Alvin plantingas philosophy hit the sleepy old atheism of the universities philosophy departments like a tornado plowing through a haystack. Alvin plantingas freewill defense is a logical argument developed by the american analytic philosopher alvin plantinga and published in its final version in his 1977 book god, freedom, and evil. Law, cause, and occasionalism alvin plantinga think of natural theology as the activity of coming up with arguments for the existence of godarguments, roughly, from some feature or other of our. This essay critically examines plantinga s rendition, uncovering both its strengths and weaknesses. Two dozen or so theistic arguments 205 exist have some but much less than maximal intuitive support. As the son of a philosophy and psychology professor, plantinga evidenced a knack for and interest in philosophy early on. Timothy oconnor canadian journal of philosophy, 24 1994, 527540 i introduction in his recently published twovolume work in epistemology,1 alvin plantinga.
This was, at least in large part, due to the influence of positivism on the philosophical terrain. Reason and belief in god alvin plantinga belief in god is the heart and center of the christian religion as it is of judaism and islam. Two dozen or so theistic arguments by alvin plantinga pdf warning submitted 3 years ago by episcopalian. The real force of plantinga s thesis does not hit home until the final few pages the rest of the book is just for setting up the punch line, which is, to wit, if one has enough faith to believe in other minds and. Alvin carl plantinga is an american analytic philosopher, the john a. Plantinga, page 1 supralapsarianism, or o felix culpa alvin plantinga among the tenets of a certain sort of calvinism is supralapsarianism, a claim about the order of the decrees of god. As expected from two such distinguished philosophers, their discussion has the originality and intellectual weight to repay careful consideration, as much by philosophers of mind and epistemologists as by philosophers of religion. Thirty years ago, alvin plantinga gave a lecture called two dozen or so theistic arguments, which served as an underground inspiration for two generations of scholars and students.
The editor generally steered clear of using plantingas most technical pieces, and a few of the essays. Alvin plantinga is perhaps the most brilliant and influential christian philosopher alive today, and all of that brilliance is on display in god, freedom and evil. Plantinga is one of the leading contemporary philosophers and arguably the most significant philosopher of religion in recent times. Plantinga examines where this conflict is said to existlooking at areas such as evolution, divine action in the world, and the. Raised in the christian reformed church, he has theological roots in the dutch reformed tradition. Alvin plantingas warranted christian belief has very quickly become one of the most influential books in philosophy of religion. He was announced in april as the 2017 templeton prize laureate.
The evolutionary argument against naturalism is a philosophical argument asserting a problem with believing both evolution and philosophical naturalism simultaneously. Alvin plantinga, an american scholar whose rigorous writings over a half century have made theismthe belief in a divine reality or goda serious option within academic philosophy, was announced today as the 2017 templeton prize laureate. Sep 01, 2017 alvin plantinga 54 is an american scholar whose rigorous writings over a half century have made theismthe belief in a divine reality or goda serious option within academic philosophy. A study of the rational justification of belief in god, god, freedom, and evil, where the conflict really lies.
Divine action in the world synopsis plantinga 2006. Science, religion, and naturalism william lane craig. Where the conflict really lies science, religion, and naturalism alvin plantinga. This book gathers in one place plantinga s most important work in the philosophy of religion generally and his contribution to the resurgence in christian philosophy in particular. Two dozen or so theistic arguments by alvin plantinga pdf. An introduction to the thought of alvin plantinga crossway. Alvin plantinga awarded the 2017 templeton prize news. Alvin plantinga s modal version is perhaps the most notable example. This hinges upon necessary existence, a property with even higher value than existence. A critique of the plantinga version of the modal ontological. How alvin plantinga paved the way for christian philosophys.
Awardwinning wisdom spark the calvin university magazine. Intuitively, says bonjour, he isnt justified in holding this belief. Buy alvin plantinga by deanepeter baker editor online at alibris. The work of this quintessential analytic philosopher has in many respects set the tone for the debate in the fields of. Obrien professor of philosophy emeritus at the university of notre dame and the inaugural holder of the jellema chair in philosophy at calvin college. Pdf alvin plantingas warranted christian belief researchgate.
