DOCSLIB.ORG

Contemporary Analytic Christian Theology Syllabus-Psmith GCTS

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Contemporary Analytic Christian Theology Syllabus-Psmith GCTS COURSE SYLLABUS TH 8XX—Contemporary Analytic Christian Theology Patrick T. Smith, Course Instructor Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Fall Semester 2012 Monday afternoons Phone: (978) 646-4120 Email: [email protected] Course Description This course explores some of the recent issues in analytic theology by surveying select categories in systematic theology. Attention is given to philosophical and conceptual issues that emerge when reflection is given to the central doctrines of historic orthodox Christianity and their implications for Christian thought and ministry. (Prerequisites: TH 504—Systematic Theology I, TH 605—Systematic Theology II, TH 607—Systematic Theology III) Course Readings Required Textbook: Crisp, Oliver, A Reader in Contemporary Philosophical Theology (New York: T & T Clark, 2009). Required Essays: Abraham, William J. “Systematic Theology as Analytic Theology,” in Oliver Crisp and Michael Rea (eds), Analytic Theology (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009). Alston, William P. “The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit,” Divine Nature and Human Language: Essays in Philosophical Theology (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1989). Blount, Douglas K. “On the Incarnation of a Timeless God,” in Gregory E. Ganssle and David M. Woodruff (eds.), God and Time: Essays on the Divine Nature (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002). Clark, David K. “Beyond Inerrancy: Speech Acts and an Evangelical View of Scripture,” in James K. Beilby (ed.), For Faith and Clarity: Philosophical Contributions to Christian Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006). Copan, Paul. “Original Sin and Christian Philosophy,” Philosophia Christi, Series 2, 5/2 (2003): 519-41. TH 8XX—Contemporary Analytic Christian Theology Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Patrick T. Smith, Instructor Fall semester 2012 Craig, William Lane and J. P. Moreland. “The Trinity,” in Michael Rea (ed.), Oxford Readings in Philosophical Theology, Volume I: Trinity, Incarnation, Atonement (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009). Craig, William Lane and Paul Copan. “Creatio ex Nihilo and Abstract Objects,” Creation out of Nothing: A Biblical, Philosophical, and Scientific Exploration (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004). _______. “Understanding the Notion of Creatio ex Nihilo,” Creation out of Nothing: A Biblical, Philosophical, and Scientific Exploration (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004). Crisp, Oliver D. “On Analytic Theology,” in Oliver Crisp and Michael Rea (eds), Analytic Theology (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009). Cross, Richard. “Two Models of the Trinity?” in Michael Rea (ed.), Oxford Readings in Philosophical Theology, Volume I: Trinity, Incarnation, Atonement (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009). Davis, Stephen T. “Resurrection and Judgment” Risen Indeed: Making Sense of the Resurrection (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993). ________. “‘Seeing’ the Risen Jesus” Christian Philosophical Theology (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006). ________. “The Resurrection of the Dead” Christian Philosophical Theology (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006). ________. “The Wrath of God and the Blood of Christ,” Christian Philosophical Theology (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006). ________. “Was Jesus Raised Bodily?” Christian Philosophical Theology (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006). DeWeese, Garrett. “Atemporal, Sempiternal, or Omnitemporal: God’s Temporal Mode of Being,” in Gregory E. Ganssle and David M. Woodruff (eds.), God and Time: Essays on the Divine Nature (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002). Helm, Paul. “The Problem of Dialogue,” in Gregory E. Ganssle and David M. Woodruff (eds.), God and Time: Essays on the Divine Nature (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002). MacDonald, Gregory. “A Hell of a Problem” The Evangelical Universalist (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2006). McCall, Thomas. “On Understanding Scripture as the Word of God,” in Oliver Crisp and Michael Rea (eds), Analytic Theology (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009). 2 TH 8XX—Contemporary Analytic Christian Theology Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Patrick T. Smith, Instructor Fall semester 2012 Merricks, Trenton. “The Resurrection of the Body and the Life Everlasting,” in Michael Rea (ed.), Oxford Readings in Philosophical Theology, Volume II: Providence, Scripture, and Resurrection (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009). Murray, Michael J. “Heaven and Hell,” in Michael J. Murray (ed.), Reason for the Hope Within (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999). Reichenbach, Bruce. “Divine Revelation: Discernment and Interpretation,” in James K. Beilby (ed.), For Faith and Clarity: Philosophical Contributions to Christian Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006). Senor, Thomas D. “Incarnation, Timelessness, and Leibniz’s Law Problems,” in Gregory E. Ganssle and David M. Woodruff (eds.), God and Time: Essays on the Divine Nature (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002). van Inwagen, Peter. “The Possibility of Resurrection” in Michael Rea (ed.), Oxford Readings in Philosophical Theology, Volume II: Providence, Scripture, and Resurrection (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009). Wolterstorff, Nicholas. “How Philosophical Theology Became Possible within the Analytic Tradition of Philosophy,” in Oliver Crisp and Michael Rea (eds), Analytic Theology (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009). ________. “Justice of God,” in James K. Beilby (ed.), For Faith and Clarity: Philosophical Contributions to Christian Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006). ________. Chapter 15, “What is Forgiveness?” in Justice in Love. