other has the initial conditions, laws, and constants which make the existence … Hostility of the Universe to Life: Understated Evidence about Cosmic Fine-Tuning?
Bibliography on Arguments for Atheism
(redated post originally published on 7 November 2011) The purpose of this bibliography is to provide a comprehensive listing of academic resurces which contain presentations, formulations, or defenses of various arguments for atheism. The bibliography currently omits any references to resources which criticize those arguments; I hope to fix that in the future as time … Bibliography on Arguments for Atheism
I Don’t Care – Part 3
According to the Christian philosopher Peter Kreeft, and many others, Aquinas gives five different arguments for the existence of God. In the Handbook of Christian Apologetics (IVP, 1994; hereafter: HCA) by Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli, there is a chapter that lays out twenty different arguments for the existence of God, and the first five arguments … I Don’t Care – Part 3
Moreland on Consciousness
(redated post originally published on 14 November 2011) Re: http://www.jpmoreland.com/2010/11/18/critique-of-graham-oppys-objection/ There have been some further developments in this discussion. See: Graham Oppy “Critical Notice of J. P. Moreland’s Consciousness and the Existence of God” European Journal for Philosophy of Religion 3, 1, 2011, 193-212 J. P. Moreland “Oppy on the Argument from Consciousness: A Rejoinder” … Moreland on Consciousness
I Don’t Care – Part 2
OK. Maybe I care just a little bit. I summarized my complaint against Aquinas’ Five Ways this way (in response to a comment from Jeff Lowder): I’m just pointing out that (a) NONE of the Five Ways is an argument for the existence of God as it stands (in the section called “Whether God Exists?”), … I Don’t Care – Part 2
I Don’t Care
Thomas Aquinas pulled a classic BAIT-AND-SWITCH move in Summa Theologica: “Therefore it is necessary to arrive at a first mover, moved by no other; and this everyone understands to be God.” “Therefore it is necessary to admit a first efficient cause, to which everyone gives the name of God.” “Therefore we cannot but admit the existence … I Don’t Care
“The Argument from Reason” (2)
(redating post originally published on 14 December 2011) At 349, Reppert says: “We ought to draw the conclusion if we accept the premises of a valid argument”. This is obviously wrong. Suppose, to take the worst case, that my beliefs contradict one another. If we are supposing classical logic — as Reppert clearly is — … “The Argument from Reason” (2)
Does God Exist? Part 2
Here is a third option for breaking down the question “Does God exist?” (click on the image below to get a clearer view of the chart): This is a variation on Option 2 (see the previous post in this series). In this analysis I stick with the process of simply adding on divine attributes to … Does God Exist? Part 2