The Missing Links – April 1, 2012

The front side (recto) of Papyrus 1, a New Testament manuscript of the Gospel of Matthew. Most likely originated in Egypt. Also part of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri (P. oxy. 2).

Dr. Bryant G. Wood recently presented lectures on “Archaeology and the Conquest: New Evidence on an Old Problem.”  Wood is editor of Bible and Spade, and director of the Excavations at Khirbet el-Maqatir (suggested as a possible site for Biblical Ai). Four separate talks cover:

• Background and Chronology of the Exodus and Conquest
• Digging Up the Truth at Jericho
• The Discovery of Joshua’s Ai
• Great Archaeological Discoveries Related to the Old Testament

Alexander Pruss points to a new blog on the philosophy of cosmology.

Daniel Wallace and Bart Ehrman debate on the topic: “Is the original New Testament lost?”

A new article on “Platonism and Theism” is up at the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Alvin Plantinga lectures on “Religion and Science: Why Does the Debate Continue?” at Rainier Beach Presbyterian Church in Seattle Washington

Craig Blomberg writes on “Jesus of Nazareth: How Historians Can Know Him and Why It Matters” (PDF). 

Peter S. Williams engages with the question “Can Moral Objectivism Do Without God?”

The Missing Links — May 15, 2011

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• Audio of the 2010 debate between Christopher Hitchens and Dinesh D’Souza at Notre Dame.  The video is here.

• The blog of the recently formed Christian Apologetics Alliance is up and running.  You can follow us on Twitter as well.  If you’re on Facebook and a student of apologetics, you can search for our name and request to join the Facebook group.

• Charles Taliaferro and Elizabeth Duel write on different approaches to teaching philosophy of religion in a paper entitled “Testimony, Evidence, and Wisdom in Today’s Philosophy of Religion.”

• Kevin Timpe writes on “Free Will in Philosophical Theology.”

• Alvin Plantinga’s recent Bellingham Lectures on the topics of  “God and Evolution:  Where the Conflict Really Lies” and “Does Science Show That Miracles Can’t Happen” can be viewed online here.  It’s not clear whether both lectures are included on the video or only one, but the running time of two hours, 22 minutes seems long for a single talk.

• I love this video.  Your favorite characters from Star Wars quoting Jean-Paul Sartre. : )

The Missing Links — March 7, 2011

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• Streaming Videos from the 2010 St. Thomas Summer Seminar in Philosophy of Religion and Philosophical Theology.  The speakers included Alvin Plantinga and Peter Van Inwagen with talks on the epistemology of religious belief, science and religion, and the problem of evil.

• Alexander Pruss, professor of philosophy at Baylor, writes on “Eight Tempting Big-Picture Errors in Ethics,” such as “Sometimes you should do the wrong thing” and “Some areas of life are exempt from morality.” Other papers by Pruss are available here.

• Calvin’s Virtual Library of Christian Philosophy is another fine source of free articles and papers by Christian philosophers.

• An interesting collection of critical reviews of Richard Dawkins’s The God Delusion.

• Insightful non-Christian critique of the new atheists at ABC Australia. “The militant atheist bandwagon – driven by Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris and Dennett – continues to paint their theist opposition as irrational simpletons who favor superstition and myth over reason and science.”

• The top philosophy journals according to a poll of 36,000 contributors.  The top 10 are:

1. Journal of Philosophy
2. Philosophical Review
3. Philosophy & Phenomenological Research
4. Nous
5. Mind
6. Ethics
7. Philosophical Studies
8. Synthese
9. Philosophy & Public Affairs
10. Analysis

The Missing Links – Dec. 26, 2010

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• A plethora of good articles on philosophy of religion can be found at Last Seminary.  Also see their Science and Religion collection.

 

• Three papers by philosopher Michael Murray (HT: Wintery Knight):  “Coercion and the Hiddenness of God“, American Philosophical Quarterly, Vol 30, 1993; “Who’s Afraid of Religion?“, Inaugural Lecture delivered March 30, 2006. Franklin and Marshall College; “Seek and You Will Find“, in God and the Philosophers. Thomas Morris, editor. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 1994.

