Swinburne’s Argument from Religious Experience – Part 3
Previously, I have only considered the very simple case where one person has a memory of having previously had a theistic religious experience (hereafter: TRE) of a generic sort–an experience in which it seemed (epistemically) to him/her that God was present. There were a couple of basic points made about probable inferences in contrast to … Swinburne’s Argument from Religious Experience – Part 3
Swinburne’s Argument from Religious Experience – Part 2
Richard Swinburne’s argument from religious experience (AFR) as given in The Existence of God (2nd ed.- hereafter: EOG) is based on three key epistemological principles: EXPERIENCE …(in the absence of special considerations), if it seems (epistemically) to a subject that x is present (and has some characteristic), then probably x is present (and has that characteristic)… (EOG, p. 303) … Swinburne’s Argument from Religious Experience – Part 2
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
Faith and the End of PoR
John Loftus has advocated the End of Philosophy of Religion as a discipline. In his post defending this proposal, Loftus repeatedly talks about “faith”. The word “faith” occurs 23 times in the post, and it occurs in 7 out of the 13 paragraphs that constitute the post. Some paragraphs have multiple references to “faith”: It … Faith and the End of PoR
Next Year
I wanted to retire this year, but that did not work out. I might be able to retire a year from now, though. There are a number of topics from this year that I plan to carry over into 2015: 1. The End of PoR? John Loftus has argued that public colleges and universities … Next Year
Don’t Criticize What You Can’t Understand
Recently, I found myself defending William Lane Craig’s reformed epistemology. I was defending it NOT because I believe it to be true or correct, but because his views were being presented as ‘stupid’ and obviously false. My impression was that those who were making these strong claims did NOT understand Craig’s views on epistemology, … Don’t Criticize What You Can’t Understand
Questions Concerning the Existence of God
It does not look like I can retire this year, maybe next year (it could happen!). But I think I will start my ten-year plan to develop a multi-volume critique of Christianity in January, even if I’m still working my 9 to 5 job. Part of evaluating Christianity is evaluating the fundamental metaphysical claim that … Questions Concerning the Existence of God
Swinburne’s Argument from Religious Experience – Part 1
In The Existence of God (2nd edition, hereafter: EOG) , Richard Swinburne presents a careful and systematic case for the existence of God. Eight of the arguments (that he considers to be significant) are presented as bits of empirical data each of which increases the probability of the hypothesis that God exists a bit (with the … Swinburne’s Argument from Religious Experience – Part 1
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?