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011. ________. Chapter 16, “How the Recognition of Forgiveness Came About and What’s It’s Point?” in Justice in Love. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011. ________. Chapter 17, “Does Forgiveness Violate Justice?” in Justice in Love. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011. Highly Recommended Textbooks: McCall, Thomas H. Which Trinity? Whose Monotheism? Philosophical and Systematic Theologians on the Metaphysics of Trinitarian Theology. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010. Rea, Michael. Oxford Readings in Philosophical Theology, Volume I: Trinity, Incarnation, Atonement. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. ______. Oxford Readings in Philosophical Theology, Volume II: Providence, Scripture, and Resurrection. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. 3 TH 8XX—Contemporary Analytic Christian Theology Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Patrick T. Smith, Instructor Fall semester 2012 Wolterstorff, Nicholas. Justice in Love. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011. Course Objectives The student who successfully completes this course should develop and demonstrate the following skills: 1. A basic understanding of the role, importance, and unique contribution of analytic philosophy in the discipline of Christian theology. 2. Familiarity of the vocabulary and key concepts relevant to the study of analytic Christian theology. 3. An aptitude for examining arguments for and against various conceptual models of Christian historic orthodox doctrine. 4. Competency in reading, studying and analyzing philosophical writings. 5. An ability to ask relevant questions to gain an understanding of the material discussed in class. 6. A deeper appreciation for analytic theology as it relates to preparation for various areas of ministry in the context both of the local church and in the broader contemporary culture. Course Requirements 1. Attendance—students should plan on attending all class sessions and be prepared to discuss and engage the topic for the week. 2. Assigned Readings—some of the reading material is covered in class. However, there are elements that will not be brought out in class but are still essential to gaining an understanding of the material and successfully completing the course. Therefore, the reading provides a rich and necessary component of the learning experience. a. Textbook Reading- The students will be responsible for reading the assigned sections of the course textbooks by the assigned dates stated below. b. Reading Handouts- Students are also responsible for reading all handouts, essays, and articles reserved by the instructor. These essays serve as a necessary supplement to the material discussed in class Students are to indicate in writing how much of the assigned reading was completed. This is to be submitted with the final paper presentation on the last day of class. 2. Analytic Theology Interaction Papers—students will be responsible for writing three analytic theology interaction papers over the course of the semester. The papers are to be essays on portions of a text or select articles assigned for the course. Students are to do three things in the assignment. (1) Briefly identify a potential conceptual problem that emerges in Christian theology in one of the specific areas covered in the course 4 TH 8XX—Contemporary Analytic Christian Theology Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary Patrick T. Smith, Instructor Fall semester 2012 reading. (2) Briefly discuss one way the issue has been addressed in the literature (NOTE: it should be from sources that read in class so that each student can engage in questions and discussion). (3) Then philosophically engage these views perhaps even constructing your own model to the problem. Explain how you would articulate your conception or understanding of the issue using an analytic approach to theology while taking into account the historic orthodox Christian tradition and relevant biblical material. There is to be serious theological and philosophical engagement in students’ essays with the reading material. The papers
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Metaphysics. by Peter Van Inwagen Review By: Timothy O'connor the Philosophical Review, Vol
    Philosophical Review Metaphysics. by Peter van Inwagen Review by: Timothy O'Connor The Philosophical Review, Vol. 104, No. 2 (Apr., 1995), pp. 314-317 Published by: Duke University Press on behalf of Philosophical Review Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2185999 . Accessed: 25/06/2014 03:49 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Duke University Press and Philosophical Review are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Philosophical Review. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 185.44.77.146 on Wed, 25 Jun 2014 03:49:57 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions BOOK REVIEWS such issues as the completeness of quantum mechanics and whetherit is a local theory.Part of the problem has been in figuringout what is meant by 'completeness' and 'locality'.A lot of hard work has also been done in designing and performingexperiments to test quantum mechanics and compare it to rival theories. Shimony has made importantcontributions to all aspects of this endeavor-for example, his proof that quantum mechanical nonlocality,what he refersto as passion-at-a-distance,cannot be exploited for the purposes of sending signals at velocitiesgreater than the velocityof light (2:134-36).
