(HT: Dangerous Idea) That's the conclusion drawn by Asbury University philosopher Michael L. Peterson. You can read Professor Peterson's essay here. I think Peterson is correct, for many of the same reasons I offer in my analysis of ID. (See my blog post here) … [Read more...]
Jay Bruce wins teaching award. Congratulations!
April 18, 2011 By 2 Comments
From the Baylor philosophy department website: Jay Bruce, who got his PhD in philosophy at Baylor in 2008, was recently named the Student Choice Award Professor of the Year for 2010-11 at John Brown University, where he has a permanent position. Congratulations, Jay! I am proud to say that I sat on Jay's dissertation committee, and he also took my "Philosophy of Law" class. … [Read more...]
How to Referee a Philosophical Debate
April 18, 2011 By 2 Comments
(HT: Joe Carter at First Things) … [Read more...]
Synthese Disclaimer Published
April 14, 2011 By 1 Comment
I've already mentioned on this blog my Synthese response to the perfectly awful piece by philosopher Barbara Forrest (see here, here and here) in which she "critiques" my entire life. (If that sounds weird, you're right. See my pointed Synthese response to Forrest, "Or We Can Be Philosophers: A Response to Barbara Forrest.") It turns out that the editors of Synthese have just published a disclaimer in the front matter of the Synthese issue in which Forrest's piece was published. Here it … [Read more...]
Intelligent Design, Thomas Aquinas, and the Ubiquity of Final Causes: Why I Reject ID
April 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Last year, on May 22, 2010, the BioLogos Foundation published a paper of mine on its website, “Intelligent Design, Thomas Aquinas, and the Ubiquity of Final Causes.” It is excerpted and adapted from my article, “How to Be An Anti-Intelligent Design Advocate,” University of St. Thomas Journal of Law and Public Policy 4.1 (2010): 35-65. This BioLogos paper should be read in conjunction with the four blog posts I published in 2010 on "Science & the Sacred," the BioLogos … [Read more...]
Come, Let Us Reason
March 31, 2011 By 1 Comment
That is the title of my latest entry on The Catholic Thing. Here's how it begins: The God of Christian theism is the Source of Reason. St. John calls the Second Person of the Trinity, the Logos, a Greek term from which we get the word “logic.” Within the greatest commandment is the instruction to “love the Lord your God with all your. . .mind” (Matt 22:37-JB). St. Peter commands believers to “always have your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you have. … [Read more...]
My letter to UNLV President Neal Smatresk in support of the UNLV philosophy department
March 29, 2011 By 8 Comments
As many of you may know, the state of Nevada is feeling the brunt of the current economic downturn. For this reason, the state's institutions of higher education are being forced to make deep budget cuts. Among the cuts proposed by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is the elimination of its philosophy department. Below is the letter I sent last night to UNLV President Neal Smatresk. I cc'd it to the chancellor of the university system (Daniel Klatch) as well as each of the members … [Read more...]
Or We Can Be Philosophers: A Response to Barbara Forrest
March 8, 2011 By 1 Comment
That is the title of an article of mine that is forthcoming in the philosophy journal, Synthese. It is, however, now available online prior to its appearance in print. (It may be downloaded by individual purchase or if you or your institution has a subscription). Here is how my article begins (references omitted): … [Read more...]
My review of Abortion: Three Perspectives, by Tooley, Wolf-Devine, Devine, and Jaggar
December 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I recently published this review in the journal Faith & Philosophy 27.4 (2010): 478-482. Here's how it begins: It has been nearly four decades since the U.S. Supreme Court held that there is a right to abortion protected by the U.S. Constitution. Yet, the question ofabortion’s moral and legal permissibility, and all the attendant issues about the nature of law, human persons, and morality, continue to be seriously (and sometimes not so seriously) engaged in the public … [Read more...]
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