Apr 25, 2017 the man who brought belief in god back into the study of philosophy, alvin plantinga, has received the 2017 templeton prize the 84yearold christian philosopher is the latest in a line of. Alvin plantinga, warranted christian belief find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. Thats the question atthe heart of this volume in the great debates in philosophyseries, with alvin plantinga and michael tooley each addressingthis fundamental. Warranted christian belief, by alvin plantinga pdf tesfaye robele. Exclusivism holds that a particular religion is the only way to get in a proper relationship with god the only way to salvation. Plantinga is widely known for his work in philosophy of religion, epistemology, metaphysics and christian apologetics.
Plantingas warranted christian belief critical essays with a. Contrary to stereotypes, this did not make young alvin a bookish nerd indeed, he was an enthusiastic participant in high school football, basketball and tennis. In it, he proposed a number of novel and creative arguments for the existence of god which have yet to receive the attention they deserve. A being that necessarily exists cannot coherently be thought not to exist. Of course christians may disagree, at least in emphasis, as to how to. Both arguments hinge on the idea that naturalistic evolution cannot account for the reliability of. The following is a synopsis of the paper presented by alvin plantinga at the r atio conference on the meaning of theism held in april 2005 at the university of reading.
In this paper we will give a critical account of plantingas wellknown argument to the effect that the existence of an omnipotent and morally perfect god is. What is alvin plantinga s view on divine sovereignty and free will. Alvin plantinga s freewill defense is a logical argument developed by the american analytic philosopher alvin plantinga and published in its final version in his 1977 book god, freedom, and evil. Published in the late 1990s, the analytic theist is a collection of writings by alvin plantinga edited by james sennett. Knowledge of god, by alvin plantinga and michael tooley. In this paper, my goal is to lay out the contours of plantingas argument for proper basicality that includes the divine, to offer a religiotheological response, and to suggest that as an implicit critique of modernity, it deserves consideration in an 4 linda zagzebski, editor. Alvin plantinga, called by time magazine americas leading orthodox protestant philosopher of god, has had a profound impact on the philosophical discipline. Knowledge of god wiley online books wiley online library. Plantinga and the problem of evil iowa state university. His modal ontological argument for foundational religious necessity is seen as an almost. Ontological arguments for the existence of god alvin plantinga the ontological argument simplified lynne rudder baker and gareth b.
From 1963 to 1982, plantinga taught at calvin college before accepting an appointment as the john a. Few thinkers have had as much impact on contemporary philosophy as has alvin plantinga. The synopsis has been prepared by the editor, with the authors approval, from a handout provided by the author at the conference. Alvin plantinga is regarded as one of the foremost religious philosophers of the contemporary era. This is an entry from the blackwell companion to metaphysics on the metaphysics of alvin plantinga 2004. Alvin plantinga, gods philosopher 3 he resolved to become a philosopher.
Naturalism defeated pdf audio recording of plantingas presentation of the evolutionary argument against evil, biola university. In 1980, time magazine called alvin plantinga the leading protestant philosopher of god. Plantinga s argument is a defense against the logical problem of evil as formulated by the philosopher j. Alvin plantinga by deanepeter baker editor alibris. Books by alvin plantinga author of god, freedom, and evil. Plantinga s probability arguments against naturalism and evolution 1997 by brandon fitelson and elliott sober off site pdf in chapter 12 of warrant and proper function, alvin plantinga constructs. Charting a middle way between the extremes represented by alvin plantinga and richard swinburne, garth hallett explores the thesis that if belief in other minds is rational and true as it surely is, so too. Alvin carl plantinga is an american analytic philosopher who works primarily in the fields of philosophy of religion, epistemology, and logic. November 1932 in ann arbor, michigan ist ein amerikanischer.
A longawaited major statement by preeminent analytic philosopher alvin plantinga, where the conflict really lies illuminates one of our societys biggest debatesthe conflict between science and religion. I take atheism to be the belief that there is no such person as the god of the theistic religions. Science, religion, and naturalism, warranted christian belief, etc. Succinctly, plantinga denies that 1 and 2 are inconsistent, and aims to show so by arguing that mackies principle that there are no limits to what an omnipotent thing can do is false. Alvin plantinga asserted the validity of a second form of anselms argument. While most assume that to be a person is to have a soul, most philosophersan.
