Category: Metaphysics
Are Your Belief-Forming Faculties Reliable?
In Plato’s Meno, Socrates and Meno discuss the nature of knowledge. Meno asks the master of dialectic about the difference between knowledge and true belief. Meno wonders if there is a real difference, and assuming there is, why knowledge is better. Socrates responds by comparing true belief to one of Daedalus’ statues.[i] The statues are beautiful, … Continue reading Are Your Belief-Forming Faculties Reliable?
Book Review: How Reason Can Lead To God by Joshua Rasmussen
“I write for a specific sort of person. You value reason, science, and independent thinking. You question beliefs propped up by ‘faith’ without sufficient evidence. Maybe you would like your life to have a deeper purpose, but you cannot believe something based on a mere wish. Whether you are a student, an academic, or just … Continue reading Book Review: How Reason Can Lead To God by Joshua Rasmussen
A Student’s Guide to Culture: A Review
In a culture that is increasingly post-Christian, the church needs helpful resources to use in order to better equip the next generation to engage the culture. John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle’s A Student’s Guide to Culture does just that. This book is meant to be a companion to A Practical Guide to Culture, a book … Continue reading A Student’s Guide to Culture: A Review
How the Soul Makes Freedom Possible
Objection: Dear Tim, What exactly is a soul and by what exact mechanism does it make libertarian free will possible where it is otherwise impossible? If one person has a soul and another person doesn’t, how does the soul lead to better or more informed decisions in the first person? If their brains are otherwise … Continue reading How the Soul Makes Freedom Possible
Computers Don’t Know Jack!
Question: Dear Tim, Why does one have to ‘freely’ infer [knowledge claims]? Do computers require free will to make accurate calculations? Evidently not – they seem to get by just fine! Imagine giving two computers sentience. They argue between them over a particular course of action and which option is the best. What’s wrong with … Continue reading Computers Don’t Know Jack!
Metaphysics & Mormonism
The primary goal of FreeThinking Ministries is to equip the church to engage the culture. In my opinion, no one is doing that better than MAVEN, an organization founded by Brett Kunkle focused on helping the next generation “know truth, pursue goodness, and create beauty” (to learn more about MAVEN, click here). FreeThinking Ministries is also devoted to bringing rational … Continue reading Metaphysics & Mormonism
Thinking about Sickness and Death
Death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. (Ecclesiastes 7:2, NIV) Over the last few weeks, I have made some interesting sociocultural observations. For example, a local grocery store has limited the number of sanitizing wipes available for its customers and has offered to disinfect shopping carts for shoppers entering … Continue reading Thinking about Sickness and Death
A Rational Presuppositional Approach to Free Will
I met Tim Stratton when he reached out to me after reading my book Reason and Proper Function: A Response to Alvin Plantinga. He enthusiastically let me know that the argument I presented in that book supports a version of libertarian freedom that he endorses. At first, I wondered “what did I write to support … Continue reading A Rational Presuppositional Approach to Free Will
Proper Function & Libertarian Freedom
After three long years of intense research and writing, I finally submitted my doctoral dissertation in hopes of getting three pesky letters to follow my last name for the rest of my life: Ph.D. (I passed)! My final submission was 350 pages long (including the bibliography). To keep it relatively “short” — and to eventually … Continue reading Proper Function & Libertarian Freedom
“Stupid Round Things,” Other Contingent Things, & the Existence of God
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was a German philosopher, mathematician, a metaphysician and an expert in logic who is recognized for his independent invention of the differential and integral calculus (imagine being able to include “I invented calculus” on your resume)! To put it bluntly, Leibniz was a smart dude! While it is impressive to be able to “invent calculus,” in my opinion, … Continue reading “Stupid Round Things,” Other Contingent Things, & the Existence of God