In fact the proportion of insult, ridicule, mockery, spleen, and. Jul 15, 20 rationally speaking is a blog maintained by prof. Massimo pigliucci, a philosopher at the city university of new york. The evolutionary psychology of emotions and behavior.
This book is an attempt to show that, at the end of the day, while there may be some conflict. What has been selected for, then, are people with a twofold belief on this head. Alvin carl plantinga born 1932 is an american analytic philosopher who works primarily in the fields of philosophy of religion, epistemology particularly on issues involving epistemic justification, and logic from 1963 to 1982, plantinga taught at calvin university before accepting an appointment as the john a. An evolutionary argument against naturalism by alvin plantinga from part iii, chapter 7. The god delusion, however, contains little science. As the son of a philosophy and psychology professor, plantinga evidenced. From 1963 to 1982, plantinga taught at calvin college before accepting an appointment as the john a. Religion as a natural phenomenon 2006 and freedom evolves 2003. Plantingas evolutionary argument against naturalism refuted. Affective influences on social cognition and behavior. On alvin plantingas evolutionary argument against naturalism. Plantinga s argument has been criticized in detail from the viewpoints of natural sciences and philosophy of science. Dennett is the codirector of the center for cognitive studies, university professor, and austin b.
First, they have the sense that there really is this objective obligation, this objective and categorical ought that holds, whatever you and others think. His preliminary argument aims to show that the conjunction is probably false, given the fact r that our psychological mechanisms for forming. As a nontrained neophyte in the world of philosophy, i found this book very rewarding in putting some context to plantingas work. This discussion ranges broadly across recent scientific findings in areas such as paleoanthropology, primate studies, evolutionary psychology, early brain development, and cultural transmission. Games scientists play alvin plantinga k arl popper and imre lakatos speak of the game of science. Chapter 3 of this dissertation is devoted to defending plantinga s claim against current attacks available in the literature. Given that naturalism is at least a quasireligion, there is indeed a sciencereligion conflict, all right, but it is not between science and theistic religion. Whats wrong with the evolutionary argument against. Essays on plantinga s evolutionary argument against naturalism, edited by james beilby. This intriguing line of argument raises issues of importance to epistemologists and to philosophers of mind, of religion, and of science. Adaptationist literary scholars idenl tion as a crucial link in a causal chain duces literary artefacts. Alvin plantingas properly basic belief religion refuted. Plantingas evolutionary argument against naturalism mp3.
All but one of the eleven are printed here for the first time, all are of high quality, and all receive plantingas trademark treatment rigorous, perceptive, thorough. Evolutionary,psychology, the,new,science,of,the,mind. Essays on plantingas evolutionary argument against naturalism, edited by james beilby. Instead, plantinga thinks that the conflict is between theistic religion and an undirected, unguided evolution, which he claims opponents of religion have superimposed on evolutionary biology. Almost a decade ago, alvin plantinga articulated his bold and controversial evolutionary argument against naturalism. Plantinga examines where this conflict is supposed to exist evolution, evolutionary psychology, analysis of scripture, scientific study of religion as well as claims by dan dennett, richard dawkins, and philip kitcher that evolution and theistic belief cannot coexist. This chapter, while heavy, is an extremely rewarding read, particularly for people with interests in evolutionary psychology, philosophy of religion, or both. Alvin plantinga contemporary philosophy in focus deane. While these subjects are complex, the story is told here in a conversational style that is engaging, jargon free, and accessible to all readers. An introduction to the thought of alvin plantinga april 25, 2017 by. The first of these is alvin plantingas evolutionary argument against naturalism eaan, which first appeared in the early 1990s see plantinga 1993, 2000, 2011. Tooley analyzed some conceptual atheological arugments and focused his attention on an evidential argument against evil using some sophisticated inductive probabilitistic calculations. Plantingas evolutionary argument against naturalism eaan is currently one of the most widely discussed arguments targeting philosophical naturalism see, for example, beilby 2002.
This books author, as a top philosopher but also a proponent of the rationality of religious belief, has a unique contribution. Visiting fellow at balliol college, university of oxford. The real force of plantingas thesis does not hit home until the final few pages the rest of the book is just for setting up the punch line, which is, to wit, if one has enough faith to believe in other minds and an external world, then one has more than enough faith to believe in a transcendent or universal mind. Proper function, plantinga gives several evolutionary arguments, similar to the. That argument is intended to show that anyone who accepts both atheism and the claim that human beings are products of evolutionary processes has grounds to doubt the reliability of. Alvin plantinga where the conflict really lies science. The evolutionary argument against naturalism eaan is a philosophical argument asserting a problem with believing both evolution and philosophical naturalism simultaneously. It might be true, but it cannot be rational to affirm it as such. Apr 23, 2009 philosopher alvin plantingas evolutionary argument against naturalism purports to show that metaphysical naturalism, when combined with contemporary evolutionary accounts of the origin of human life, is selfdefeating. Plantingas evolutionary argument against naturalism the. Evolutionary psychology, organizational culture, and the family firm article pdf available in academy of management perspectives 222. Without an evolutionary perspective, he argued, psychology does not know what it is looking for and when it finds something it does not know what it is looking at e.