    [Show full text]
  • Department of Philosophy the University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, Indiana 46556-4619 Russell's China Teapot Peter Van Inwagen
    Department of Philosophy The University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, Indiana 46556-4619 [email protected] Russell’s China Teapot Peter van Inwagen St Thomas Aquinas has presented five well-known arguments for the existence of God, but he has also presented—although not, of course, endorsed—two arguments that might be described as “arguments to the contrary” or as “objections to belief in God.” Summa Theologiae, I, q.2, a.3 (the “Five Ways” article, the article whose topic is indicated by the heading “Whether God exists”) opens with those two arguments. The first, Objection 1, is a version of the argument from evil—the argument that since the existence of evil is incompatible with the existence of God, God does not exist. The second Objection is as follows: Objection 2. It is, moreover, superfluous to suppose that what can be accounted for by a few principles has been produced by many. But it seems that everything we see in the world can be accounted for by other principles, without supposing God to exist. For all natural things can be accounted for by one principle, which is nature; and all voluntary things can be accounted for by one principle, which is human reason or will. Hence, there is no need to suppose that God exists. Here is a formulation of the essential point of this argument in language the modern mind may find more congenial than Thomas’s talk of “principles”: 2 The only reason we could have for believing in God would be that it was necessary to postulate his existence to account for some observed fact or facts.
    [Show full text]
  • European Journal for Philosophy of Religion
    EUROPEAN JOURNAL FOR PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION VOLUME 4 NUMBER 4 WINTER 2012 ARTICLES David S. ODERBERG Survivalism, Corruptionism, and Mereology 1 Dale JACQUETTE Anselm’s Metaphysics of Nonbeing 27 Erik J. WIELENBERG An Inconsistency in Craig’s Defence of the Moral Argument 49 Andrei A. BUCKAREFF Omniscience, the Incarnation, and Knowledge de se 59 T. Ryan BYERLY Infallible Divine Foreknowledge Cannot Uniquely Threaten Human Freedom, But Its Mechanics Might 73 T. J. MAWSON On Determining How Important It Is Whether or Not There Is a God 95 Jerome GELLMAN A Theistic, Universe-Based, Theodicy of Human Suffering and Immoral Behaviour 107 Anders KRAAL Hedenius’ Soteriological Argument from Evil 123 Peter JONKERS Redefining Religious Truth as a Challenge for Philosophy of Religion 139 Louis CARUANA Science, Religion and Common Sense 161 DISCUSSIONS AND REPLIES John BISHOP In Quest of Authentic Divinity: Critical Notice of Mark Johnston’s ‘Saving God: Religion after Idolatry’ 175 BOOK REVIEWS AND NOTICES Timothy O’Connor. Theism and Ultimate Explanation: The Necessary Shape of Contingency Reviewed by Sho Yamaguchi 193 Georg Gasser (ed.). Personal Identity and Resurrection: How Do We Survive Our Death? Reviewed by Joshua Farris 196 Timothy Yoder. Hume on God: Irony, Deism and Genuine Theism Reviewed by Dan O’Brien 201 Earl Stanley B. Fronda. Wittgenstein’s (Misunderstood) Religious Thought Reviewed by Klaus von Stosch 206 Neil Spurway (ed.). Theology, Evolution and the Mind Reviewed by Aku Visala 208 SURVIVALISM, CORRUPTIONISM, AND MEREOLOGY DAVID S. ODERBERG University of Reading Abstract. Corruptionism is the view that following physical death, the human being ceases to exist (until Resurrection) but their soul persists in the afterlife.
