Dr. Tim Maudlin returns to the channel to discuss the fine-tuning of the universe, the beginning of the universe, and whether these facts might be reasonably suggest that a creator God exists.To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Feel free to follow me on Twitter.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:56 How do science and philosophy relate?00:11:33 The fine-tuning argument00:22:35 Is the universe fine-tuned for rocks?00:27:39 Does evil disprove God?00:31:04 Of multiverses and Boltzmann Brains00:35:45 How does the multiverse explain fine-tuning?00:47:39 Do we know we're not Boltzmann Brains?00:50:59 God and the beginning of the universe00:58:24 The Borde-Guth-Vilenkin theorem01:01:49 Does everything that begin to exist have a cause01:08:02 Are theistic philosophers acting in good faith01:11:56 Are atheists acting in good faith?01:16:59 What is Tim's favorite color?01:17:29 Will physics ever explain consciousness?
Dr. Randal Rauser, himself a Christian apologist, joins me to critically examine some of the mistakes and excesses of Christian apologetics as it is commonly practiced - on YouTube and within broader academic discourse as well.Check out Randal's YouTube channel.To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Feel free to follow me on Twitter.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:00:15 What is apologetics?00:05:52 What is a 'tentative' apologist?00:14:25 Mistake #1 - Not giving weight to moral experience.00:36:09 How do we determine what the Bible teaches?00:38:02 Mistake #2 - Thinking every question must be answered.00:45:49 Mistake #3 - Simplifying enormously complicated issues.00:50:50 If saving souls isn't the right motive for apologetics, what is?00:57:03 Mistake #4 - Mixing apologetics with politics.01:01:36 Debating vs. discussing controversial issues.
Dr. Michael Huemer and I discuss the evils of factory farming, the strengths and possible drawbacks of a vegan and vegetarian diet, whether animals have rights, if humans are the pinnacle of intrinsic value, and whether already having severe dietary restrictions justifies eating meat (it doesn't).Check out Dr. Huemer's book, "Dialogues on Ethical Vegetarianism".To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Feel free to follow me on Instagram or Twitter.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:00:33 What goes on in factory farms?00:10:45 Do we have to argue that animals have rights?00:17:26 Do animals have rights?00:25:02 Can we hunt animals?00:27:24 Are all animals sentient?00:29:01 The Shrimp Welfare Project00:36:54 Why does it seem normal to eat meat?00:41:08 Nutritional deficiencies in a vegan diet?00:47:25 Plant farming kills animals too!00:55:06 Are we heading for a vegetarian-only world01:02:30 The role of ethical intuitions01:09:04 BONUS CONTENT - The inconsistencies of moral anti-realists
Dr. RT Mullins discusses his view that God is literally identical to time. We also discuss and critique William Lane Craig's proposal that God is, in a sense, both temporal and timeless.To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Feel free to follow me on Instagram or Twitter.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:00:12 What's the point of philosophical theology?00:11:00 Mullins' definition of time.00:21:14 An absolutist theory of time.00:23:39 Is this pantheism?00:30:49 The idea that God is time.00:39:35 William Lane Craig's view - God creates time.00:52:50 Is God's timelessness logically prior to His temporality?01:04:48 Does time have a beginning?01:14:07 Do scientists know anything about time?
Dr. Daniel Rubio graciously agreed to come on the channel to discuss and critique a paper I wrote examining four lesser-discussed hypotheses that lie somewhere between theism and atheism: the simulation hypothesis, cosmopsychism, axiarchism, and new laws of nature.To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Feel free to follow me on Instagram or Twitter.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:12:13 Option #1 - We're in a simulation.00:32:26 Option #2 - The universe designed itself.01:05:31 Option #3 - Goodness requires that the universe exist.01:29:01 Option #4 - Laws of nature guide the universe towards life.
Dr. Graham Priest explains his views on dialetheism, the view that some contradictions are true, while also discussing the relationship between Buddhism and modern science, the cosmological and fine-tuning arguments, and how Christians can avoid refutation by embracing paradox.To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Feel free to follow me on Instagram or Twitter.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:00:12 What is dialetheism?00:06:09 Paradox #1 - The liar00:14:54 Paradox #2 - The law00:29:37 Paradox #3 - Theology00:38:15 Why Christianity can't possibly be true00:40:46 Does dialetheism support Buddhism?00:49:01 The relationship between Buddhism and modern science00:49:25 Support #1 - The impermanence of all things00:51:54 The cosmological argument for God00:56:26 The fine-tuning argument for God01:55:44 Support #2 - The nature of consciousness
Dr. Klaas Kraay explains that the multiverse, rather than serving as an alternative to God, actually supports belief in God by undermining two atheistic arguments: the problem of evil and the problem of no best world. Check out Klaas' paper explaining the theistic multiverse, "Theism, Possible Worlds, and the Multiverse." Also see my paper looking at the relationship between theistic multiverses and modern science, "Does science undermine the theistic multiverse?"To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee. Feel free to follow me on Instagram or Twitter.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:00:07 Multiverses in cosmology00:06:36 The problem of no best world00:13:15 The wine analogy00:19:44 Two versions of the problem00:24:20 Theistic multiverse solution00:32:10 Objection - Duplication00:37:27 1st response - Limit the multiverse to kinds00:43:53 2nd response - More is not always better00:49:50 What's more valuable, God or the multiverse?00:58:39 The problem of evil01:18:30 What got Klaas into philosophy?01:20:11 Does philosophy make progress?
