Mike D provided a reply to my critique in “A conversation doomed from the start?” The response, which comes in the discussion thread, is rather long, so I thought it best to reply here, not least because it helpfully clarifies and illumines the nature and depth of our disagreement. I took issue with Mike D’s statement that […]
philosophy
A conversation doomed from the start? Exchanges with The A-Unicornist
Over the last few days I’ve had some exchanges with “Mike D” who, it turns out, moonlights as “The A-Unicornist.” Mike summarizes the exchanges in a couple blog posts here and here. Things have not gone well, and it is not hard to see why. Consider this opening of Mike’s first article-summary. He notes that […]
Don’t get a PhD in the humanities … unless you want to be the smartest barista at Starbucks
The long-term job prospects for those getting a PhD in the humanities are bleak at best. And among the hardest hit areas are those closest to my heart and mind: philosophy and theology. A couple exchanges I had with scholars at an academic conference I attended a little while ago illustrate the sobering reality. In the […]
Should Christians help atheists make better arguments for atheism?
Let’s talk about a very practical issue. Consider two scholars, Chris the Christian philosopher and Alan the atheist philosopher. Alan writes a new paper in which he argues that God does not exist based on the problem of evil. He sends a draft to his friend Chris and asks Chris for feedback. Chris reads through […]
Everything you ever wanted to know about divine action (except how it really works)
Yesterday I was asked about some good material to read on the topic of divine action and science. Right away I thought of Nicholas Saunders’ book Divine Action and Modern Science (Cambridge University Press, 2003). Saunders did a really interesting overview of the topic of divine action and the problems with current theories of it […]
Thomas Nagel, Iconoclast and Antitheist, on Intelligent Design
Thomas Nagel is one of the most respected philosophers in the world. Like many great philosophers, he has demonstrated throughout his career a penchant for independent thought. While lesser minds have been swayed by various intellectual fashions and orthodoxies, Nagel has cut his own path. This is evident in Nagel’s 1974 paper “What is it […]
Is theology baloney? Reflections on the latest Sokal-styled hoax
I an indebted to Ray Ingles for making me aware of this blog post which chronicles a clever Belgian philosopher’s appropriation of Alan Sokal’s modus operandi. (Sokal, you may recall, was a scientist who famously submitted a nonsensical article to the postmodern journal “Social Text” which passed peer review. He did so as a way […]
Conversations with the 5 Minute Apologist (Part 1)
Rick Cornish, 5 Minute Apologist: Maximum Truth in Minimum Time (NavPress, 2005). We live in a time when many people have attention spans equivalent to the length of the average commercial break. Enter the 5 Minute Apologist by Rick Cornish. It isn’t a great book. But neither is it a very bad one. It is, […]
Why biblical theologians need philosophical theology
I have enjoyed having a discussion with my colleague Jerry Shepherd. I think that the fact that we can have an irenic discussion of this type is very important and illustrates the need for more dialogue without enmity. As interesting as the convesation has been, even more interesting is discovering what the conversation is really […]
Another reason to love Calvin and Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes has always been one of the best friends of the philosopher, and in particular the philosopher/teacher. For anybody who has struggled to get students intrigued by a discussion on the problem of the inverted spectrum or the distinction between primary and secondary qualities, a young boy and his stuffed tiger come to the […]
