[The text of William Paley’s famous analogy is below (and here is a PDF version). Here is my video-lecture discussion of the traditional Argument from Design. And my article-length discussion of the argument is posted here.] William Paley The Watch and the Watchmaker [From Natural Theology, or Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the […]
The Watch and Watchmaker analogy for the existence of a god Read More »
[This column is a part of the Theist vs. Atheist debate series between Stephen Hicks and John C. Wright. Here Hicks responds to Wright’s article. And here are the links to other columns in the series.] The quest for a meaningful life comes naturally to us. As infants we delight in exploring the world and developing
Making Life Meaningful without Religion [Theist vs. Atheist series] Read More »
[This column is a part of the Theist vs. Atheist debate series between Stephen Hicks and John C. Wright. Here Hicks responds to Wright’s column about whether religion is essential to ethics.] In my judgment, issues of morality are the most difficult in philosophy. They are intellectually challenging, as everything about the human condition is
On Natural Morality and Religious Amoralism [Theist vs. Atheist series] Read More »
[Originally published at EveryJoe.com.] Many smart people — including Thomas Friedman in The New York Times, Naser Khader in Newsweek, John Lloyd in The Jerusalem Post, Ayaan Hirsi Ali in The Wall Street Journal — are hoping that the Reformation will come to Islam. Some are calling for an Islamic Martin Luther. Sorry, but no.
No Reformation for Islam, Please [Good Life series] Read More »
[This column is a part of the Theist vs. Atheist debate series between Stephen Hicks and John C. Wright. Here Hicks responds to Wright’s arguments for the existence of God. And here are the links to other columns in the series.] As we enter the third round of our debate series, our first major point of
On the Proofs of God’s Existence [Theist vs. Atheist series] Read More »
[This is Part 2 of the Theist vs. Atheist debate series between John C. Wright and Stephen Hicks, originally published in English at EveryJoe. In this round Hicks begins and Wright responds.] I appreciate Mr. Wright’s opening essay and am in agreement with substantial portions of it. If we array religions along a spectrum from
Are Reason and Faith Compatible? [Theist vs. Atheist series] Read More »
[This is a Portuguese translation of Part 5 of the Theist vs. Atheist debate series between John C. Wright and Stephen Hicks, originally published in English at EveryJoe. In this round Wright begins and Hicks responds.] O Sentido da Vida depende da existência de Vida Após a Morte? Por John C. Wright Tradução de Matheus
[This is the opening column of the Theist vs. Atheist debate series between Stephen Hicks and John C. Wright. Read Wright’s opening column here. Here are the links to other columns in the series.] My answer is: Absolutely, yes, religion is worth arguing about. We have all heard that in polite company we should not discuss sex,
Is Religion Worth Arguing About? [Theist vs. Atheist series] Read More »