Alvin plantingas evolutionary argument against naturalism. Dennett and alvin plantinga expand upon the arguments that they presented in an exciting live debate held at the 2009 american philosophical association central division conference. Here is how he formulates the argument in his recent where the conflict really lies oxford university press, 2011, pp. In the same way, advoca tes of narrow evolutionary psychology argue that empirical psychology without an evolutionary perspective has no way to. Millions of years of evolutionary programming are not easily shaked off. Fletcher professor of philosophy at tufts university. Plantinga aims to show that naturalism, in combination with evolutionary theory, is, as he puts it, incoherent or selfdefeating.
I turn now to plantingas evolutionary argument against naturalism eaan, and. Alvin plantinga is a leading figure in contemporary analytic philosophy and in particular in the resurgence of the consideration of christian themes in the current debate. May 10, 20 millions of years of evolutionary programming are not easily shaked off. The christian philosopher alvin plantinga has tried to make the argument that evolution combined with naturalism would lead us to believe that evolution would favor false beliefs over accurate beliefs and that if naturalism were true, we wouldnt expect our cognitive. Mill says that comte claims to have coined this word as well, but in a. Plantinga, however, evolution by natural selection does not care about truth. Evolutionary psychology is a relatively new metatheoretical paradigm that synthesizes the modern principles of. Alvin plantinga on evolutionary psychology and christian. This does not imply, however, that evolutionary psychology as a.
An introduction to the thought of alvin plantinga crossway. Apr 25, 2017 alvin plantinga was born in ann arbor, michigan. Plantingas argument has been criticized in detail from the viewpoints of natural sciences and philosophy of science. Alvin plantinga has argued that evolutionary naturalism the idea that god does not tinker with evolution undermines its own rationality. The last twenty years has seen a cottage industry of books on this divide, but with little consensus emerging. The argument was first proposed by alvin plantinga in 1993 and raises issues of interest to epistemologists, philosophers of mind, evolutionary biologists, and.
Evolutionary psychology ep tells us that our intuitions are mechanisms that. Evolutionary argument against naturalism in plantinga s evolutionary argument against naturalism eaan for short12, he attempts to show that to combine naturalism and evolution is selfdefeating, because, under these assumptions, the probability that humans have reliable cognitive faculties is low or inscrutable. He was one of the founding members of the society of christian philosophers. I evolutionary psychology ii evolutionary psychology and religion. Alvin carl plantinga born 1932 is an american analytic philosopher who works primarily in the fields of philosophy of religion, epistemology particularly on issues involving epistemic justification, and logic. The argument was first proposed by alvin plantinga in 1993 and raises issues of interest to epistemologists, philosophers of mind, evolutionary biologists, and philosophers of religion. Plantinga presented his usual evolutionary argument against naturalism as well as some extra material involving the nature of consciousness. Plantinga s control of language is unmatched, his reasoning and writing of the utmost quality and clarity. Alvin plantinga, on one of our biggest debates the compatibility of science and religion. Dec 27, 2012 plantingas evolutionary argument against naturalism eaan is currently one of the most widely discussed arguments targeting philosophical naturalism see, for example, beilby 2002.
Obrien professor of philosophy at the university of notre dame. Evolutionary psychology is ripe with examples from the animal world. Raised in the christian reformed church, he has theological roots in the dutch reformed tradition. Alvin plantinga, the prominent notre dame university philosopher, says that if youre a believer in evolution, you have no warrant for believing in naturalism atheism, roughly speaking. Evolutionary argument against naturalism oxford scholarship. The evolutionary psychology of emotions and behavior martie g. May 15, 2017 strictly from the standpoint of human psychology, i believe plantinga makes a serious mistake in lumping together all basic beliefs as properly basic. Alvin carl plantinga born in ann arbor, michigan, the first of four sons of cornelius a. An enlightening discussion that will motivate students to think critically, the book. It implies, rather, that evolutionary psychology is not the paradigm that will guide evolutionary psychology. His modal ontological argument for foundational religious necessity is seen as an almost. Evolutionary argument against naturalism in plantingas evolutionary argument against naturalism eaan for short12, he attempts to show that to combine naturalism and evolution is selfdefeating, because, under these assumptions, the probability that humans have reliable cognitive faculties is low or inscrutable.