Dr. Robyn Faith Walsh, professor of New Testament at the University of Miami, explains the gnostic gospels, their significance, and their relationship to the canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and whether Jesus' earlies disciples would recognize the theology of the earliest Christian creeds.Check out Dr. Walsh's book, "The Origins of Early Christian Literature." To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee.Feel free to follow me on Instagram or Twitter.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:00:06 What is gnosticism?00:10:43 The historical value of the gnostic gospels00:24:12 Are the canonical gospels less legendary than the gnostic ones?00:31:11 The gospels as literature rather than history00:35:58 The Gospel of Thomas00:48:35 Do the gnostic gospels go back to the first century?00:53:28 Does the Apostles' Creed reflect earliest Christianity?01:01:55 Would the apostles recognize modern Christianity?01:07:14 The gospels writers borrowed from Paul01:14:25 Are evangelical NT scholars taken seriously?01:25:56 Confirmation bias in NT scholarship
Philip Goff joins me to discuss panpsychism, cosmopsychism, and how these theories of consciousness have the potential to explain one of the most striking discoveries of modern science: the fine-tuning of the universe for intelligent life.Check out Philip's book, Why?: The Purpose of the Universe.To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via PayPal or Buy Me a Coffee.Feel free to follow me on Instagram or Twitter.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:01:05 What is panpsychism?00:14:46 Panpsychism vs. idealism00:17:49 Why we should be panpsychists00:34:35 The combination problem00:40:12 From panpsychism to cosmopsychism00:48:40 The fine-tuning of the universe00:56:28 Cosmopsychism vs. theism01:10:45 What is the purpose of the universe?01:16:40 Debating William Lane Craig
Dr. Jc Beall, professor of philosophy at Notre Dame, explains "glut theory," the view that some contradictory statements can both be true - or, equivalently, that true theories can be inconsistent.To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating.Feel free to follow me on Instagram or Twitter.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:03:25 What is dialetheism?00:15:12 Languages vs. meta-languages00:23:47 Examples of true contradictions00:25:02 #1 - The liar paradox00:31:23 #2 - Contradictions in the law00:40:11 #3 - Paradoxes of motion00:45:00 Not every contradiction is true00:52:40 Why should glut theorists care about consistency?01:07:13 My argument against dialetheism01:16:39 Contradictions within Christianity01:23:30 Can both atheism and Christianity be true?01:26:34 Is glut theory itself both true and false?01:32:07 Glut theory and Eastern religions01:39:49 Things logicians wish everyone would know01:42:44 Godel's incompleteness theorems
Neil Manson explains the hidden tension between environmental ethics and findings in cosmology over the last thirty years: if life exists throughout the universe, then we lose one main argument for caring what happens to life here on Earth.Check out Neil Manson's paper, "Anthropocentrism, Exo-Planets, and the Cosmic Perspective". To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating.Feel free to follow me on Instagram or Twitter.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:00:45 Cosmological science today00:10:25 Anthropocentrism, defined00:15:16 Two kinds of anthropocentrism: biological and personal00:30:46 Consequentialism00:32:15 The cosmic perspective and non-anthropocentrism00:40:47 Objection: Some infinities are better than other infinities00:56:59 Why we should reject nonanthropocentrism01:01:48 Should we seek to preserve nature?01:18:25 Towards a stewardship model of environmentalism
Matthew returns to the podcast to discuss effective altruism and its philosophical underpinnings.Check out Matthew's YouTube channel.To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating.Feel free to follow me on Instagram or Twitter.
