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An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion Michael J
Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-85369-9 - An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion Michael J. Murray and Michael C. Rea Index More information Index Adams, Robert M., 239, 240–2, 243, 245, Christology 248, 249 three-part, 84 afterlife, see immortality two-part, 83–4 Alston, William, 108, 109 see also Incarnation Anselm, of Canterbury St., 8, 12–13 Commissurotomy, see Trinity, and and perfect-being theology, 8 commissurotomy Ontological Argument, 124–35 compatibilism, 54, 61 Apollinarianism, 81 Constitution Trinitarianism, see Trinity, Aquinas, Thomas St., 30, 61, 100, statue–lump analogy 238, 263 Cosmological Argument, 135–46 Arianism, 81 Kalam version, 143–6 Aristotle, 73 counterfactual, 53 aseity, see self-existence of freedom, 59, 60–1 Assumption, 84 power, 53–4 atemporality, 40; see also eternity see also Molinism; Ockhamism Athanasian Creed, 66 Craig, William Lane, 143, 145 atheism creation, 22–3, 26–33 arguments for, see God, arguments Cryptomnesia, 277 against the existence of evolutionary argument against, see Davis, Stephen, 76 Evolution Dawkins, Richard, 97, 221 Augustine, St., 61, 70 Dembski, William, 215–16 Descartes, Rene´, 17, 125–6, 263 basic belief, 108 Design Arguments, 146–55 Basil, St., 69 argument from analogy, 147–8 Bayle, Pierre, 252 inference to the best explanation Behe, Michael, 216–20 argument, 148–9 Bergmann, Michael, 110 fine-tuning argument, Boethius, 40, 41 150–5 Brower, Jeffrey, 66, 67 determinism, 54 divine command ethics, see ethics; Calvin, John, 61 divine commands Calvinism, see Providence Docetism, 81 Chalcedonian Creed, 80 Draper, Paul, 178–80 287 © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-85369-9 - An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion Michael J. -
What Was 'The Enlightenment'? We Hear About It All the Time. It Was A
What Was ‘The Enlightenment’? We hear about it all the time. It was a pivotal point in European history, paving the way for centuries of history afterward, but what was ‘The Enlightenment’? Why is it called ‘The Enlightenment’? Why did the period end? The Enlightenment Period is also referred to as the Age of Reason and the “long 18th century”. It stretched from 1685 to 1815. The period is characterized by thinkers and philosophers throughout Europe and the United States that believed that humanity could be changed and improved through science and reason. Thinkers looked back to the Classical period, and forward to the future, to try and create a trajectory for Europe and America during the 18th century. It was a volatile time marked by art, scientific discoveries, reformation, essays, and poetry. It begun with the American War for Independence and ended with a bang when the French Revolution shook the world, causing many to question whether ideas of egalitarianism and pure reason were at all safe or beneficial for society. Opposing schools of thought, new doctrines and scientific theories, and a belief in the good of humankind would eventually give way the Romantic Period in the 19th century. What is Enlightenment? Philosopher Immanuel Kant asked the self-same question in his essay of the same name. In the end, he came to the conclusion: “Dare to know! Have courage to use your own reason!” This was an immensely radical statement for this time period. Previously, ideas like philosophy, reason, and science – these belonged to the higher social classes, to kings and princes and clergymen. -
Philosophy of Religion (HSA020N247H) | University of Roehampton
09/25/21 Philosophy of Religion (HSA020N247H) | University of Roehampton Philosophy of Religion (HSA020N247H) View Online (Module Validation) Philosophy of Religion How are we to approach the philosophy of religion? Is it more than the philosophy of God? and what, if anything, does it have to do with the various practical and moral issues which occupy us as human beings? We shall approach the subject in a manner which acknowledges the significance of these practical and methodological issues, and will consider questions such as the following. What is the relation between science and religion? Does it make sense to say that there is purpose in the natural world? How are we to understand the purpose of our human lives? What is the relation between spirituality and religion? Is God necessary for morality? What is religious experience? Is there anything problematic in the idea that we need to be saved? 121 items Key Texts (1 items) Philosophy of Religion: Towards a More Humane Approach - John Cottingham, 2014 Book | Essential Reading Topic 1: What is philosophy of religion? (7 items) See accompanying handouts for each lecture New models of religious understanding - 2018 Book | Essential Reading | The Introduction is helpful in this context. Philosophy of Religion: Towards a More Humane Approach - John Cottingham, 2014 Book | Essential Reading | ch 1, ‘Method’ Why Philosophy Matters for the Study of Religion--And Vice Versa - Thomas A. Lewis, 2017 Book | Essential Reading | Introduction and ch 1. What is philosophy of religion? - Charles Taliaferro, 2019 Book | Essential Reading | ch 1. 1/11 09/25/21 Philosophy of Religion (HSA020N247H) | University of Roehampton Prolegomena to a philosophy of religion - J. -
