In this two-part series I will sketch and defend Alvin Plantinga’s proposal that evolution should not be taught as “the sober truth” in state schools. In Part I, I will sketch Plantinga’s position and the arguments he provides for it; in Part II, I will look at what should be taught and then I’ll defend […]
Entries Tagged as 'Alvin Plantinga'
Evolution should not be taught in State Schools: A Defence of Plantinga Part I
June 30th, 2009 55 Comments
Tags: Alvin Plantinga · Evolution · Public Policy · Public Schools · Religion in Public Life · Robert Pennock · Science and Religion · State Schools
Tooley, Plantinga and the Deontological Argument from Evil Part II
May 27th, 2009 13 Comments
In my last post, Tooley, Plantinga and the Deontological Argument from Evil Part I, I sketched Tooley’s distinction between a deontological and an axiological argument from evil and argued that Tooley rejects the axiological version because it rests on controversial ethical claims that are likely to be rejected by many theists. I outlined Tooley’s deontological […]
Tags: Alvin Plantinga · Atheism · Divine Command Theory · Michael Tooley · Philosophy of Religion · Problem of Evil · William Alston
Tooley, Plantinga and the Deontological Argument from Evil Part I
May 13th, 2009 9 Comments
This two-part series criticises the deontological argument from evil proposed by Micheal Tooley in The Knowledge of God, the print debate between him and Alvin Plantinga.1 My critique proceeds in four parts. Initially I will sketch Tooley’s distinction between a deontological and an axiological argument from evil and will argue that Tooley rejects the axiological […]
Tags: Alvin Plantinga · Atheism · Divine Command Theory · Michael Tooley · Philosophy of Religion · Problem of Evil · Selection · William Alston
John W. Loftus on The Christian Illusion of Moral Superiority Part II
May 8th, 2009 5 Comments
In my previous post, John W. Loftus on The Christian Illusion of Moral Superiority Part I, I argued that Loftus’ position was based on a confusion between ontological and epistemological foundations. I will now address his arguments against divine command theory. Loftus’ Arguments Against a Divine Command Theory After misconstruing the divine command theory as […]
Tags: Alvin Plantinga · Atheism · Divine Command Theory · God and Morality · John Loftus · Robert Adams · William Wainwright
Alvin Plantinga v Daniel Dennett: Evolution, Naturalism and Christian Theism
April 14th, 2009 5 Comments
Given how heavy and long some of our posts have been of late, I thought something more entertaining was in order (and because Matt has been asking me for weeks to put this up). Here is the February exchange at the APA between Alvin Plantinga and Daniel Dennett. By way of intro, I will quote […]
Tags: Alvin Plantinga · Daniel Dennett · Debates · Philosophy of Religion · Science and Religion
The Problem of Evil: Why does God Allow Suffering?
April 12th, 2009 74 Comments
One of the most common objections to the Christian faith is the problem of evil. Of all objections mounted against the Christian faith, prima facie, it does seem the most compelling, one of the hardest things for us to get our heads around. How does a Christian reconcile the fact of evil and suffering in […]
Tags: Alvin Plantinga · Apologetics · Philosophy of Religion · William Alston
Maverick Philosopher on the Historical Atrocities Argument
April 11th, 2009 7 Comments
In making their case against theism many of the “new atheists” (indeed many of the old) commonly appeal to historical atrocities allegedly committed by believers in God. I was discussing this phenomena recently with Doug Geivett in the aftermath of the Craig v Hitchens debate. I cited the need for Christian apologists to rebut not […]
Tags: Alvin Plantinga · Apologetics · Atheism · Christian History · Christopher Hitchens · Philosophy of Religion · Walter Sinnott-Armstrong · William Lane Craig
A common objection to belief in the God of the Bible is that a good, kind, and loving deity would never command the wholesale slaughter of nations. In the tradition of his popular Is God a Moral Monster?, Paul Copan teams up with Matthew Flannagan to tackle some of the most confusing and uncomfortable passages of Scripture. Together they help the Christian and nonbeliever alike understand the biblical, theological, philosophical, and ethical implications of Old Testament warfare passages.
