F-inductive argument

An F-Inductive Argument from Consciousness for Theism, Revisited

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Edited on 15-Feb-20While some theistic arguments are “God of the gaps” arguments, many, including those defended by Christian philosophers, are not “God of the gaps” arguments. Before accusing a theist of trotting out another “God-of-the-gaps” argument, atheists should first verify that the argument actually is a “God-of-the-gaps” argument.Here is the basic structure of a “God-of-the-gaps” … An F-Inductive Argument from Consciousness for Theism, Revisited

An Experiment in ‘Steelmanning’: Let’s Try to Formulate a Good Argument from Cosmology Against Naturalism

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In the spirit of my last post, I think it would be interesting to engage in some inquiry about whether the kalam cosmological argument is onto something. Rather than try to repair the kalam cosmological argument as it stands, I think it would be interesting to channel Richard Swinburne or Paul Draper and see if … An Experiment in ‘Steelmanning’: Let’s Try to Formulate a Good Argument from Cosmology Against Naturalism

In Defense of an Evidential Argument from Evil: A Reply to William Lane Craig

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Abstract: In a popular article about general arguments from evil against the existence of an all-powerful, all-knowing, and perfectly good God, William Lane Craig raises objections to such arguments that are consistent with those he earlier raised against Paul Draper’s evidential pain-and-pleasure argument from evil in an oral debate with Draper in 1998. In this article … In Defense of an Evidential Argument from Evil: A Reply to William Lane Craig

An Evidential Argument from Evil: Natural Inequality

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I want to quickly sketch an evidential (aka “explanatory” aka “abductive” aka “F-Inductive“) argument from evil, one which focuses exclusively on natural inequality.  The argument is not mine; it belongs to Moti Mizrahi. The key point of Mizrahi’s argument, which he credits to an insight of John Rawls, is this: … natural endowments are undeserved.Now, if … An Evidential Argument from Evil: Natural Inequality

When are Theistic Arguments “God-of-the-Gaps” Arguments?

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In a recent post, Victor Reppert asks: Is there any theistic argument [from/in natural theology] that can’t be accused of being a god-of-the-gaps argument? Is this an all-purpose reply to all natural theology? My answers are “yes” to the first question and “no” to the second question. I think it would helpful if everyone would … When are Theistic Arguments “God-of-the-Gaps” Arguments?

A Good F-Inductive Argument for Theism based on Consciousness

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I was waiting for someone to bring this up in the combox on my recent post on Swinburne’s cosmological argument, but no one did. The argument from consciousness (to theism) is a parallel argument to the cosmological argument against theism. In the cosmological argument against theism, I pointed out that naturalism entails a physical universe … A Good F-Inductive Argument for Theism based on Consciousness

F-Inductive Arguments: A New Type of Inductive Argument

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In his extensive writings, the prestigious philosopher Richard Swinburne makes a useful distinction between two types of inductive arguments. Let B be our background information or evidence; E be the evidence to be explained; and H be an explanatory hypothesis. “C-inductive argument”: an argument in which the premisses confirm  or add to the probability of the conclusion, i.e., … F-Inductive Arguments: A New Type of Inductive Argument