Plantinga and Gale on God and Evil
One of the most interesting (and humorous) discussions I’ve ever seen on the topic of God and evil was one between philosophers Alvin Plantinga and Richard Gale. Plantinga is notable for two things; he’s regarded as one of the pioneers in the renaissance of Christian philosophy, as it’s called. He’s also considered to have put an end to the intellectual argument from evil. Gale has himself written quite a few books on metaphysics, ontology and God. The dialogue is very informative and the discussion easy to follow (even if at times a bit difficult to understanding). So please, watch Which gives me an idea for another post…
Interview with Alvin Plantinga
Last week interviews with Alvin Plantinga were released by the Center for Public Christianity (Australia). These interviews address topics such as the necessity of God, New Atheism, warrant (sure faith without proof) and the goodness of God. It’s a nice, broad snapshot from one of the eminent theistic philosophers in the West.
And you thought Anselm was absurd?
I must admit, I’m a fan of Anselm’s Ontological argument for the existence of God. Well, to be more exact, I’m a fan of Plantinga’s modification of Anselm’s proof. I’m reminded of my fondness for this proof as earlier today I was skimming through The God Delusion to find something to write on and Dawkins wrote something which peaked my interest.
Before quoting Dawkins I think it best to outline Anselms original argument. As approximated by Plantinga, Anselm’s argument goes as follows:
- God exists in the understanding but not in reality.
- Existence in reality is greater than existence in the understanding alone. (premise)
- God’s existence in reality is conceivable. (premise)
- If God did exist in reality, then He would be greater than He is. [from (1) and (2)]
- It is conceivable that there is a being greater than G0d is. [(3) and (4)]
- It is conceivable that there be a being greater
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