Readings and Authors Philosophy

Philosophy of Religion

Taliaferro

Kalam Cosmological Argument

Craig

Critique of the Kalam Cosmological Argument: Craig misunderstands infinity

Draper

Scientific Argument for the Existence of God (fine tuning)

Collins

Misapprehensions about Fine-tuning. Intelligent designer of the universe and ongoing divine activity.

Hawthorne and Issacs

Fine tuning is not surprising

Juhl

General Cosmological Argument

Davis

The Ontological Argument: if God exists only in the imagination, he is not the greatest thing we can conceive. Therefore, he must exist in reality.

Anselm

Critique of the Ontological Argument: existence is not a predicate

Kant

Contemporary Defense of the Ontological Argument: maximal excellence (God exists in some possible world, which means that he must exist in every possible world because he is maximally great)

Plantinga

The existence of evil creates inconsistencies in the traditional concept of God.

Mackie

Free will provides a solution to the problem of evil.

Plantinga

Gratuitous evil and the evidential problem of evil

Rowe

Evil is necessary for personal growth AND our limited human cognitive abilities make it hard for us to comprehend evil

Alston

Problem of evil. Graced naturalism: God works in the natural world to bring about good but also intervenes in supernatural ways to bring about greater good.

Stump

Hell is vague. Different conceptions of damnation creates the problem of vagueness. Adopt a more tolerant and compassionate attitude towards damnation.

Sider

Some religious beliefs are properly basic, which means that they may be rational without evidence.

Bergmann

Decision theory: it is rational / pragmatic to believe in God.

Jackson

Should we want God to exist?

Kahane

Divine hiddenness is complicated, but we can find meaning and purpose in the absence of God’s direct presence.

Rea

If naturalism and evolution are true, our cognitive abilities are unreliable. God is a solution to this problem; if He created our cognitive facilities, we have reason to trust our own beliefs. We should believe in God.

Mirza