I have argued previously that Craig's first two objections to AMR are weak at best. The third objection might not be as weak as the previous two. However, the third objection is the most unclear of the three, so if it turns out to be a strong objection, that will be because we help Craig to clearly formulate his third objection. William Craig’s third objection to AMR is given in a single brief paragraph: Third, it is fantastically improbable that just the sort of creatures would emerge … [Read more...]
Atheistic Moral Realism – Part 9
Filed Under: apologetics, arguments for theism, atheism & naturalism, ethics, evolution, metaethics, moral argument, nontheistic metaethics, philosophy, philosophy of religion, science, skepticism, theism, theistic metaethics Tagged With: apologetics, arguments for the existence of God, atheism, Christianity, God, objective_values, theism, William_Lane_Craig Leave a Comment
Atheistic Moral Realism – Part 8
I am not impressed by Richard Taylor's appeal to etymology as an argument for the claim that all duties and all obligations are 'owed' to some person or persons (see part 7 for my objections to that line of reasoning). However, to be fair to Craig, Taylor's appeal to etymology is not specifically and explicitly quoted by Craig in his essay 'Why I Believe God Exists' (WIAC, p.62-80). Perhaps Craig is aware of the weakness of Taylor's appeal to etymology, and so he avoids quoting such appeals … [Read more...]
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Atheistic Moral Realism – Part 7
Richard Taylor's book Virtue Ethics: An Introduction (formerly published as Ethics, Faith, and Reason) provides a very readable and interesting defense of the view that the modern conception of morality originates with religion, especially with Christianity. William Craig quotes from Chapter 11 of this book as his primary support for his second objection to AMR. So, in order to evaluate Craig's second objection, we need to evaluate Taylor's argument(s) for the claim that duties are always … [Read more...]
Filed Under: apologetics, atheism & naturalism, Christianity, ethics, metaethics, moral argument, nontheistic metaethics, philosophers, philosophy, philosophy of religion, skepticism, theism, theistic metaethics Tagged With: apologetics, arguments for the existence of God, atheism, Christianity, God, objective_values, theism, William_Lane_Craig Leave a Comment
Atheistic Moral Realism – Part 6
Some internet resources about William Craig's views on morality and Richard Taylor's views on morality: Is The Basis Of Morality Natural Or Supernatural? A Debate Between Richard Taylor and William Lane Craig Union College, Schenectady, New York October 8, 1993 http://www.leaderu.com/offices/billcraig/docs/craig-taylor0.html The Indispensability of Theological Meta-Ethical Foundations for Morality By Dr. William Lane … [Read more...]
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Books I’d Like to Read Someday
The Mystery of Existence: Why Is There Anything At All? – John Leslie & Robert Lawrence Kuhn, eds. (Wiley-Blackwell, April 2013) This compelling study of the origins of all that exists, including explanations of the entire material world, traces the responses of philosophers and scientists to the most elemental and haunting question of all: why is anything here—or anything anywhere? Why is there something rather than nothing? Why not nothing? It includes the thoughts of dozens of … [Read more...]
Filed Under: apologetics, apologist watch, books of interest, philosophy, philosophy of religion 2 Comments
Atheistic Moral Realism – Part 5
I am currently considering William Craig's second objection to Atheistic Moral Realism (AMR): Second, the nature of moral duty or obligation seems incompatible with atheistic moral realism. (WIAC, p.76) The following is a third piece of the paragraph where Craig presents this objection: Who or what lays such an obligation on me? As the ethicist Richard Taylor points out, "A duty is something that is owed. ... But something can be owed only to some person or persons. There can be no … [Read more...]
Filed Under: apologetics, arguments for theism, atheism & naturalism, Christianity, ethics, metaethics, moral argument, nontheistic metaethics, philosophy, philosophy of religion, skepticism, theism, theistic metaethics Tagged With: apologetics, arguments for the existence of God, atheism, Christianity, God, objective_values, theism, William_Lane_Craig 3 Comments
Atheistic Moral Realism – Part 4
Here, once again, is William Craig's MOVE (Moral Objective Values Exist) Argument: 1. If God does not exist, objective moral values do not exist. 2. Objective moral values do exist. Therefore: 3. God exists. I am considering one possible objection, namely rejection of, or doubt about, premise (1). Atheists who are inclined towards moral realism or belief in objective moral values will be inclined to challenge premise (1) rather than premise (2). Craig raises three objections to what … [Read more...]
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Speaking in Seattle on Saturday
I will be reprising my recent talk to the Central London Humanists, “Evidence About God: What Apologists Don’t Want You to Know,” but this time my audience will be the Creation Association of Puget Sound (CAPS). When: Saturday, May 11, 2013, 7:00PM Where: Avondale Bible Church, 17010 Avondale Road Northeast, Woodinville, WA Here is information from the organizer: Refreshments and meetup discussions at 7:00, talk at 7:30, hosted by Avondale Bible Church. This meeting is organized for … [Read more...]
Atheistic Moral Realism – Part 3
William Craig's MOVE argument is simple: 1. If God does not exist, objective moral values do not exist. 2. Objective moral values do exist. Therefore: 3. God exists. One obvious atheistic objection would be to reject or cast doubt on premise (2). If one rejects or doubts that objective moral values exist, then this argument will fail to be persuasive. Another possible objection is to reject or cast doubt upon premise (1). Some atheists accept moral realism, and thus … [Read more...]
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Atheistic Moral Realism – Part 2
I am going to engage in a bit of logic chopping now. But for those who do not have an appreciation for logic chopping, do not despair; my close examination of the bark on one tree will lead me to make some broader points that have significance for philosophy of religion, ethics, and serious thinking about God. The broader points might even have some relevance to evaluation of William Craig's argument from the Existence of Objective Moral Values (Let's rearrange those words a bit: "Moral … [Read more...]
Filed Under: apologetics, arguments for theism, atheism & naturalism, Christianity, ethics, metaethics, moral argument, philosophy, philosophy of religion, skepticism, theism Tagged With: apologetics, arguments for the existence of God, atheism, Christianity, divine attributes, God, objective_values, Richard Swinburne, theism, William_Lane_Craig 21 Comments
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