Emergentism As an Option in the Philosophy of Religion: Between Materialist Atheism and Pantheism
SURI 7 (2) 2019: 1-22 Emergentism as an Option in the Philosophy of Religion: Between Materialist Atheism and Pantheism James Franklin University of New South Wales Abstract: Among worldviews, in addition to the options of materialist atheism, pantheism and personal theism, there exists a fourth, “local emergentism”. It holds that there are no gods, nor does the universe overall have divine aspects or any purpose. But locally, in our region of space and time, the properties of matter have given rise to entities which are completely different from matter in kind and to a degree god-like: consciousnesses with rational powers and intrinsic worth. The emergentist option is compared with the standard alternatives and the arguments for and against it are laid out. It is argued that, among options in the philosophy of religion, it involves the minimal reworking of the manifest image of common sense. Hence it deserves a place at the table in arguments as to the overall nature of the universe. Keywords: Emergence; pantheism; personal theism; naturalism; consciousness 1. INTRODUCTION The main options among world views are normally classifiable as either materialist atheism, pantheism (widely understood) or personal theism. According to materialist atheism, there exists nothing except the material universe as we ordinarily conceive it, and its properties are fully described by science (present or future). According to personal theism, there exists a separate entity (or entities) of a much higher form than those found in the 2019 Philosophical Association of the Philippines 2 Emergentism as an Option in the Philosophy of Religion material universe, a god or gods. -
Justifying Religious Freedom: the Western Tradition
Justifying Religious Freedom: The Western Tradition E. Gregory Wallace* Table of Contents I. THESIS: REDISCOVERING THE RELIGIOUS JUSTIFICATIONS FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.......................................................... 488 II. THE ORIGINS OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN EARLY CHRISTIAN THOUGHT ................................................................................... 495 A. Early Christian Views on Religious Toleration and Freedom.............................................................................. 495 1. Early Christian Teaching on Church and State............. 496 2. Persecution in the Early Roman Empire....................... 499 3. Tertullian’s Call for Religious Freedom ....................... 502 B. Christianity and Religious Freedom in the Constantinian Empire ................................................................................ 504 C. The Rise of Intolerance in Christendom ............................. 510 1. The Beginnings of Christian Intolerance ...................... 510 2. The Causes of Christian Intolerance ............................. 512 D. Opposition to State Persecution in Early Christendom...... 516 E. Augustine’s Theory of Persecution..................................... 518 F. Church-State Boundaries in Early Christendom................ 526 G. Emerging Principles of Religious Freedom........................ 528 III. THE PRESERVATION OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN MEDIEVAL AND REFORMATION EUROPE...................................................... 530 A. Persecution and Opposition in the Medieval -
On Religious Toleration: Prudence and Charity in Augustine, Aquinas
ON RELIGIOUS TOLERATION: PRUDENCE AND CHARITY IN AUGUSTINE, AQUINAS, AND TOCQUEVILLE By MARY C. IMPARATO A dissertation submitted to the School of Graduate Studies Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Program in Political Science Written under the direction of P. Dennis Bathory And approved by _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ New Brunswick, New Jersey October, 2020 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION On Religious Toleration: Prudence and Charity in Augustine, Aquinas, and Tocqueville By MARY C. IMPARATO Dissertation Director: P. Dennis Bathory This work seeks to explore the concept of religious toleration as it has been conceived by key thinkers at important junctures in the history of the West in the hopes of identifying some of the animating principles at work in societies confronted with religious difference and dissent. One can observe that, at a time when the political influence of the Catholic Church was ascendant and then in an era of Church hegemony, St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas respectively, faced with religious dissent, argue for toleration in some cases and coercion in others. While, from a contemporary liberal standpoint, one may be tempted to judge their positions to be opportunistic, harsh, or authoritarian, if we read them in the context of their social realities and operative values, we can better understand their stances as emanating ultimately from prudence (that virtue integrating truth and practice) and charity (the love of God and neighbor). With the shattering of Christian unity and the decoupling of throne and altar that occurs in the early modern period, the context for religious toleration is radically altered. -
