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
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
Is There a Problem of Evil for Atheism?
In response to various arguments from evil for atheism, some theists attempt to turn the tables on atheists and argue that evil is at least as much of a problem for atheism as it is for theism. I’ve argued repeatedly that this response completely misses the point that the problem of evil can be understood … Is There a Problem of Evil for Atheism?
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
Craig, Koons, and Divine Command Theory
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Taylor Carr republished on The Secular Outpost with permission. The original post may be found on his blog, The Godless Skeptic. In a recent episode of the Reasonable Faith podcast, William Lane Craig offers his thoughts on a 2012 paper by Jeremy Koons, Can God’s Goodness Save the Divine Command Theory from Euthyphro? Koons’ paper is another … Craig, Koons, and Divine Command Theory
A Moral Argument for God which Begs the Question against Theists
Reposting a comment I left on fellow Patheos blogger Bob Seidensticker’s blog, Cross Examined. Bob was writing about Geisler’s and Turek’s book, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. Bob quoted this passage from their book: If the atheists are right, then we might as well lie, cheat, and steal to get what we want … A Moral Argument for God which Begs the Question against <I>Theists</I>
Christian Philosopher Richard Swinburne on One Type of Moral Argument for God’s Existence
“Now if the basic moral principles are analytic, the existence of what they describe cannot provide an argument for the existence of God. An argument could only take off from the truth of some or all synthetic moral truths (e.g., from the fact that it is wrong to drop atomb bombs on Japan rather than … Christian Philosopher Richard Swinburne on One Type of Moral Argument for God’s Existence
Another Christian Apologist Tears Down a Straw Man of Atheist Morality
My friend Wintery Knight (WK) has written another blog post on the topic of morality. Like so many other theists (and a few atheists), he manages to completely botch the topic of atheist morality. Who Speaks for Atheists, Anyway? If you want to determine Christian beliefs about something, you can see what the Bible and various representatives of … Another Christian Apologist Tears Down a Straw Man of Atheist Morality
Christian Pastor Writes in HuffPo, “There Is No Such Thing as a Good Atheist”
Pastor Rick Henderson wrote en editorial in yesterday’s Huffington Post provocatively titled, “Why There Is No Such Thing as a Good Atheist.” While he does correctly state, “it is true that there is no definitive atheistic worldview,” there is very little else in this article which he gets right. Here’s Pastor Henderson: While it is true that … Christian Pastor Writes in HuffPo, “There Is No Such Thing as a Good Atheist”