Theism, Atheism, and Metaethics
In response to my comments on “Atheist Ethicist: Theism, Atheism, and Blame,” Keith Parsons rightfully pointed out an error and an inconsistency in my comments where I had denied that theism has metaethical implications. As is often (if not always) the case in philosophy, a lot of this depends on terminology. And although I responded … Theism, Atheism, and Metaethics
Flowchart on the Futility of Prayer
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The Evidential Argument from Moral Agency (AMA) Revisited
I want to revisit Paul Draper’s very interesting argument from moral agency against metaphysical naturalism.[1] Informal Statement of the Argument We know that moral agents exist. If we ignore for a moment the evidence for moral agents–i.e., independent of the evidence for moral agents–we have much more reason on theism than on naturalism to expect … The Evidential Argument from Moral Agency (AMA) Revisited
The Poverty of Theistic Morality
In an effort to increase visibility of an article that has been largely ignored by theists, I thought it would be interesting to discuss what Adolf Grünbaum has to say about the theistic implications of morality in his excellent essay, “The Poverty of Theistic Morality.” He writes: One vital lesson of that analysis will be … The Poverty of Theistic Morality
LINK: Draper on Naturalism, Theism, and the Burden of Proof
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LINK: Nate Shannon on Anderson and Welty’s Ambiguous Necessity
“In their argument for the existence of God from the laws of logic,* James Anderson and Greg Welty (AW) claim that the laws of logic exist necessarily. Their claim is that the laws of logic possess de re necessity, the type of necessity—metaphysical necessity—predicated of objects. How do they get there? They don’t, in my … LINK: Nate Shannon on Anderson and Welty’s Ambiguous Necessity
20+ Questions for Theists
(This post was last edited on 21-Jun-12, by reorganizing the list into a more logical sequence. I apologize in advance for the inconvenience this may cause to people who have posted comments or their own articles discussing these.) As a follow-up to my last post, I compiled a list of my own questions for theists. … 20+ Questions for Theists
LINK: Mikael Stenmark on Evolution, Purpose, and God
A number of biologists maintain that the recent developments in evolutionary biology have profound implications for religion, morality and our self-understanding. The author focuses on the issue whether evolutionary biology has any relevance for a religious understanding of the meaning of life. First, the question about the meaning of life is clarified. Second, the argument … LINK: Mikael Stenmark on Evolution, Purpose, and God
The Meaning of ‘miracle’ – Part 3
Swinburne’s description of Aquinas’ concept of a ‘miracle’: Aquinas wrote that a ‘miracle’ in a wide sense is any event brought about by a rational agent in virtue of powers greater than normal human powers; and so many events brought about by demons or angels would count as miracles. But in a strict sense, he … The Meaning of ‘miracle’ – Part 3
The Meaning of ‘miracle’ – Part 2
Let’s start with Swinburne’s description of Aquinas’ concept of a ‘miracle’: Aquinas wrote that a ‘miracle’ in a wide sense is any event brought about by a rational agent in virtue of powers greater than normal human powers; and so many events brought about by demons or angels would count as miracles. But in a … The Meaning of ‘miracle’ – Part 2