Religious Skepticism and Higher-Order Evidence Nathan King (Whitworth University)
Religious Skepticism and Higher-Order Evidence Nathan King (Whitworth University) 1. Introduction The recent literature on the epistemology of disagreement has its roots in the literature on religious disagreement from the 1980’s and 90’s. This sort of development differs from what one might have expected—namely, a body of literature on the epistemology of disagreement in general, followed by application to specific cases (say, religious disagreement). In this instance, however, the discussion moved from specific to general. The specific, religious-oriented discussion started by (e.g.) William Alston, Gary Gutting, John Hick, Alvin Plantinga, and Peter van Inwagen gave rise to the general discussion taking place today between (e.g.) Michael Bergmann, David Christensen, Adam Elga, Richard Feldman, Thomas Kelly, and Jennifer Lackey. In this paper, I tie together some threads common to these two discussions, and consider to what extent the recent literature should impact the ongoing discussion of religious disagreement. As a means to this, I’ll examine two arguments for religious skepticism: (1) an argument from peer disagreement; and (2) a cumulative argument from higher-order evidence. I aim to show that the first argument is unsound, but that the second is more promising for the religious skeptic. I’ll close by discussing some strategies for replying to the second argument. The best of these replies, I’ll suggest, reveals ways in which discussions of disagreement and higher-order evidence point beyond themselves. 2. The Argument from Peer Disagreement Much recent discussion of the epistemology of disagreement has focused on the special case of disagreement between epistemic peers. -
Benjamin Franklin
THE CAMBRIDGE COMPANION TO BENJAMIN FRANKLIN EDITED BY CARLA MULFORD CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS c·AM~=~.U~!L.sJ.ItlRES S Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, Sao Paulo, Delhi Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8Ru, UK Published in the United Stares of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/978052I69I864 © Cambridge University Press 2008 This ·publicatiön is in copyright. Subiect to statutorv exceotion and .;. t~·;tbe1Wpri~ipns of relevant collective licensing agreements, 1 00,~eproduction of any part may take place without the; S't~t!;~ermission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2008 Printed in the United Kingdom at the University Press, Cambridge A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British ·Library Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data The Cambridge companion to Benjamin Franklin I edited by Carla Mulford. p. cm. - (Cambridge companions to American studies) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-o-52I-87I34-I (hardback) I. Franklin, Benjamin, I706-I790 - Political and social views. 2. Franklin, Benjamin, I706-I790 - Knowledge and learning. 3. Franklin, Benjamin, I706-I790 - Influence. 4. Statesmen - United States - Biography. 5. Scientists - United Stares - Biography. 6. United Stares - lntellectual life - I 8th century. 1. Mulford, Carla, I 9 5 5- II. Tide: Companion to Benjamin Franklin. III. Series. E302.6.F8C2I8 2008 973.3092-dc22 (B] 2008033470 ISBN 978-o-52I-87I34-I hardback ISBN 978-o-52I-69I86-4 paperback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party interner websites referred to in this book, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. -
Atheism, Agnosticism, and Nonbelief
ATHEISM, AGNOSTICISM, AND NONBELIEF: A QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF TYPE AND NARRATIVE By Christopher Frank Silver Ralph W Hood Jr Jim Tucker Professor Professor (Co-Chair) (Co-Chair) Valerie C. Rutledge David Rausch Professor Assistant Professor (Committee Member) (Committee Member) Anthony J. Lease A. Jerald Ainsworth Dean of the College of Health, Education Dean of the Graduate School and Professional Studies ATHEISM, AGNOSTICISM, AND NONBELIEF: A QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE STUDY OF TYPE AND NARRATIVE By Christopher Frank Silver A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chattanooga, Tennessee August 2013 ii Copyright © 2013 By Christopher Frank Silver All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Extensive research has been conducted in exploration of the American religious landscape, however recently has social science research started to explore Nonbelief in any detail. Research on Nonbelief has been limited as most research focuses on the popularity of the religious “nones” or the complexities of alternative faith expressions such as spirituality. Research has been limited in exploring the complexity of Nonbelief or how non-believers would identify themselves. Most research assumes nonbelievers are a monolithic group with no variation such as Atheism or Agnosticism. Through two studies, one qualitative and one quantitative, this study explored identity of Nonbelief. Study one (the qualitative study) discovered that individuals have shared definitional agreement but use different words to describe the different types of Nonbelief. Moreover, social tension and life narrative play a role in shaping one’s ontological worldview. -
Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke A diligent study of Burke’s letters and manuscripts brings home the extent to which Burke’s approach to politics was a religious one. What is often spoken of as his “empiricism” appears in this light to be better described as Christian pessimism. As a Christian, Burke believed that the world is imperfect, he regarded his “enlightened” contemporaries’ faith in the perfectibility of man as atheistical as well as erroneous. Thus, whereas the fashionable intellectuals of his time looked for the progressive betterment of the world through the beneficial influence of Reason and Nature, Burke maintained that the moral order of the universe is unchanging. The first duty of rulers and legislators, he argued, is to the present, not to the future; their energies should be devoted to the correction of real ills, not to the promotion of an ideal order that exists only in the imagination. Burke put great faith in the inherited wisdom of tradition. He held that the moral order of the temporal world must necessarily include some evil, by reason of original sin. Men ought not to reject what is good in tradition merely because there is some admixture of evil in it. In man’s confused situation, advantages may often lie in balance and compromises between good and evil, even between one evil and another. It is an important part of wisdom to know how much evil should be tolerated. To search for too great a purity is only to produce fresh corruption. Burke was especially critical of revolutionary movements with noble humanitarian ends because he believed that people are simply not at liberty to destroy the state and its institutions in the hope of some contingent improvement. -
The Origins of Religious Disbelief
Religious Disbelief 1 The Origins of Religious Disbelief Ara Norenzayan1 & Will M. Gervais2 1 Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4 Canada 2 Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, 201 Kastle Hall, Lexington, KY, 40506, USA Corresponding authors: Norenzayan, A. ([email protected]); Gervais, W. M. ([email protected]) Word count: Text: 2550; Abstract: 106 In press, Trends in Cognitive Sciences Religious Disbelief 2 Abstract Although most people are religious, there are hundreds of millions of religious disbelievers in the world. What is religious disbelief and how does it arise? Recent developments in the scientific study of religious beliefs and behaviors point to the conclusion that religious disbelief arises from multiple interacting pathways, traceable to cognitive, motivational, and cultural learning mechanisms. We identify four such pathways, leading to four distinct forms of atheism, which we term mindblind atheism, apatheism, inCREDulous atheism, and analytic atheism. Religious belief and disbelief share the same underlying pathways that can be explained within a single evolutionary framework that is grounded in both genetic and cultural evolution. Religious Disbelief 3 The Existence and Prevalence of Disbelief Most people on the planet are deeply religious. Nonetheless, there is considerable individual and population variability in both commitment to gods as well as in behaviors that support belief in them [1,2]. Moreover, religious beliefs fluctuate across situations [3], across the lifespan [4], and across historical periods [5]. The worldwide prevalence of atheists is nontrivial, numbering over half a billion or possibly more (see Box 1). Religious disbelief has not received adequate scientific attention, and poses an interesting puzzle to evolutionary explanations that see religious beliefs and behaviors as integral components of human nature [6,7]. -
Philosophy of Religion
International Journal for Philosophy of Religion Cumulative Index Volumes 1-38 (1970-1995) Compiled by NAYNA }IVAN and EUGENE THOMAS LONG With the assistance of PATAKIANTAL Part One: Articles Part Two: Review Articles Part Three: Book Reviews Kluwer Academic Publishers DORDRECHT / BOSTON / LONDON 184 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PlllLOSOPHY OF RELIGION Part One: Articles Special issues 1970 (Volume 1, No.3) Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel: Commemorating the 200th anniversary of his birth (27 August 1770) with contributions by Darrel E. Christensen, Murray Greene, Edgar H. Henderson, Robert 1. Perkins, Efraim Shmeli & Frederick G. Weiss 1988 (Volume 24, Nos. 1-2) The problem of evil with contributions by Keith Chrzan, David A. Conway, R. Z. Friedman, C. Robert Mesle, Bruce R. Reichenbach & Jane Mary Trau 1992 (Volume 31, Nos. 2-3) The epistemic status of religious belief guest-edited by Bowman 1. Clarke & William 1. Power with contributions by William P. Alston, Bowman L. Clarke, Frederick Ferre, Eugene Th. Long, William L. Power, Theodore Runyon & Keith E. Yandell 1995 (Volume 38, Nos. 1-3) God, reason and religions edited by Eugene Th. Long with contributions by William P. Alston, David B. Burrell, Bowman 1. Clarke, Eugene Th. Long, Robert Cummings Neville, Philip 1. Quinn, William 1. Rowe, Robert P. Scharlemann, John E. Smith, Richard Swinburne & Merold Westphal Articles on author's name in alphabetical/chronological order Adams, E. M. (1985) The accountability of religiOUS discourse, 18(1-2): 3-17. Alon, Ilai see Graves, David & Alon, Ilai (1995). Alston, William P. (1985) Divine foreknowledge and alternative conceptions of human freedom, 18(1-2): 19-32.