Debunking Religion
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Phils Blog Of Neglect...: Arguments for Gods Existence
God is typically defined as a supernatural entity that is omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent. Its existence has been commonly debated over the centuries, consequently provoking a plethora of different arguments. A classic example is the ‘Teleological Argument’ the earliest account of which came from Cicero, a Roman orator when he stated “What could be more clear or obvious when we look up to the sky and contemplate the heavens, than that there is some divinity or superior intelligence?” An a posteriori, proponents conclude from observation that the existence of God is the only plausible explanation for the highly sophisticated design and purposiveness of the natural world.Introductory note : Russell delivered this lecture on March 6, 1927 to the National Secular Society, South London Branch, at Battersea Town Hall. Published in pamphlet form in that same year, the essay subsequently achieved new fame with Paul Edwards' edition of Russell's book, Why I Am Not a Christian and Other Essays ... (1957). As your Chairman has told you, the subject about which I am going to speak to you tonight is "Why I Am Not a Christian." Perhaps it would be as well, first of all, to try to make out what one means by the word Christian . It is used these days in a very loose sense by a great many people. Some people mean no more by it than a person who attempts to live a good life.
Why I Am Not A Christian, by Bertrand Russell
Cosmological argument
The Thomistic cosmological argument , the classical cosmological argument , argument from contingency , argument from first cause , argument from universal causation , or more simply the cosmological argument is a general pattern of argumentation that urges an inference from certain alleged facts about the universe to the existence of an "uncaused cause," typically associated with God. [1] Classical formulations of the argument are incapable of identifying any particular god, though this typically doesn't faze fundies who, when they deceitfully put on their evidentialist hats, opine that their god and no other meets the description of that in the proof. Thomas Aquinas ' argument from contingency is a slight modification of Plato and Aristotle's "Prime Mover" arguments. [ edit ] The Platonic/Aristotelian cosmological argumentCouncil for Secular Humanism
Sects and Violence Is Faith Good for Us? Phil Zuckerman Phil Zuckerman is an associate professor of sociology at Pitzer College in California.
Creationism and political power in Northern Ireland
A new exhibit at Giant's Causeway reflects "views outside mainstream science". Photograph: Getty Images In 1892, the Rev Canon Alfred Barry gave a series of lectures at Oxford University reflecting on the relationship between faith and science. Referring to the debate about the origin of and evolution of life, he noted that:
The argument from design , also known as the teleological argument , is an argument for the existence of God that may be summarized as follows: When I see a complex object such as a watch, I know it has been designed: therefore, when I see a complex object such as a tiger, I should infer that it has been designed. This act of comparing two objects and drawing similar conclusions based on similarities (while ignoring important differences) is a prime example of a false analogy . [ edit ] History It is commonplace to associate the argument from design with William Paley, so much so that it is often referred to as "Paley's argument".
Argument from design
Darwin and eugenics? Wrong again « Millard Fillmore's Bathtub
i Rate This Again at Café Philos , the anti-Darwin fifth columnists do their best to continue distortions of history, in this case, in high irony, claiming NOT to defend John Freshwater. Not in defense of Freshwater’s walking over the Constitution and zapping burns on students in the shape of a cross? Why bother to go after Darwin? No explanation is necessary.