Paratheism: A Proof that God neither Exists nor Does Not Exist

Willamette University Faculty Research Website: Http://Www.Willamette.Edu/~Sbartlet/Documents/Bartlett_Paratheism_A%20Proof%20that%20God%20neither%20Exists%20nor%20Does%20Not%20Exist.Pdf (2016)
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Abstract

Theism and its cousins, atheism and agnosticism, are seldom taken to task for logical-epistemological incoherence. This paper provides a condensed proof that not only theism, but atheism and agnosticism as well, are all of them conceptually self-undermining, and for the same reason: All attempt to make use of the concept of “transcendent reality,” which here is shown not only to lack meaning, but to preclude the very possibility of meaning. In doing this, the incoherence of theism, atheism, and agnosticism is secondary to the more general incoherence of any attempts to refer to so-called “transcendent realities.” A recognition of the conceptually fundamental incoherence of theism, atheism, and agnosticism compels our rational assent to a position the author names “paratheism.”

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Steven James Bartlett
Willamette University

Citations of this work

Epistemological Intelligence.Steven James Bartlett - 2017 - Willamette University Faculty Research Website.
Towards a Unified Concept of Reality.Steven James Bartlett - 1975 - ETC: A Review of General Semantics 32 (1):43-49.

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References found in this work

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Atheism: a philosophical justification.Michael Martin - 1990 - Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Concluding Unscientific Postscript.Søren Kierkegaard - 2019 - Princeton University Press.
Evil and omnipotence.J. L. Mackie - 2004 - In Tim Crane & Katalin Farkas (eds.), Metaphysics: a guide and anthology. New York: Oxford University Press.

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