Category Archives: Naturalism

God and Other Minds

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Dwight

Theists like to point out that we can never prove that others (besides ourselves) have minds. The person sitting in the chair next to me may be carrying on quite a lively conversation—but how can I be sure there’s really … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith & Reason, Naturalism, Theologians | 3 Comments

Atheism and Common Sense

Posted on March 26, 2011 by Dwight

Theists often think of atheists—especially new atheists—as people who take an extreme position by closing their eyes to the obvious existence of God. In fact, atheism is eyes wide open. The atheist turns off the tv show, stops the movie, … Continue reading →

Posted in Naturalism, Non-Existence Arguments | 10 Comments

Let’s Make a Deal

Posted on June 27, 2010 by Dwight

I’m a fan of Michael Shermer, a prominent atheist and skeptic who writes a column on skepticism for Scientific American. But in an article entitled “How Randomness Rules Our World and Why We Cannot See It” he has fallen for … Continue reading →

Posted in Naturalism | Comments Off on Let’s Make a Deal

Cosmological Arguments

Posted on June 24, 2010 by Dwight

The Cosmological Argument is perhaps the classic argument for the existence of a God. Thomas Aquinas included it in his famous Five Ways, although over the years his argument has been constantly refashioned. It lives on in several distinct versions. I bring … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Cosmological, Existence Arguments, Naturalism, Non-Existence Arguments | 3 Comments

Why atheism?

Posted on November 11, 2007 by Dwight

Why am I an atheist? Since atheism is still a somewhat unusual point of view, let me be candid about why I believe no God exists. Before proceeding, it is important to define God — otherwise no coherent discussion is … Continue reading →

Posted in Articles Highlighted, Naturalism, Non-Existence Arguments | 13 Comments

Naturalism’s Touchstone Proposition

Posted on August 6, 2007 by Dwight

In his book, Faith & Reason, Ronald Nash introduced what he calls Christianity’s “touchstone proposition.” A touchstone proposition, Nash explained, is the “control-belief or ultimate presupposition” that encapsulates the “fundamental truth ” of a worldview. [p. 46] Nash followed with … Continue reading →

Posted in Articles Highlighted, Naturalism, Theologians | 6 Comments

What atheists have in common

Posted on July 14, 2007 by Dwight

It’s often said that the only thing atheists have in common is what they disbelieve. It’s also often said that disbelieving in God is just as much a religious belief as is believing in God, or more exactly, that both … Continue reading →

Posted in Naturalism, Non-Existence Arguments, Supernaturalism | 6 Comments

Does Life Have Meaning?

Posted on June 12, 2007 by Dwight

Perhaps the most popular objection to naturalism is the claim that without a God life is meaningless. Let’s take a look at it. This is actually a two-part claim under a natural world view life has no meaning God provides … Continue reading →

Posted in Articles Highlighted, Meaning & Value, Naturalism | 23 Comments

Teach the Controversy

Posted on June 6, 2007 by Dwight

One thing advocates of teaching Intelligent Design (ID) in school like to say is why not expose kids to both sides and “teach the controversy.” I’m actually very sympathetic to this approach. The goal of education is to learn how … Continue reading →

Posted in Evolution & ID, Naturalism | Comments Off on Teach the Controversy

Can General Atheism be Proved?

Posted on June 3, 2007 by Dwight

In Agnosticism Revisited and the Case for Atheism I argued that being agnostic about the Judeo-Christian-Islamic Creator isn’t justifiable. I used the Argument from Perfection (a version of the Problem of Evil) to demonstrate that belief in a perfect creator … Continue reading →

Posted in Articles Highlighted, Naturalism, Non-Existence Arguments, Supernaturalism | 6 Comments