Radical Skepticism

Radical skepticism is a particularly vulgar form of certainty. It is dogmatism without content.

The Value of the Question

Is the question of God’s existence more important than the answers given?

That Which Seems True and the Phenomenology of Belief

In his defense of religious exclusivism, Alvin Plantinga gives a somewhat tangential mention of a phenomenology that attends belief (citation at end). In this post, I am not interested in speaking to Plantinga’s defense of exclusivism, but I do want to consider this phenomenology of belief he mentions. To whit, it seems to me that if we believe something, part of why we believe that something is because it strikes us as true. That is, it seems true to us. This phenomenon of seeming true (or, false, for that matter) is not wholly within our control. Why does that matter? Well, for me, I have struggled to find ways to clarify my understanding of not only the experience of belief, but also the humility that it seems should attend belief. Something Plantinga says in that defense has helped me understand these better.

A Reductio for Eliminative Materialism

Can arguments for eliminative materialism be made without employing some aspects of so-called “folk psychology” and does it matter if they cannot? These are questions I want to explore. 

An Education In Virtue

"But I take it...what we have in mind is education from childhood in virtue, a training which produces a keen desire to become a perfect citizen..." from Plato's Laws I (643e)

Historicism and Literalism: Strange Bedfellows

For some time I have been considering the thesis that both historicism and literalism emphasize the historical in such a way that said emphasis creates a barrier to significance for each, but in different ways. For this post I will limit my considerations to how this common emphasis is exemplified within Christianity; however, a similar critique may be applicable elsewhere.

Christian Epistemic Humility

Christian epistemic humility is easy to come by...

A working word that does no work

"Supervenience" is a fancy way of saying, "I have no idea how the physical and mental are related."
 

Wittgenstein: Language-games and Foundations

Do language-games need some kind of foundation?

Towers of Babel, Universal Agreement, and Consequences

There are precious few understandings that produce universal agreement among those who could understand. It seems reasonable that mathematical understandings, logical understandings, and scientific understandings are the best candidates; and a precious few indeed. What does this mean and is it good?

"Certainty is as rare as the individuals who know they don't possess it."

The No-Driving Mechanic

Imagine a mechanic who cannot drive.

Comments on "The Idolatrous Use Of Scripture"

I should say more about the last post "The Idolatrous Use of Scripture." The content of that post is as follows: