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Discussing the arguments by Descartes, St. Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, William Paley, Kant, and others, as analyzed in J.L. Mackie's The Miracle of Theism: Arguments For and Against the Existence of God (1983), chapters 1-3, 5-6, 8, and 11.
This is a 33-minute preview of our vintage 1 hr, 43-minute episode which you can buy at partiallyexaminedlife.com/store or get for free with PEL Citizenship (see partiallyexaminedlife.com/membership). You can also purchase the full episode in the iTunes Store: Search for "Partially Examined Existence God" and look under "Albums."
Are the ontological, cosmological, and teleological (argument from design) arguments for God's existence any good? Mackie, a very sharp analytic philosopher well hooked into recent advances in philosophy of science, says no. He's chiefly responding to his Oxford colleague, Richard Swinburne, who takes a very rationalist approach to God, taking the concept of God to be wholly simple and intelligible and providing a superior scientific explanation for, e.g. the beginning of the universe than the brute fact of an ultimately uncaused physical universe. Read more about the topic.
Mark, Seth, and Wes are joined by groovy South African theist blogger Robert Scott.
End song: "I Believe," by Mark Lint (2011). Read about it.
Huseyn Qurbanov says
January 27, 2016 at 1:05 pmLogically complete cosmological concept. /due to lack of knowledge of the English language was not able to correct the translation Implemented by Google/
In order to present the unlimited space originally Elementary:
1. variety (homogeneous) сompleted – enough to postulate the presence in it of two elements with SIMPLE and COMPLEX /closed systematically manifested the essence/
2. heterogeneous completed – enough to postulate the presence in it of one more element – the Most High and Almighty God – with open exhibited systemic nature.
Not hard to imagine that even at the lowest possible deployment intangible components the nature of God – the Spirit of God – for the level of the original downwardly directed continuous deployment the material component of the essence of God, there is a curtailment of SIMPLE and COMPLEX /i.e.. their decay occurs due to blocking of origin upwardly directed constantly deploy components of their intangible essences/, as the maximum possible heterogeneous nature of God to the minimum possible number of cell uniformity (№1h) and God on the basis of the material components of the minimum possible №1 deploys heterogeneous to its essence as possible numerical element uniformity (№2H). The process of clotting №2H begins at a certain point in time God begins at the end of its deployment. Curtailment of the Spirit of God to the level of initial deployment again unfolds №1H – God’s potential for transformation into a №1H in №2H and №1H in №2H limitless!
Mark Linsenmayer says
January 29, 2016 at 11:53 pmI think I speak for everyone here when I say “huh?” Is this bad Google translation as you say or simply word salad?
Huseyn Qurbanov says
November 26, 2016 at 7:46 amCosmological concept which is complete from logical point of view
Initial composition of boundless space from the point of view of element:
1.It is suffucient to declare existence of two elements, SIMPLE and COMPLEX, possesing closed systemic appearance in order to imagine different (homogenous) and completed one.
2.It is sufficient to declare existence of Lord and Almighty in other element, possesing non-closed systematic appearance in order to imagine it as different and incomplete as heterogenous (in other words: various type).
It is not difficult to presume that simple and complex compression is happened in possible minimal widening from permanent widening level, first, inclination to descending, from material component of God from non-material component of Divine Spirit/separation happened as maximum possible diversity (1H) on essence of God on minimum possible numeric homogeneity regarding with blockage of start of non-material components, permanently widening, inclined to their increase of essence/God widens minimal possible homogeneity as maximum possible numeric diversity (2H) to His essence on the basis of 1H material components. Closing process starts only from time, known to God, starting from completion of 2 H opening process. Closing process reopens according to initial opening level of Divine Spirit 1H-1H process of God to 2H process and conversion possibilities of 2H process to 1 H process!
Mark Linsenmayer says
November 26, 2016 at 12:38 pmThis looks like word salad. Why would I want to declare something “complex” an “element” with a “closed systematic appearance”? The emphasis here is to try to explain things so that they will be understood. Can you do this?
Jennifer Tejada says
January 8, 2017 at 12:29 pmFive years late to the party, but I have to say – my six year old WAS listening. Normally I don’t play with kids present for obvious language choices. But they were playing dominoes nearby with their dad while I was listening and chopping potatoes. They tuned you guys out until “Santa Claus” came up. Just too funny not to share.
Byron says
July 5, 2017 at 3:51 pmIf you really want to discuss philosophy of religion why dont you have someon elike David Bentley Hart or Edward Feser on your show? or does your bias/agenda take precedence?
Mark Linsenmayer says
July 5, 2017 at 3:54 pmhttp://partiallyexaminedlife.com/2015/12/14/ep129-1-faith/