Category Archives: Apologetics

William Lane Craig v. Sam Harris will indeed be streamed live! :)

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Maryann Spikes

This just in regarding the Craig-Harris debate at Notre Dame this Thursday, surrounding the issue “Is the foundation of morality natural or supernatural?”—the long-awaited live-streaming link… “I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to you with an … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, William Lane Craig | Leave a comment

Open letter to William Lane Craig regarding April 7 debate with Sam Harris

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Maryann Spikes

[ Reposting from Friday. ] I know you are a seasoned apologist but wondered if you will be using Hume’s is-ought fallacy, and Harris’ appreciation of correspondence theory, to question Harris on what his real ought corresponds to in reality, … Continue reading →

Posted in Divine Essentialism, Euthyphro Dilemma, Golden Rule, Justified True Belief, Sam Harris, William Lane Craig | Leave a comment

William Lane Craig v Lawrence Krauss debate audio, post-mortem

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Maryann Spikes

Debate audio: http://apologetics315.blogspot.com/2011/03/william-lane-craig-vs-lawrence-krauss.html?spref=fb A brief post-mortem from Craig: http://www.facebook.com/notes/reasonable-faith/a-brief-post-mortem/144625275604375 This just happened last night and I haven’t had a chance to listen as my computer wouldn’t let me. So I’m going to try the audio tonight–just downloaded.

Posted in William Lane Craig | Leave a comment

Natural law, divine command and Euthyphro’s dilemma resolved

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Maryann Spikes

…using Hume’s is-ought distinction’s mirror concept, the ought-is distinction***. Euthyphro’s dilemma: “Is the pious loved by the gods because it is pious? Or is it pious because it is loved by the gods?” This can be reworded to read “Is … Continue reading →

Posted in Divine Essentialism, Euthyphro Dilemma, Is-Ought Fallacy, Justified True Belief, Natural Law and Divine Command | Leave a comment

Just Love

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Maryann Spikes

When people say “God is both love and just” (usually when hell, or predestination vs. free will, is the topic) they make love and forgiveness look unjust, and they make justice look unloving and unforgiving. But true love is just, … Continue reading →

Posted in Predestination, Problem of Evil & Hell | 2 Comments

Philosophers’ Carnival #122

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Maryann Spikes

Welcome to the 122nd fortnightly edition of Philosophers’ Carnival! Without too much ado [ besides a plug for the Carnival’s new FB page ] I present to you a philosophers’ blog carnival that is (this round) predominantly about mostly Philosophy of Religion and mostly Ethics…with a smidge … Continue reading →

Posted in Carnival, Divine Essentialism, Euthyphro Dilemma, Faith, Golden Rule | 6 Comments

Hume’s is-ought, Plato’s true-justified, Euthyphro’s dilemma and Gettier’s problem

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Maryann Spikes

Hume‘s is-ought (fact-value) distinction is the same as Plato‘s true-justified distinction. When is/true/fact and ought/justified/value are not kept distinct, the Euthyphro dilemma as applied to epistemology ensues: Are we justified in believing (ought we believe) merely because our belief is true (can truth justify … Continue reading →

Posted in Apisticism, Divine Essentialism, Euthyphro Dilemma, Gettier Problem, Is-Ought Fallacy, Justified True Belief | Leave a comment

Atheism and agnosticism (really, apisticism) as belief

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Maryann Spikes

First I will grant that agnosticism (a better word for this being ‘apisticism’) is neutral in order to make the claim that atheism is a belief because it lacks the neutrality of apisticism. Then I will challenge the neutrality of … Continue reading →

Posted in Apisticism, Faith | 6 Comments

Does prayer change the future?

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Maryann Spikes

There are three ways of seeing prayer: First Way: God changes the future when he answers our prayer. Second Way: The future is set in stone but includes answered prayer. Third Way: Prayer is futile because the future is set … Continue reading →

Posted in Predestination | Leave a comment

Answering Gettier

Posted on January 9, 2011 by Maryann Spikes

[ work in progress ] [ completed 1/15/11 ] Plato’s justified-true-belief definition of knowledge, maintained by critical realists, besides requiring that a belief be justified by evidence and true by correspondence, says 1) whether or not a belief is true … Continue reading →