Super naturalism Personal Naturalism Super- naturalism - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Naturalism Super naturalism

Personal Super- naturalism

Christian Theism

Hypothesis of Indifference

 Both of Mr. Vandergriff’s arguments for “God exists

necessarily” contain uncertain premises, i.e., premises whose probability is less than 1.

 Therefore, the conclusion, “God exists necessarily,” is

also uncertain.

 H1: The laws of nature are metaphysically necessary,

but the constants are contingent.

 H2: Both the laws of nature and the constants are

metaphysically necessary.

 H2 attributes more uniformity to the world than H1.  Uniformity is necessarily more intrinsically probable

than variety.

 Pr(|X|) = intrinsic probability of X  Pr(|H2|) > Pr(|H1|)  Pr(H2 | N) > Pr(H1 | T)  Pr(~H1 & ~H2 | T) > Pr(~H1 & ~H2 | N)

Y

• ur arguments

haven’t got any contingent natural laws left!

Topic N’s Prediction T’s Prediction Observation Physical Matter Matter Required Matter Not Required Matter Origin of Universe Spacetime exist for all of time Spacetime not exist for all of time Spacetime exist for all of known time Origin of Universe Physical reality wasn’t made Physical reality was made Physical reality wasn’t made Something vs. Nothing Universe factually necessary Universe not factually necessary Universe factually necessary Life-Permitting? ? ? Life-Permitting Friendly vs. Hostile Hostile Universe Friendly Universe Hostile Universe Discoverability ? ? Discoverability Intelligibility True naturalistic explanations True supernatural explanations Most correct explanations N

Topic N’s Prediction T’s Prediction Observation Physical Matter Matter Required Matter Not Required Matter Origin of Universe Spacetime exist for all of time Spacetime not exist for all of time Spacetime exist for all of known time Origin of Universe Physical reality wasn’t made Physical reality was made Physical reality wasn’t made Something vs. Nothing Universe factually necessary Universe not factually necessary Universe factually necessary Life-Permitting? ? ? Life-Permitting Friendly vs. Hostile Hostile Universe Friendly Universe Hostile Universe Discoverability ? ? Discoverability Intelligibility True naturalistic explanations True supernatural explanations Most correct explanations N

No good argument from authority from BGV theorem to:

 “physical reality has an absolute beginning” OR  “some interpretation of quantum mechanics which

entails quantum indeterminacy is true”

Topic N’s Prediction T’s Prediction Observation Physical Matter Matter Required Matter Not Required Matter Origin of Universe Spacetime exist for all of time Spacetime not exist for all of time Spacetime exist for all of known time Origin of Universe Physical reality wasn’t made Physical reality was made Physical reality wasn’t made Something vs. Nothing Universe factually necessary Universe not factually necessary Universe factually necessary Life-Permitting? ? ? Life-Permitting Friendly vs. Hostile Hostile Universe Friendly Universe Hostile Universe Discoverability ? ? Discoverability Intelligibility True naturalistic explanations True supernatural explanations Most correct explanations N

Topic N’s Prediction T’s Prediction Observation Biology Evolution (Common Ancestry) Special Creation Evolution (Common Ancestry) Pain and Pleasure Biological Role Moral Role Biological Role Flourishing and Languishing Mostly Languish Mostly Flourish Mostly Languish

Topic N’s Prediction T’s Prediction Observation Biology Evolution (Common Ancestry) Special Creation Evolution (Common Ancestry) Pain and Pleasure Biological Role Moral Role Biological Role Flourishing and Languishing Mostly Languish Mostly Flourish Mostly Languish

Topic N’s Prediction T’s Prediction Observation Triumph and Tragedy Tragedies > Triumphs Triumphs > Tragedies Tragedies > Triumphs Triumph and Tragedy Horrific Tragedies >> Glorious Triumphs Glorious Triumphs > Horrific Tragedies Horrific Tragedies >> Glorious Triumphs

Topic N’s Prediction T’s Prediction Observation Consciousness Self-Aware Beings Optional Self-Aware Beings Required Consciousness Consciousness Mind-Brain Dependence Mind-Brain Independence Mind-Brain Dependence Distribution of Consciousness Universe Not Teeming with Moral Agents More Moral Agents & More Impressive Moral Agents Universe Not Teeming with Moral Agents, Humans Unimpressive Freedom ? ? ? Freedom More limitations on freedom Less limitations on freedom Variety and frequency of conditions that severely limit our freedom

What evidential argument from moral agency? Countable Additivity Libertarian Freedom Contingent Natural Laws

Topic N’s Prediction T’s Prediction Observation Moral Epistemology Moral Perception Moral Perception Moral Perception Moral Epistemology Disagreement Agreement Disagreement Moral Flourishing Moral Flourishing Moral Flourishing Moral Flourishing

Topic N’s Prediction T’s Prediction Observation Moral Epistemology Moral Perception Moral Perception Moral Perception Moral Epistemology Disagreement Agreement Disagreement Moral Flourishing Moral Flourishing Moral Flourishing Moral Flourishing

“It would take something like willful blindness to fail to affirm that not all nonbelief is the product of willful blindness.”

John Schellenberg

Topic N’s Prediction T’s Prediction Observation Divine Hiddenness Nonresistant Nonbelief No Nonresistant Nonbelief Nonresistant Nonbelief Divine Hiddenness Former Believers No Former Believers Former Believers Ethical Hiddenness Ethical Disagreement Ethical Agreement Ethical Disagreement Scientific Hiddenness True naturalistic explanations True supernatural explanations So much is intelligible w/o supernatural Suffering Hiddenness Tragedy victims rarely comforted Tragedy victims

• ften comforted

Tragedy victims rarely comforted

 (1) 99.999,…,999% of our observations relevant to

dead bodies show that God wills that they do not rise them from the dead.

 (2) Jesus was dead.  (3) Therefore, prior to investigation, it is

99.999,…,999% probable that God wills that Jesus does not rise from the dead.

Topic Anti-CT Prediction CT Prediction Observation Original Sin Animal death before

• riginal sin

No animal death before original sin Animal death before original sin Resurrection No evidence of corruptible body Evidence of corruptible body No evidence of corruptible body