I have always been a curious person. I love to ask questions. What things work, how they work, and why they work. Math and the sciences had a great appeal to me in school. I always interacted with the teacher or professor. I was always trying to make connections among different pieces of knowledge that I was being taught. As I got older, if someone told me something, I liked to … [Read more...]
How do you believe that? – Agnostics should be skeptical all the way down
Everyone thinks they know something. Many also strive to be reasonable, logical, or rational. But is that even possible? Why trust one’s mind when it comes to reason, logic, and rationality? As a Christian, I believe that “God is a knower, and indeed the supreme knower… We human beings, therefore, being created in his image, can also know much about our world, ourselves, … [Read more...]
David Hume’s Genuine Theism
“All the new discoveries in astronomy,” explained David Hume quo Philo, “which prove the immense grandeur and magnificence of the works of Nature, are so many additional arguments for a Deity, according to the true system of Theism.” (DNR 165) Superstition, following Hume, ravishes from us the “presents of God and Nature”. Liberation from the slavery of the grossest … [Read more...]
Antitheism and Krauss' Wager
Laurence Krauss- The Antitheist Recently in a discussion with Justin Brierly (Unbelievable?) and Rodney Holder, Lawrence Krauss made an interesting statement (podcast: 58:01): "You talk about this god of love and everything else. But somehow if you don't believe in him, you don't get any of the benefits, so you have to believe. And then if you do anything wrong, you're going to … [Read more...]
Criticisms of the Moral Argument
"I cannot understand why the world is arranged as it is. Men are themselves to blame, I suppose; they were given paradise, they wanted freedom, and stole fire from heaven, though they knew they would become unhappy, so there is no need to pity them. With my pitiful, earthly, Euclidean understanding, all I know is that there is suffering and that there are none guilty; that … [Read more...]
Who Is Peeta? Identity, Persistence, and the Hunger Games
The Hunger Games and Philosophy provides an excellent springboard from which to dive into some key themes in this incredibly popular trilogy. In "Who is Peeta Mellark? The Problem of Identity in Panem," Nicolas Michaud uses Peeta's post-torture persona to look at the problem of personal identity. I will do my best to adequately represent her argument, as well as provide a … [Read more...]
The Argument of Tears
A typical crowd of tourists, seniors, and schoolchildren on field trips was mulling around the large lobby of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. when a young man, wearing full military dress and carrying a cello, walked toward a chair curiously placed in the center of the large room and sat down. He took up his bow in one hand, stretched his … [Read more...]
The Necessity Of God And The Death of Philosophy
I saw this image on Facebook the other day (states "God isn't an option, He's a necessity"). As a Christian I accept this because it is a part of the truth of Christianity (and consequently, reality). But the unbeliever doesn't tend to accept it or even appreciate the significance of this statement...especially if they claim to know anything (even as minimal as that they … [Read more...]
Arguments from Mental Phenomena
[This post is a work in progress as part of the CAA Catechism.] [Add the title only in the title field, not in the body of the post.] Summary in 400 words or less: Scripture for YouVersion: Short audio/video: Three questions (1 fill-in-the-blank, 1 multiple choice, and one discussion question): References for further reading: Collaboration notes: Collaborators: [Add your name … [Read more...]
Questions about God
Having reached the mature age of 4, my niece has gained a new level of inquisitiveness. “Why?” and “What?” have become her two favorite questions in conversation. While she has supplied me with many laughs, what continually amazes me is the intellectual depth her little mind is capable of producing. In the past few weeks she has asked the following questions: “Why doesn’t God … [Read more...]