Post tagged with evidence

  • Richard Dawkins’ foolish advice to his daughter

    May 19th, 201102:52 PM ET
    By Randal Rauser
    Thanks to Beetle for linking us to Richard Dawkins' advice to his then ten year old daughter. I call it foolish because any advice that is self-referentially defeating is foolish. First, Dawkins tells his daughter: "Something that you learn by direct seeing (or hearing or feeling...) is called an observation. Often evidence isn't just observatio...

  • Does extraordinary uncleanliness require extraordinary soap?

    March 30th, 201103:28 PM ET
    By Randal Rauser
    Once again the claim has surfaced: "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." And once again I have had to shoot it down. Now what could be the problem with a principle so symmetrically reasonable? Grey days produce grey moods. Cold weather requires a cold weather jacket. Why wouldn't extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence?...

  • I have an interstellar spacecraft in my basement. Come take a look!

    September 06th, 201012:44 PM ET
    By Randal Rauser
    Let’s talk about testimony some more in dialogue with Silver Bullet. In a recent comment SB quotes little ole’ me as I observe: “So it is testimony that wears the trousers (to be politically incorrect) and it is through testimony that we can gain all sorts of properly basic beliefs ... Absent defeaters we are justified in holding those belie...

  • The Indistinguishable Bible

    September 05th, 201010:27 AM ET
    By Randal Rauser
    Two issues need to be dealt with before I, finally, hopefully, I wish, I hope, can get back to reviewing The Christian Delusion: the epistemic status of testimony (of which there is no end of confusion) and the "divine detection" objection to the Bible. I'll deal with the latter here (although I've already addressed it, I'll happily do it again. On...

  • The Tentative Apologist Reader on Faith and Reason

    June 28th, 201005:21 PM ET
    By Randal Rauser
     Sorceror: "Rauser, please link to specific articles where you make the case for "the Bible is the Word of God" being 'properly basic' or the equivalent." Glad to oblige. Here are most of the relevant posts where I provide a particular moderate foundationalist theory of epistemology and then apply it to religious beliefs. I would r...

  • Outsider test for faith or truth seeker for life

    June 16th, 201009:33 AM ET
    By Randal Rauser
    I've been having a go around, or a brouhaha, or maybe a hubbub, with atheist John Loftus concerning his "outsider test of faith" in his book The Christian Delusion. This is a challenge he poses to people who are committed to a religion and it seems to function a bit like a hazing ritual to get admitted to the frat house. It has bothered ...

  • A close look at one atheist's reasons for rejecting supernaturalism

    May 11th, 201001:04 PM ET
    By Randal Rauser
    Obviously it is important for all of us to think through our beliefs: why do we believe the things we do? It is that much more important to do so when those beliefs concern the most fundamental questions of existence such as "Why does anything exist at all?", "What defines a life well lived?" and "Is there a god?" Thus it is with interest that I r...

  • Doing epistemology by the seat of your pants

    May 08th, 201010:47 AM ET
    By Randal Rauser
    When is evidence to be demanded? When is a belief to be considered irrational? Implausible? Ridiculous? It is very important to think through these questions carefully. Just like we think our music is great (and that guy's music is terrible), that our clothing has style (and that gal's clothing is frumpy), that our cultural foods are delicious (and...

  • Doing epistemology by the seat of your pants

    May 08th, 201010:47 AM ET
    By Randal Rauser
    When is evidence to be demanded? When is a belief to be considered irrational? Implausible? Ridiculous? It is very important to think through these questions carefully, a practice we often fail to do. Just like we think our music is great (and that guy's music is terrible), that our clothing has style (and that gal's clothing is frumpy), that our ...

  • You ain't convinced me yet!

    April 29th, 201006:48 PM ET
    By Randal Rauser
    It is a common theme. AcesLucky observes (in the thread to "Believe propositions p and q and thou shall be saved"): "I have asked you before to demonstrate knowledge of such a supreme being. Of course you could not, I knew that and so did you, and yet you ACT as an authority of such knowledge." This reminds me of Kent Hovind. Back before he was i...
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About this blog
An exploration of faith, knowledge, reason and doubt (with the occasional trite pop culture reference thrown in for good measure).