The god of the old testament is arguably the most unpleasant. Plantinga on the free will defense hugh lafollette. Oct 29, 2009 alvin plantinga and michael tooley here debate the question whether gods existence is known or, at least, justifiably believed. Sep 04, 2018 thirty years ago, alvin plantinga gave a lecture called two dozen or so theistic arguments, which served as an underground inspiration for two generations of scholars and students. The bestknown defender of reformed epistemology is alvin plantinga. Alvin plantinga s version of the free will defense 1 is an attempt to refute the logical problem of evil, the argument that to posit the existence of an omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent god in an evil world constitutes a logical contradiction. An extensive outline of this lecture is available on the website of philosopher michael sudduth. If 62 percent of philosophers are atheists, then the proportion of atheists among philosophers is much greater than indeed, is nearly twice as great as the proportion of atheists among academics generally. Of course christians may disagree, at least in emphasis, as to how to think of god. On heresy, mind, and truth alvin plantinga in this article i thank eleonore stump, peter van inwagen, and merold westphal for their gracious and insightful comments on my advice.
Alvin plantingas most popular book is god, freedom, and evil. In 2017 plantinga was awarded the the templeton prize which e ach year honors a living person who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming lifes spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical works. Alvin plantinga takes to task in his celebrated response to the problem of evil. Alvin carl plantinga born in ann arbor, michigan, the first of four sons of cornelius a. Click to print close window the dawkins confusion naturalism ad absurdum. William lane craig considers alvin plantinga s version of the ontological argument as having the best chance of being cogent wlc 2004, p. This leads to trouble with the previous explanation of goodness for an argument. Reliabilist epistemology stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. This is not an easy read, even though it is said to be one of his more popularly accessible works, it is still not light reading. He later returned to calvin university to become the inaugural holder of the jellema chair in philosophy. What is alvin plantingas view on divine sovereignty and free. Apr 25, 2017 the 2017 templeton prize laureate, philosopher alvin plantinga, speaks on the evolutionary argument against naturalism, concerning why evolution and naturalism contradict. Alvin plantinga has 32 books on goodreads with 877 ratings. Reason and belief in god alvin plantinga and nicholas wolterstorff, editors university of notre.
Plantingas free will defense project gutenberg self. First, my thanks to eleonore, peter and merold for their thoughtful reac tions to my advice. The interviewee for this installment is alvin plantinga, an emeritus professor of philosophy at the university of notre dame, a former president of both the society of christian. Alvin plantinga is a great captain in the armies of god. An exchange received 6 may, 1992 introduction grim in logic and limits of knowledge and. The interviewee for this installment is alvin plantinga, an emeritus professor of philosophy at the university of notre dame, a former president of both the society of christian philosophers and the american philosophical association, and the author, most recently, of where the conflict really lies. According to reformed epistemology, belief in god can be rational and justified even. A prominent christian philosopher, plantinga served as president of the society of.
Alvin carl plantinga born 1932 is a professor of philosophy emeritus at the university of notre dame, who formerly taught philosophy at calvin college. Alvin plantinga, a defense of religious exclusivism. This book is a longawaited major statement by a preeminent analytic philosopher, on one of our biggest debatesthe compatibility of science and religion. How alvin plantinga paved the way for christian philosophys comeback the professor, scholar, and 2017 templeton prize winner reflects on over 50 years of defending the. This account, he con tends, shows that it is not within gods power as. Plantingas probability arguments against naturalism and evolution 1997 by brandon fitelson and elliott sober off site pdf in chapter 12 of warrant and proper function, alvin plantinga constructs two arguments against naturalistic evolution.
Similar examples were offered by keith lehrer 1990 and alvin plantinga 1993. I cant help but think that plantinga is just rarely convincing as a truly openminded and bold philosopher. Alvin carl plantinga born 1932 is an american analytic philosopher who works primarily in the fields of philosophy of religion, epistemology particularly on issues involving epistemic justification, and logic. Against materialism alvin plantinga materialism is the idea that human beings are material objectsbrains, per haps, or some part of the brainwithout immaterial selves or souls. The god of the old testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all of fiction. Evolutionary argument against naturalism wikipedia. Read download god and other minds pdf pdf download. The author concludes that while the argument is probably. Plantingas main thesis that a christian academic and scientific community ought to pursue science in its own way, starting from and taking for granted what we know as christians is characterized more broadly, as much more than just an openminded consideration of gaps, in the full page. He has written many other books such as god and other minds. Obrien professor of philosophy at the university of notre dame. From 1963 to 1982, plantinga taught at calvin university before accepting an appointment as the john a.
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