    [Show full text]
  • Following the Argument Where It Leads
    Following The Argument Where It Leads Thomas Kelly Princeton University [email protected] Abstract: Throughout the history of western philosophy, the Socratic injunction to ‘follow the argument where it leads’ has exerted a powerful attraction. But what is it, exactly, to follow the argument where it leads? I explore this intellectual ideal and offer a modest proposal as to how we should understand it. On my proposal, following the argument where it leaves involves a kind of modalized reasonableness. I then consider the relationship between the ideal and common sense or 'Moorean' responses to revisionary philosophical theorizing. 1. Introduction Bertrand Russell devoted the thirteenth chapter of his History of Western Philosophy to the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas. He concluded his discussion with a rather unflattering assessment: There is little of the true philosophic spirit in Aquinas. He does not, like the Platonic Socrates, set out to follow wherever the argument may lead. He is not engaged in an inquiry, the result of which it is impossible to know in advance. Before he begins to philosophize, he already knows the truth; it is declared in the Catholic faith. If he can find apparently rational arguments for some parts of the faith, so much the better: If he cannot, he need only fall back on revelation. The finding of arguments for a conclusion given in advance is not philosophy, but special pleading. I cannot, therefore, feel that he deserves to be put on a level with the best philosophers either of Greece or of modern times (1945: 463). The extent to which this is a fair assessment of Aquinas is controversial.1 My purpose in what follows, however, is not to defend Aquinas; nor is it to substantiate the charges that Russell brings against him.
    [Show full text]
  • Taking Monism Seriously
    Philos Stud DOI 10.1007/s11098-015-0620-0 Taking monism seriously David M. Cornell1 Ó The Author(s) 2016. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract Monism is the view that there is only a single material object in exis- tence: the world. According to this view, therefore, the ordinary objects of common sense—cats and hats, cars and stars, and so on—do not actually exist; there is only the world. Because of this, monism is routinely dismissed in the contemporary literature as being absurd and obviously false. It is simply obvious that there is a plurality of material things, thus it is simply obvious that monism is false, or so the argument goes. I call this the common sense argument against monism and in this paper I offer a response. I argue that providing the monist can make his view consistent with the appearance that there is a multiplicity of material things, then it is not rationally acceptable to reject monism solely on the basis of that appearance. Through an appeal to a particular type of property—distributional properties—I sketch out a plausible story of how monism is perfectly consistent with the appearance of plurality, and thus nullify the common sense argument. There may be any number of arguments that serve to undermine monism, but the common sense argument is not one of them. Monism deserves to be taken more seriously than that. Keywords Monism Á Mereology Á Common sense Á Properties Á Distributional properties & David M. Cornell [email protected] 1 Department of History, Politics, and Philosophy, Manchester Metropolitan University, Geoffrey Manton Building, Rosamund Street West, Manchester M15 6LL, UK 123 D.
    [Show full text]
  • Philosophical Perspectives, Vol. 1, Metaphysics, 1987
    Philosophical Perspectives, Vol. 1, Metaphysics, 1987 Front Matter (7 pp.) Preface (1 p.) James E. Tomberlin Entities Without Identity, pp. 1-19 Terence Parsons When Are Objects Parts?, pp. 21-47 Peter van Inwagen Existence, pp. 49-108 Nathan Salmon How To Build a Person: The Physical Basis for Mentality, pp. 109-154 John L. Pollock Subjects Among Other Things, pp. 155-187 Ernest Sosa Two Concepts of Modality: Modal Realism and Modal Reductionism, pp. 189-231 Alvin Plantinga Are Concept-Users World-Makers?, pp. 233-267 Nicholas Wolterstorff Conceptual Relativism, pp. 269-288 Bruce Aune The Philosophical Limits of Scientific Essentialism, pp. 289-365 George Bealer Event Causation: The Counterfactual Analysis, pp. 367-386 Jonathan Bennett Phenomenological Ontology Revisited: A Bergmannian Retrospective, pp. 387-404 Jay F. Rosenberg Self-Consciousness, Demonstrative Reference, and the Self-Ascription View of Believing, pp. 405-454 Hector-Neri Castaneda The `Fido'-Fido Theory of Belief, pp. 455-480 Stephen Schiffer Objects of Consciousness: The Non-Relational Theory of Sensing, pp. 481-500 Romane Clark An Argument for a Modified Russellian Principle of Acquaintance, pp. 501-512 Felicia Ackerman Phenomenal Objects: A Backhanded Defense, pp. 513-526 William G. Lycan Back Matter (1 p.) Philosophical Perspectives, Vol. 2, Epistemology, 1988 Front Matter (7 pp.) Preface (1 p.) James E. Tomberlin Positive Epistemic Status and Proper Function, pp. 1-50 Alvin Plantinga Strong and Weak Justification, pp. 51-69 Alvin I. Goldman The Evidence of the Senses, pp. 71-90 Roderick M. Chisholm How to be a Fallibilist, pp. 91-123 Stewart Cohen Coherence, Justification, and Chisholm, pp.
