Theists, like Math Students, Need to Show Their Work
In my recent debate with Kevin Vandergriff, Vandergriff argued that biological evolution is evidence for theism. In support, he referred to the probability estimate of evolutionary biologist Francisco Ayala. According to Ayala, it is fantastically improbable that intelligent life on Earth is the result of unguided evolution. Since I have a background in probability theory, I was most interested in … Theists, like Math Students, Need to Show Their Work
Another Christian Apologist Uses Fallacious Objections to Evolution
Real shocker, right? My Twitter feed included a link to an article which I want to comment on: Bill Nye’s Naturalistic Evolution is Absurd: Contesting ‘Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation’: Bill Nye’s Atheistic Evolution Is Preposterous Evolution is one of the most powerful and important ideas ever developed in the history of science. Every question … Another Christian Apologist Uses Fallacious Objections to Evolution
One Problem with Swinburne’s Case for God – Part 2
In a previous post I pointed out three different problems related to the third argument in Richard Swinburne’s systematic case for the existence of God. The third argument is the final argument of his arguments from the nature of the universe. It is his Teleological Argument from Spatial Order (hereafter: TASO):(e3) There is a complex physical … One Problem with Swinburne’s Case for God – Part 2
Did God Create Nuclear Weapons?
Christians and other believers in God often say, ‘God created everything.’ If we take this literally, as a young child would do, we might start thinking of some objections or possible counterexamples: ‘Did God create nuclear weapons?’ ‘Did God create the ebola virus?’ etc. The doctrine of divine creation leads quickly to the problem of evil. … Did God Create Nuclear Weapons?
One Problem with Swinburne’s Case for God
In The Existence of God (2nd edition, hereafter: EOG), Richard Swinburne lays out a systematic cumulative case for the claim that it is more likely than not that God exists. I have a specific objection to the third argument in this case, but I believe this objection throws a monkey wrench into the works, and … One Problem with Swinburne’s Case for God
The Argument from Silence, Part 8: The Missing Links Argument against Biological Evolution
I began this series with a Bayesian interpretation of arguments from silence and then proceeded to use that interpretation to evaluate various arguments from silence about Jesus and God. In this post, I want to assess an argument from silence that is extremely popular with anti-evolutionists, an argument I call the “missing links” argument. If we abbreviate … The Argument from Silence, Part 8: The Missing Links Argument against Biological Evolution
Sean B. Carroll’s List of 6 Arguments Used by Science Denialists
I finally found what I was looking for. Sean B. Carroll, the noted evolutionary biologist, author, and vice-president for science education at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, delivered a presentation at a 2012 conference on science denialism. He listed 6 arguments employed by science denialists that could be applied to almost any subject. They come … Sean B. Carroll’s List of 6 Arguments Used by Science Denialists
Swinburne’s Cosmological and Teleological Arguments – Part 5
The Cosmological Argument (TCA) is the first argument in Swinburne’s inductive case for the existence of God. The arguments are presented in a specific order, each argument adding one more contingent fact (or specific set of contingent facts) to the facts presented in the premises of the previous arguments. Since TCA is the first argument, … Swinburne’s Cosmological and Teleological Arguments – Part 5
Swinburne’s Cosmological and Teleological Arguments – Part 4
Richard Swinburne presents his inductive cosmological argument in Chapter 7 of his book The Existence of God (second edition, hereafter: EOG). I plan to start at the beginning of the chapter and go paragraph by paragraph, stopping to comment on each paragraph that includes either support for, or defense of, some part of the cosmological … Swinburne’s Cosmological and Teleological Arguments – Part 4
The Argument from Silence, Part 7: Victor Stenger on the Absence of Scientific Evidence for God
In this post, I want to revisit an argument from silence used by Victor Stenger against the existence of God based on the absence of scientific evidence for God. In his 2010 debate with William Lane Craig, Stenger argued that “the absence of evidence for God is evidence of absence” of God. In his words, … The Argument from Silence, Part 7: Victor Stenger on the Absence of Scientific Evidence for God