2012-05-22
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God of the Rationalists or God of the Empiricists?
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Steven GoldmanPortland State University
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Yes! The huge import
of theology and its tremendous consequences among seven billion people -- or
six, if it is true that atheism / agnosticism is the third largest 'religion'
in our time -- demand thoughtfulness and philosophic criticism and
understanding. But why are you studying
modes of claim-making, i.e. methodologies, styles, traditions of argument? --
is this a taxonomy of the odd varieties of god-speech? -- a proposed alphabet, or ground-logic of
god-speech?
This sounds like an ambitious project. But there may be a few good questions to ask
before we devote more time to cataloging the varieties of religious
argument. Philosophy lets its curiosity
loose in this intriguing field -- but to what end? Perhaps the point is to help people identify
and assess religious arguments, since all of us are exposed to them, oppressed
by them, so often and so persistently. We
need some help. If that is your project, then it seems worth doing -- it offers an important service.
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