    [Show full text]
  • Evil and Van Inwagen
    Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers Volume 20 Issue 2 Article 8 4-1-2003 Evil and Van Inwagen Jeff Jordan Follow this and additional works at: https://place.asburyseminary.edu/faithandphilosophy Recommended Citation Jordan, Jeff (2003) "Evil and Van Inwagen," Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers: Vol. 20 : Iss. 2 , Article 8. Available at: https://place.asburyseminary.edu/faithandphilosophy/vol20/iss2/8 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at ePLACE: preserving, learning, and creative exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers by an authorized editor of ePLACE: preserving, learning, and creative exchange. EVIL AND VAN INWAGEN Jeff Jordan A proposition employed in many versions of the evidential argument from evil is that every evil is necessary, or God does not exist. This proposition is so widely accepted that we might dub it the "Standard Claim". In several articles Peter van Inwagen has argued that the Standard Claim is false. Van Inwagen's argument depends upon what we might call the UNo Minimum Claim". In this note I argue that the No Minimum Claim is either false or implausible. Theists and nontheists both typically hold that the existence of God is incompatible with the occurrence of any evil which God need not permit in order to bring about a greater good, or to prevent an equally bad or worse evil from occurring. Indeed this view is so widely accepted and so rarely questioned that we will dub it the "Standard Claim." Expressed briefly, the Standard Claim asserts that every evil is necessary, or God does not exist.
    [Show full text]
  • Full Dissertation
    Animal Suffering in an Unfallen World: A Theodicy of Non-Human Evolution Submitted by Bethany Noël Sollereder to the University of Exeter as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Theology In October 2014 This thesis is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University. Signature: ………………………………………………………….. !2 Abstract The publication of The Origin of Species in 1859 raised a host of theological issues. Chief amongst them is the question of how a good, loving, and powerful God could create through an evolutionary process that involved so much suffering, pain, and violence. The traditional Christian answers for suffering in the natural world are not plausible in an evolutionary world. We cannot blame natural evil on human sin, since earth history shows that non- human suffering long preceded humans. Nor can we say that God allows suffering because it allows opportunity for moral choice, spiritual closeness with God, and the development of virtue, as none of these apply to the non-human realm. A new approach is needed to address the question of suffering and violence amongst non-human animals. In this dissertation, I address the question of evolutionary suffering with a multi-disciplinary approach of biblical studies, philosophical theology, and systematic theology to build a compound theodicy.
    [Show full text]
  • Against Monism∗ Analysis 67 (2007): 1–7
    Against Monism∗ Analysis 67 (2007): 1–7. Final version at: Theodore Sider http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/ toc/anal/67/293 Abstract Jonathan Schaffer distinguishes two sorts of monism. Existence monists say that only one object exists: The World. Priority monists admit the existence of The World’s parts, but say that their features are derivative from the properties of The World. Both have trouble explaining the features of statespace, the set of possibilities available to The World. 1. Monism and pluralism Let’s agree to take ontology seriously. We must then take monism seriously. According to monism, there exists only one (nonabstract1) object: the entire world.2 To be sure, monism clashes with what we ordinarily think and say. But so do other revisionary ontologies that we ought to take seriously. Consider nihilism, the thesis that the only objects that exist are the partless elementary particles of physics.3 Although the nihilist says that tables and chairs do not exist, she is quick to add that there do exist “particles arranged tablewise”, “particles arranged chairwise”, and so on.4 Here are three reasons to take nihilism seriously, despite its revisionary nature. (1) Nihilism is not refuted by mere perception. If there were no tables, only particles arranged tablewise, ∗Thanks to Dave Chalmers, John Hawthorne, Jonathan Schaffer (whose paper “From Nihilism to Monism” sparked my interest in the topic), and especially Frank Arntzenius for discussion of the connection between fundamental properties and statespaces. 1I have no particular de nition of ‘abstract’ in mind; but I mean to count spacetime points, tropes, etc., as concrete.