 

• Victor Reppert shares some good insights on faith and evidence, in response to John Loftus.

 

• Alvin Plantinga and William Lane Craig debate Quentin Smith and Richard Gale on the nature of science and its relation to religion.

 

• Parchment & Pen highlights some of the content from Paul Copan’s latest book Is God a Moral Monster?

 

• C. S. Lewis “once described the giving of praise and thanks as ‘inner health made audible.’ He felt that it was the most ‘balanced and capacious minds’ who found it easiest to praise others, while it was misfits and malcontents who found it hardest to offer praise and thanks–to others or to God (Reflections on the Psalms, 94-95).” An interesting look at Lewis’s numerous thank-you notes to fans and readers at the C. S. Lewis blog.

Philosophy Word of the Day – Actualism

“The view that what is actual exists, but that what is merely possible does not exist.  It is held by Alvin Plantinga, Robert Stalnaker et al.  This view stands in opposition to a view sometimes called possibilism but more often (modal) realism, held by David Lewis, that non-actual possible worlds exist.”

Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy (Penguin Books, 2005), 5.

Interview with Jim Spiegel – Part Two

Today we continue with the second half of our interview with Jim Spiegel on his new book, The Making of an Atheist.  We’re continuing to collect questions for a follow-up Q&A post, and everyone who submits a question is entered into the drawing for a free copy of the book.

* * * *

Chris Reese: Your approach to apologetics in the book seems to have a lot in common with a presuppositional stance. Do you find much that you agree with in that method of apologetics?

Jim Spiegel: I’m not a presuppositionalist, but I do appreciate the insight of this approach that sin has a warping effect on the mind, that there are, as Alvin Plantinga puts it, cognitive consequences of sin. And it is just this dynamic that I think explains both a person’s descent into atheism and the ongoing obstinacy of atheists when faced with clear pointers to God. Having said that, I believe the study of the evidences for the faith is profitable in many ways, as it can quell believers’ doubts and clear away obstacles to belief for those who are sincerely investigating the Christian faith.

CR: Mainstream apologetics has tended to pass over issues of psychology and morality in relation to belief in God or Christianity. Why do you think that’s been the case?

JS: There are probably several reasons for this. For one thing, it might seem like a distraction to explore the psychological determinants of false beliefs about God when there are so many positive evidences to discuss, not to mention skeptical objections to refute. Also, it might appear to be an ad hominem fallacy to theorize about the moral-psychological roots of disbelief. But, to be clear, my thesis commits no such blunder, because an explanatory account of atheism, such as I give in my book, is different than an argument against atheism. My book does not aim to prove theism or disprove atheism (though I do mention many noteworthy evidences along the way). Instead, I aim to explain how atheistic belief arises.

CR: What do you see that’s promising as well as lacking in apologetics or Christian philosophy of religion today?

JS: It’s hard not to get excited about all that is happening in the area of intelligent design, both at the cosmic and organismic levels. The data regarding the fine-tuning of the universe is becoming more astounding every day, as is the evidence for design in cellular biology. (That such data prompted the theistic conversion of Antony Flew should make even the most hardened atheist think twice.) As for what is lacking, we badly need to see more work connecting ethical and psychological insights (e.g., about self-deception, moral weakness, the role of the emotions in belief-formation, etc.) to skeptical attitudes toward God and religion. And I would like to see work connecting aesthetics to philosophy of religion (e.g., developing arguments for God and/or against naturalism based on the reality of beauty in the world).

Book Review – The Making of an Atheist

Paperback: 144 pages

Publisher: Moody Publishers (February 1, 2010)

Official Website (Introduction in PDF)

Amazon

Christian Book Distributors

First, I should disclose that I agree with Spiegel’s thesis that “atheism is caused by a complex of moral-psychological factors, not a perceived lack of evidence for God’s existence. The atheist willfully rejects God, though this is precipitated by immoral indulgences and typically a broken relationship with his or her father. Thus, the choice of the atheist paradigm is motivated by non-rational factors” (113-114). I noticed the patterns first in the lives of Nietzsche (whom Spiegel mentions) and Foucault (whom he does not) prior to this reading.

