Topic
Skeptical theism
About: Skeptical theism is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 153 publications have been published within this topic receiving 2501 citations.
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01 Jan 2020TL;DR: In this paper, an explicit, rigorous argument for the truth of skeptical theism is presented. But no one has offered an explicit argument for truth of the argument from evil, and the case for the argument is often kept at an intuitive level.
Abstract: Skeptical theism is a popular response to arguments from evil. Many hold that it undermines a key inference often used by such arguments. However, the case for skeptical theism is often kept at an intuitive level: no one has offered an explicit argument for the truth of skeptical theism. In this article, I aim to remedy this situation: I construct an explicit, rigorous argument for the truth of skeptical theism.
11 citations
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors explain three ways in which adopting an atheistic perspective can increase support for atheism via considerations of evil, and argue that skeptical theism does not fully address it.
Abstract: Whether evil provides evidence against the existence of God, and to what degree, depends on how things seem to the subject—i.e., on one’s perspective. I explain three ways in which adopting an atheistic perspective can increase support for atheism via considerations of evil. The first is by intensifying the common sense problem of evil by making evil seem gratuitous or intrinsically wrong to allow. The second is by diminishing the apparent fit between theism and our observations of evil. The third is by lowering the initial plausibility of theism. I call this “the perspectival problem of evil”� and argue that skeptical theism does not fully address it.
11 citations
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TL;DR: This paper argued that the truth of common sense epistemology would not show that skeptical theism is implausible, and pointed out that the theory of Common Sense Epistemology is not implausible.
Abstract: Trent Dougherty has recently laid out a project for anyone who is attracted to both skeptical theism and common sense epistemology. Dougherty argues that there exists a tension between these two views. In particular Dougherty claims that, “the theorist who would like to combine common sense epistemology with skeptical theism has some work to do.”1 In what follows I hope to answer Dougherty’s challenge. I will briefly explain skeptical theism and common sense epistemology, and then proceed to show that the truth of common sense epistemology would not show that skeptical theism is implausible.
10 citations
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TL;DR: The authors argue that Bergmann and Rea are mistaken: skeptical theists cannot consistently rely on what they take to be God's commands, and they argue that the evidence of the existence of a moral obligation can be found in the Bible.
Abstract: According to Michael Almeida and Graham Oppy, adherents of skeptical theism will find their sense of moral obligation undermined in a potentially ‘appalling’ way. Michael Bergmann and Michael Rea disagree, claiming that God’s commands provide skeptical theists with a source of moral obligation that withstands the skepticism in skeptical theism. I argue that Bergmann and Rea are mistaken: skeptical theists cannot consistently rely on what they take to be God’s commands.
10 citations