    [Show full text]
  • Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association
    January 2008 Volume 81, Issue 3 Proceedings and Addresses of The American Philosophical Association apa The AmericAn PhilosoPhicAl Association Pacific Division Program University of Delaware Newark, DE 19716 www.apaonline.org The American Philosophical Association Pacific Division Eighty-Second Annual Meeting Hilton Pasadena Pasadena, CA March 18 - 23, 2008 Proceedings and Addresses of The American Philosophical Association Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association (ISSN 0065-972X) is published five times each year and is distributed to members of the APA as a benefit of membership and to libraries, departments, and institutions for $75 per year. It is published by The American Philosophical Association, 31 Amstel Ave., University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716. Periodicals Postage Paid at Newark, DE and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Proceedings and Addresses, The American Philosophical Association, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716. Editor: David E. Schrader Phone: (302) 831-1112 Publications Coordinator: Erin Shepherd Fax: (302) 831-8690 Associate Editor: Anita Silvers Web: www.apaonline.org Meeting Coordinator: Linda Smallbrook Proceedings and Addresses of The American Philosophical Association, the major publication of The American Philosophical Association, is published five times each academic year in the months of September, November, January, February, and May. Each annual volume contains the programs for the meetings of the three Divisions; the membership list; Presidential Addresses; news of the Association, its Divisions and Committees, and announcements of interest to philosophers. Other items of interest to the community of philosophers may be included by decision of the Editor or the APA Board of Officers. Microfilm copies are available through National Archive Publishing Company, Periodicals/Acquisitions Dept., P.O.
    [Show full text]
  • Book Review the Problem of Evil, by Peter Van Inwagen
    Book Review The Problem of Evil, by Peter van Inwagen Timothy Pritchard King’s College London Disputatio Vol. 4, No. 31 November 2011 DOI: 10.2478/disp-2011-0016 ISSN: 0873-626X © 2011 Pritchard. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License Book Reviews 303 Still, even if this discussion is quick, that is not exactly terrible. The final chapter provides fast food for thought and does so with the same energy that permeates the rest. On the whole, then, NE is great. Easily as great as William Lycan’s introduction to the philoso- phy of language, which is also very great. It is an exciting book that teaches everyone how to do philosophy, and how to do it well. Daan Evers Jesus College OX1 3DW Oxford, UK [email protected] The Problem of Evil, by Peter van Inwagen. Oxford: The Claren- don Press, 2008 (Pbk), Pp. xiv + 183. This is a slightly revised version of van Inwagen’s 2003 Gifford Lec- tures. His focus is on what he calls the ‘apologetic problem’, namely the problem, for a theist, of how we may account for the claim that both God and evil exist together. As with all of van Inwagen’s work, this is a clearly written and richly thought provoking study which repays careful study. One form that an apology may take is that of a ‘theodicy’, this be- ing ‘an attempt to state the real truth of the matter, or a large and significant part of it, about why a just God allows evil to exist ..
    [Show full text]
  • Dispensing with Ontological Levels: an Illustration1
    LanCog Lectures in Metaphysics 2013 Dispensing with Ontological Levels: an Illustration1 Peter van Inwagen The University of Notre Dame BIBLID [0873-626X (2014) 38; pp. 25-43] Does metaphysics, or does it not, need ontological levels? Should metaphysics endorse the thesis that things of some kinds are onto- logically more fundamental than things of some other kinds? Must it be a datum of metaphysics that entities of certain kinds are ontologi- cally grounded in entities of certain other kinds? Must it be a feature of any adequate metaphysical theory that it awards a special ontologi- cal status to entities of certain kinds and denies this special status to entities of other kinds? There are two ways to approach these questions (or this ques- tion — for the four questions I have asked are essentially the same question). I’ll call them, tendentiously perhaps, the Bad Way and the Good Way. This is the Bad Way: Begin by giving examples of pairs of things that supposedly oc- cupy different ontological levels (or one of which is ontologically more fundamental than the other or one of which is ontologically grounded in the other or one of which enjoys a special ontological status denied to the other). Proceed to use these examples as in- tuition pumps in the service of an affirmative answer to our ques- tion. Alternatively, play the other side of the game: insist that the default answer to our question is No, and dispute the examples that your opponents say support an affirmative answer — deny the existence of some of the entities that figure in the examples, or deny that there is any reason to suppose that the members of any of the pairs do occupy different ontological levels.
    [Show full text]