Philosopher alvin plantingas evolutionary argument against naturalism purports to show that metaphysical naturalism, when combined with contemporary evolutionary accounts of the origin of human life, is selfdefeating. Psych ology represents the latest stage of a tradition of evolutionary psychology dating. With the growing acceptance of evolution as a metatheory for psychology, more and more personality psychologists are trying to conceptualize personality within an evolutionary framework. This book is a longawaited major statement by a preeminent analytic philosopher, on one of our biggest debatesthe compatibility of science and religion.
On plantingas evolutionary argument against naturalism. Religion enables us to ignore nothingness and get on with the jobs of life. In this, the first book to address the ongoing debate, plantinga presents his influential. Plantingas work turns more strongly to philosophical theology, philosophical articulation of the nature of god, and what comes to be known as reformed epistemology, the notion that religious belief can be rational without appeal to evidence or argument. In other words, should it lead one to question the reliability of the. Plantinga also argues that gettier problems are much more of a difficulty for internalist models of warrant, because they fail by definition to take into account external factors i. This book is a longawaited major statement by a preeminent analytic philosopher, alvin plantinga, on one of our biggest debates the compatibility of science and religion.
In short, the prize goes to people who labor valiantly to make religion appear reasonable. In chapter 1, i explore plantinga s argument for this claim. Alvin plantinga summarizes the concept adroitly, i 5 j. This work also contains plantingas notes on his speech regarding a dozen or so arguments for god. If plantinga were correct with respect to his claim that naturalistic evolutionary processes are unlikely to bestow upon us reliable cognitive. Essays on plantingas evolutionary argument against naturalism. As the son of a philosophy and psychology professor, plantinga evidenced a knack for and interest in philosophy early on. Ethics and evolutionary theory analysis oxford academic. Evolutionary psychologys involvement in metaethics it will be necessary to do some oversimplistic definition work on ep and then tie it into metaethics. Evolutionary argument against naturalism wikipedia. In fact the proportion of insult, ridicule, mockery, spleen, and vitriol is astounding. Evolutionary psychology follow from this fact, but that all of the theoretical tenets of this paradigm are either misguided or unsubstantiated.
A flaw in the stichplantinga challenge to evolutionary reliabilism. Because these disciplines are so broadly construed, the christian who is interested in apparent conflicts between science and biblical christianity will likely be somewhat disappointed in plantingas treatment. Where the conflict really lies science, religion, and naturalism alvin plantinga. Evolutionary psychology as a rebellion against an anti biological consensus in the social and behavioral sciences is at best a considerable exaggeration. This collection of eleven critical essays, together with plantingas replies, examines his evolutionary argument against naturalism eaan. This is a problem because a christians, i think, are committed to a high view of science, committed to taking it seriously and being utterly enthusiastic about it. Naturalism defeated essays on plantingas evolutionary. The book examines where this conflict is supposed to existevolution, evolutionary psychology, analysis of scripture, scientific study of religionas well as claims by dan dennett, richard dawkins, and philip kitcher that evolution and theistic belief cannot coexist. Plantinga aims to show that naturalism, in combination with evolutionary theory, is. Usually, a number of species, many of them quite distant to we humans, are used with each species illustrating a basic principle e. The prize is typically awarded to people who are credited with bridging the gap between religion and science. Plantingas probability arguments against evolutionary naturalism.
To do so, he draws examples from evolutionary psychology in particular, evolutionary psychology of religion and, to a lesser extent, historical biblical criticism. As the above quotation suggests, one shouldnt look to this book for evenhanded and thoughtful commentary. This chapter argues that there is superficial conflict but deep concord between science and theistic belief, and superficial concord and deep conflict between science and naturalism. Pdf evolutionary psychology, organizational culture, and. B of warranted christian belief 2000 should awareness of ones evolutionary origins make one skeptical about ones cognitive faculties. What does it mean for our psychological mechanisms for forming beliefs to be generally reliable. When attempting, as plantinga is, to establish an epistemological system, it is essential to avoid glossing over these important differences. The hierarchical theoretical structure of evolutionary psychology evolutionary theory. Natural selection is concerned with survival and reproduction, and false beliefs conjoined with complementary motivational drives could serve the same aims as true beliefs. Plantingas book is a semipopular treatment of the conflicts, real or perceived, between science and religion, broadly construed. Plantinga s argument is intended to show that evolutionary naturalism cannot be rationally affirmed. In chapter 2, plantinga makes various interesting distinctions between proximate, intermediate, and ultimate functions 5, snapshot and max design plans 6, and the like.
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