In class today we looked at Anselm’s first version of the ontological argument (from Proslogion 2). We then looked at Gaunilo’s attempt at a “refutation by parody” and showed how Anselm could respond by saying that there can be no “greatest conceivable island” because the qualities that go into that do not have intrinsic maxima… Read More »
In my spare time I like to read, and not just philosophy either, but literature, especially the so-called ‘great works’ and works in the sci-fi/fantasy genre. I recently completed Sir Thomas Malory’s fifteenth-century classic, Le Morte d’Arthur. It’s the primary source for the collection of tales that makes up the Arthurian legend – King Arthur… Read More »
Just a brief post to see if anyone had any questions about any of the non-monotheistic models of God that I touched on in the first class. Those alternative models were these: Polytheism: There are many finite gods who exist wholly within the Cosmos. Pantheism: Everything either is God, a part of God, or a… Read More »
In a recent book entitled Can God Be Free?, William Rowe argues that the answer to the titular question is no, and he develops this into an argument for atheism. Here’s a simplified version of his basic argument: [T]here is a serious argument to the effect that no such being as God could exist if… Read More »
Here’s a picture of my wife Heather, myself, and our new baby girl, Janelle Tiara. She was born 12/18. We picked her up from Catholic Charities on 12/22. Since then, we’ve both been very busy caring for Janelle, but we also feeling very blessed going into this new year.
Now that Fall semester grades have been turned in I have a little time to do some blogging before things get really busy with (1) Christmas (12/25), (2) my wife and I bringing home our newborn adopted baby girl (12/26), and (3) my trotting off to the Eastern APA for job interviews (12/27-30). I’d like… Read More »
An “open society”, as I understand the term, is one in which guarantees certain basic rights that promote the free exchange of ideas and information. Rights like freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion are essential to open society. Like many people in the U.S., and in the West generally, I’ve… Read More »
Here is a link to a silly bot that thinks it’s God. My conversation: Me: HelloGod: Hello friend. What is your name?Me: Don’t you know?God: Sure I know. But I cannot tell you right now.Me: Why not?God: Because Myself programmed me for it.Me: Hmmm.God: A lot of people spell HMMM with three mmm’s.Me: Why?God: I… Read More »
My occasional metaphysical sparring partner, Ian Spencer, poses the following objection to presentism – the view that only what exists now exists simpliciter: Here’s a problem for most forms of presentism – on most versions, there’s no good answer to the question of why this time is the present one. That is, why does the… Read More »
First, the position I want to argue against is essential divine timelessness – the idea that, of necessity, God cannot change in any respect or stand in any temporal relations. Second, here is my argument: God is able to exercise providence. God’s exercising providence entails the making of choices on God’s part. A choice is… Read More »