Spiegel expects that the idea will encounter resistance (and it probably will). He compiles previously released information and packages it for popular consumption, drawing significantly from Alvin Plantinga, Antony Flew’s “conversion,” and Paul C. Vitz. In fact, Spiegel does Plantinga the honor of dedicating the book to him as “a gigantic intellect with a humble heart.” Moreover, Spiegel maintains a humble tone throughout which honors Plantinga and is often lacking in apologetics.

Spiegel’s goal is unique. He is not making a case for theism or defending it against the attacks of atheists. His argument is a flanking attack that responds to the “New Atheists” by calling into question the source of their unbelief.  Even though they claim their unbelief is rooted in reason, Spiegel sees the rational component of their unbelief secondary to their immorality or broken paternal relationships.

He blends biblical ideas (Romans 1, Ephesians 4, etc.) and virtue epistemological concepts to produce an account of how behaving badly and thinking badly decay into a downward spiral of moral and intellectual blindness (particularly in the areas of ethics, theology, and human nature).

For the link between atheism and broken paternal relationships, Spiegel draws heavily on  Paul C. Vitz’s Faith of the Fatherless. “The lack of a good father is a handicap when it comes to faith (70),” but not an insurmountable barrier. While this link will likely be unpopular or attacked as irrelevant on ad hominem grounds, let’s not forget that non-theists have already applied similar psychoanalytical criticisms against theists. Furthermore, enough examples are given to give us pause to reconsider the role of a paternal relationship in shaping our perceptions of God.

I think the value of this book is really threefold. First, it helps encourage believers that matters of belief and unbelief are not purely a matter of the intellect, but are issues of the heart and will. Secondly, it should remind believers to be sensitive to the things which may be going on in the hearts of the unbelievers they want to reach with the gospel. Thirdly, it is a call to unbelievers to consider non-rational factors that may be barriers to their belief in God.

It is a witty, quick read and is worth the couple of hours invested. I hope it is read by many. If you are strapped for time, but the concept interests you, please check out the author’s blog post on the topic here.

– Reviewed by (polymath) Adam Reece

Philosophy Audio and Video on the Web – Updated

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Given that it’s a new year, I wanted to bring this list up to date by adding resources and streamlining what was already there.  As I find more, I’ll continue to add to the collection.

If you know of other good audio or video resources in philosophy, especially philosophy of religion, please leave a comment.

(Updated January 2010)

Courses

• Consciousness – MP3s here – Susan Stuart, University of Glasgow
• Death – Download Course – Shelly Kagan, Yale
• Existentialism in Literature & Film – iTunes – Feed – Hubert Dreyfus, UC Berkeley
• Heidegger – iTunes – Feed – MP3s – Hubert Dreyfus, UC Berkeley
• Heidegger’s Being & Time – Feed – MP3s – Hubert Dreyfus, UC Berkeley
• Introduction to Practical Reasoning and Critical Analysis of Argument, iTunes – Daniel Coffeen, UC Berkeley
• Kant’s Epistemology – iTunes – Dr Susan Stuarts, University of Glasgow.
• Man, God and Society in Western Literature – iTunes – Feed – Hubert Dreyfus, UC Berkeley
• The Examined Life – iTunes – Greg Reihman, Lehigh University
• Ancient Philosophy – iTunes – Feed – Stream – David Ebrey, UC Berkeley
• Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? – YouTube –  Michael Sandel, Harvard
• Introduction to Political Philosophy – YouTube – iTunes – Download Course, Steven B. Smith, Yale
• Philosophy for Beginners – iTunes – Marianne Talbot, Oxford
• Proust & Philosophy – Feed – Johns Hopkins
• The Examined Life – iTunes – Greg Reihman, Lehigh University

Podcasts

• Philosophy Bites iTunes Feed Web Site
  • A British podcast featuring interviews of top philosophers that delves into some essential philosophical questions — what is the meaning of life? what is the nature of reality? what is evil?, etc.
• Philosophers’ Cafe Feed Web Site
  • Comfortable surroundings for vibrant street level discussions on burning issues of the day. No formal philosophy training required; real life experience desired. Come early, stay late. Presented by Simon Fraser University.