Dr. Max Baker-Hytch of Oxford University discusses Schellenberg's argument for atheism stemming from nonresistant nonbelief, nonbelief in God that results through no fault of one's own. Check out Max's paper, "On Sin-based Responses to Divine hiddenness".To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating.Feel free to follow me on Instagram or Twitter.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction02:04 Do you struggle with divine hiddenness?05:00 Schellenberg's argument14:22 Are there nonresistant nonbelievers?21:05 Would God prevent nonresistant nonbelief?27:43 Step #1 - God would always be open to relationship39:32 Step #2 - Openness entails no nonresistant nonbelief45:28 Relationship without belief.52:25 Alex O'Connor as a nonresistant nonbeliever59:52 Related Problem #1 - Demographics of nonbelief01:09:15 Related Problem #2 - Religious disagreement
Dr. Brian Cutter outlines the argument from psychophysical harmony for theism and responds to Graham Oppy's recent critique. Check out Crummett and Cutter's article defending the argument from psychophysical harmony: To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating.Feel free to follow me on Instagram or Twitter.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:00:22 The argument, summarized.00:06:10 Does evolution explain harmony?00:14:42 Probability of harmony on naturalism00:20:46 Objection #1 - Infinite range of possible laws.00:24:52 Objection #2 - Principle of indifference.00:35:08 Probability of harmony on theism.00:45:08 Replying to Graham Oppy's objections.00:50:39 What if the mind and brain are identical?01:14:36 Other explanations for harmony.01:24:35 The role of historical context.
Dr. Mike Licona, professor of New Testament Studies at Houston Christian University, joins me to discuss the philosophy of history, whether a historian can determine if an event like the resurrection of Jesus happened, and then, if they can, whether the evidence is in fact sufficient to conclude that two-thousand years ago, Jesus rose from the dead.Check our Dr. Licona's book, "The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach."To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating.Feel free to follow me on Instagram or Twitter.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:01:15 Is the resurrection history or theology?00:05:29 Methodological naturalism00:24:46 Shouldn't we always prefer a natural explanation?00:37:05 Bias in conservative New Testament scholarship00:42:57 The historical case for the resurrection.00:47:05 Was Jesus' tomb found empty?00:49:53 What did the early disciples believe?00:56:32 Did Paul teach a "spiritual" resurrection?01:04:55 Alternative #1 - Someone stole the body.01:08:48 Alternative #2 - The disciples hallucinated.01:19:23 Alternatives #3 - Aliens raised Jesus from the dead.
Michael Huemer returns to the podcast to discuss his philosophical argument for reincarnation. If time is infinite, then the probability that you have lived multiple times - indeed, an infinite number of times - is 100%. I am not so sure about this argument. Check out Huemer's published version of the reincarnation argument, as well as his Substack. To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating.Feel free to follow me on Instagram or Twitter.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:04:25 The argument.00:06:53 Poincare recurrence theorem.00:17:42 Arguments for an infinite past.00:28:10 Objection: infinite space and cosmic clones.00:46:07 What does it feel like to reincarnate?00:54:31 Should we look forward to our future lives?01:08:19 Philosophical problems with Heaven.
Troy Dana joins me to debate the fine-tuning argument for God, as well as his anti-design fine-tuning argument.Check out Troy's YouTube channel, along with Troy's written version of his anti-design argument.To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating.Feel free to follow me on Instagram or Twitter.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction.00:00:57 Overview of the FTA.00:04:49 Troy's anti-design FTA.00:13:40 Likelihood of fine-tuning given bare design.00:25:09 Discovering the digits of pi in the cosmic microwave background.00:33:11 Double counting the evidence?00:40:37 Bayesianism breaks down in cosmic contexts?00:44:43 Return of awesome theistic evidence.01:00:36 We'll pursue this in writing.01:01:24 Troy's second anti-design argument.01:11:10 Prior probability of theism.
Keegan Kjeldson, YouTuber and musician, joins me to discuss how Nietzsche would have responded to philosopher Michael Huemer's argument for free will. Check out Keegan's awesome YouTube channel.To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating.Feel free to follow me on Instagram or Twitter.
Joe and I take a more personal turn in this video, discussing the importance of philosophy, what got us into the discipline, and whether studying Immanuel Kant your whole life is really worth it.Check out Joe's YouTube channel, Majesty of Reason.To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating.Feel free to follow me on Instagram or Twitter.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:01:02 What's the value of philosophy?00:03:35 Are some areas of philosophy pointless?00:15:17 Joe Schmid: A Personal History00:25:27 Miles Donahue: A Personal History00:31:25 Why is Joe an agnostic?00:40:34 The FTA Objection 1 - Epistemically illuminated region00:49:34 The FTA Objection 2 - Theism's predictive problem01:03:57 The FTA Objection 3 - The Multiverse01:10:20 Question Lightning Round
Dr. Darrell L. Bock, research professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, discusses the gnostic gospels and their relationship to early Christian belief and the historical Jesus.To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating.Feel free to follow me on Instagram or Twitter.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction00:18 What makes the gnostic gospels so interesting?01:41 What is gnosticism?05:15 What did the gnostics think about Jesus?13:04 The Gospel of Thomas17:06 The Gospel of Judas18:31 The Gospel of Peter20:22 The Gospel of Phillip24:00 How did the New Testament books get selected?29:22 The Niece Creed and its history37:58 What role did Constantine play?47:04 Bart Ehrman's views on early Christianity