Category Archives: Religion

by | May 5, 2012

Analytic thinking, religion and science – the rhetoric and the psychology

Over the past few decades there has been an increasingly large literature on styles of thinking and cognitive biases (to which I am grateful to Jocelyn Stoller, a reader of this blog, for introducing me) in psychology, culminating in the marvellous … Continue reading →

8 Comments

Filed under Cognition, Epistemology, Evolution, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Social evolution

by | April 21, 2012

Community, unbelief, and the rise of secularism

One of the things that losing full use of a limb causes, is that everything takes four times as long as it used to. So I haven’t blogged due to my being very busy, tired, or both. Sorry. I promised … Continue reading →

56 Comments

Filed under Creationism and Intelligent Design, General Science, Philosophy, Rant, Religion

by | April 7, 2012

The Knight’s Song, or What is a [scientific] theory?

“Or else it doesn’t, you know. The name of the song is called ‘Haddocks’ Eyes.’” “Oh, that’s the name of the song, is it?” Alice said, trying to feel interested. “No, you don’t understand,” the Knight said, looking a little … Continue reading →

31 Comments

Filed under Biology, Creationism and Intelligent Design, Ecology and Biodiversity, Epistemology, General Science, Metaphysics, Natural Classification, Philosophy, Science, Sermon, Species and systematics, Systematics

by | March 22, 2012

What warrant is there for belief in God?

Every morning on the way to the campus of the University of Melbourne I pass by the United Faculty of Theology, and I often wish that someone would come out and engage me in a debate. Partly because I am … Continue reading →

41 Comments

Filed under Epistemology, Evolution, Philosophy, Religion

by | March 18, 2012

Hume’s Dialogues: A coloured edition

Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion is one of the very best philosophical works ever written, as I was reminded this morning while seeking a passage. But it is not easily available in a decent format online. Sure, you can download a … Continue reading →

5 Comments

Filed under History, Logic and philosophy, Metaphysics, Philosophy, Religion

by | March 6, 2012

Progress in creation science

1 Comment

Filed under Creationism and Intelligent Design

by | March 4, 2012

What, however, is the EAAN?

[Previous posts: One and Two] I may have been too hasty in my acceptance that Plantinga’s Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism was not what I had originally given. As commenter Nick Matzke pointed out, Plantinga seems to be doing a bit … Continue reading →

22 Comments

Filed under Epistemology, Evolution, Logic and philosophy, Metaphysics, Philosophy, Religion

by | March 3, 2012

Plantinga’s EAAN revisited

Blogs are places where one tosses out a hastily constructed piece of argument, or commentary, and not where one slowly and thoughtfully writes something that one will eventually earn an income from (unless you are PZ Myers). So when I … Continue reading →

14 Comments

Filed under Epistemology, Evolution, Logic and philosophy, Philosophy, Religion, Science

by | February 18, 2012

Doxastic biases and arguments for religion (and other things)

Helen De Cruz has the results of a fascinating survey on how various arguments for and against the existence of God are treated by philosophers… according to their general stance – atheist, agnostic, or theist. Basically it considers not whether … Continue reading →

75 Comments

Filed under Epistemology, Logic and philosophy, Philosophy, Religion

by | January 31, 2012

Plantinga’s EAAN

A post now up at the Philosopher’s Carnival discusses Alvin Plantinga’s Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism (EAAN), and comment how it is like (not exactly the same) as a global skepticism argument being self-defeating. Plantinga’s argument goes like this: P1. If … Continue reading →

41 Comments

Filed under Epistemology, Evolution, Logic and philosophy, Metaphysics, Philosophy, Religion, Science