(HT: Open Culture)

Philosophy of Religion and Christian Ethics

Courses

• Paul Copan’s five-session course in philosophy of religion is available free from Reclaiming the Mind Ministries.
• Ron Nash’s History of Philosophy and Christian Thought is available at biblicaltraining.org (which has nearly an entire seminary curriculum on mp3 available to download).
• Ron Nash’s Christian Ethics Course is also available at biblicaltraining.org.

Interviews

• Closer to the Truth has a great collection of video interviews with Christian and non-Christian philosophers on topics in philosophy of religion.  The interviews are streaming video and don’t appear to be available for download.

Podcasts

• Conversations from the Pale Blue Dot (iTunes) is a podcast hosted by Common Sense Atheism and interviews both Christian and non-Christian philosophers on topics in philosophy of religion.

Talks/Lectures

• William Lane Craig’s Reasonable Faith Podcasts (iTunes) contain Dr. Craig’s commentary on issues in philosophy and theology and his answers to questions posted on his Reasonable Faith website.
• The Veritas Forum website contains dozens of talks and debates by Christian scholars and thinkers on topics that range across every academic discipline.  Among the notable speakers are Alvin Plantinga, Dallas Willard, William Lane Craig, and J. P. Moreland.

Apologetics

Podcasts

• Apologetics 315 lists the top 16 apologetics podcasts.
• Unbelievable Radio Program – Weekly debates between top Christian apologists and scholars and leading atheist thinkers. (iTunes)

General Philosophy

Podcasts

• Apologetics 315 Logical Fallacies Podcasts
  • Part One (iTunes)
  • Part Two (iTunes)
• Philosopher’s Zone – Radio interviews with philosophers covering all branches of philosophy.
• In Our Time – This BBC radio program focuses on the history of ideas and often includes discussion of important philosophers and topics in philosophy.
• Oxford University Philosophy Podcasts – Links to the annual John Locke lectures, the “Interviews with Philosophers” series, and Marianne Talbot’s “Philosophy for Beginners” (also linked to above).

Talks/Lectures

• Nietzsche on Mind and Nature – These 7 lectures were given at the international conference “Nietzsche on Mind and Nature” held at St. Peter’s College, Oxford, on 11-13 September, 2009, organized by the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Oxford. (iTunes)

Interviews with Alvin Plantinga

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[tweetmeme]Alvin Plantinga, John A. O’Brien Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, is one of the greatest and most influential philosophers of the 20th century.

The following videos (about 25 minutes altogether) are of Simon Smart (Centre for Public Christianity) interviewing Plantinga. They talk about reasons for belief in God, the arguments of Richard Dawkins, and personal faith. “Plantinga provides a summary of his evolutionary argument against Naturalism, as well as giving a personal reflection on the highs and lows of a life of faith.”

(HT: Between Two Worlds)




Calvin on the Sensus Divinitatis

Speaking of Alvin Plantinga (below), this is one of the passages from John Calvin where Calvin describes the innate sense of God that all people possess – which Plantinga employs in his Aquinas/Calvin model for warranted Christian belief.

“There is within the human mind, and indeed by natural instinct, an awareness of divinity. This we take to be beyond controversy.  To prevent anyone from taking refuge in the pretense of ignorance, God himself has implanted in all men a certain understanding of his divine majesty. . . . Men of sound judgment will always be sure that a sense of divinity which can never be effaced is engraved upon men’s minds. Indeed, the perversity of the impious, who though they struggle furiously are unable to extricate themselves from the fear of God, is abundant testimony that this conviction, namely, that there is some God, is naturally inborn in all, and is fixed deep within, as it were in the very marrow.”

from John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960), 43, 45-46.