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Possible But Unactual Objects: On What There Isn'tIn The Nature of Necessity, Clarendon Press. 1974.Chapter 7 concluded with the claim that the Classical Argument for possible non‐existent objects depends on both the possibility of singular negative existentials and the Ontological Principle. The Ontological Principle is the principle that any world in which a singular proposition is true is one in which there is such a thing as its subject, or in which its subject has being if not existence. In this chapter, I show that the Ontological Principle is false and that whatever plausibility it enjo…Read more
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Worlds, Books, and Essential PropertiesIn The Nature of Necessity, Clarendon Press. 1974.I begin by introducing the ideas of possible worlds, books on worlds, and essential properties. A possible world is a broadly logically possible state of affairs that is maximal. Furthermore, for any possible world W and proposition p, let the book on W be the set S of propositions such that p is a member of S if W entails p. Finally, an object x has property P essentially if and only if x has P and has it in every world in which x exists. I use the above three concepts to give a sound argument …Read more
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Modality De Re: ObjectionsIn The Nature of Necessity, Clarendon Press. 1974.I discuss three objections to essentialism. The first objection is from Gilbert Harman, who claims that because numbers can be identified or reduced to sets it follows that numbers cannot have essential properties. In the second objection, William Kneale argues for the conclusion that objects have essential properties only relative to a certain way of specifying or selecting the object. Kneale's argument suffers from a de re/de dicto confusion and the disambiguated reading of his argument is uns…Read more
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Preliminary Distinctions and RemarksIn The Nature of Necessity, Clarendon Press. 1974.I clarify the notion of necessity that I will be examining in the book. In the first section, I claim that the relevant notion of necessity is ‘broad logical necessity’, which I distinguish from causal necessity, unrevisability and a proposition being self‐evident or a priori. In the second section, I distinguish between modality de dicto and modality de re. An assertion of modality de dicto predicates a modal property of another dictum or proposition, while a claim of modality de re asserts of …Read more
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Modality De Re: ExplanationsIn The Nature of Necessity, Clarendon Press. 1974.I explain modality de re in terms of modality de dicto because there are those who feel that modality de dicto is easier to understand. I argue that the de dicto properties of what I call the kernel proposition can indicate whether x has P essentially. I then provide directions on how to determine the kernel proposition for an object x and a property P. I conclude by addressing some objections. In particular, I argue that my account is not circular despite its reliance on proper names.
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Transworld Identity or Worldbound Individuals?In The Nature of Necessity, Clarendon Press. 1974.Chapter 6 is an attempt to show that the Theory of Worldbound Individuals —i.e. the theory that any object exists in exactly one possible world—is false, and that there's no good reason to deny that objects exist in more than one world. First, arguments that attempt to show that a denial of TWI entails a contradiction fail, and the so‐called Problem of Transworld Identity is no problem at all. Second, TWI should be rejected because it entails that all of an object's properties are essential to i…Read more
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Possible But Unactual Objects: The Classical ArgumentIn The Nature of Necessity, Clarendon Press. 1974.Chapter 7 explores the question: Are there or could there be, possible but non‐existent objects? In the first half of the chapter, I critically assess the claim that an applied semantics for modal logic commits us to the claim that there are non‐existent possible objects. I conclude that it does commit us to there being some possible world distinct from the actual world that contains some object distinct from anything that exists in the actual world; but it does not, however, commit us to the cl…Read more
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The Necessity of NaturesIn The Nature of Necessity, Clarendon Press. 1974.I argue that each object has many essences. A property E is an essence of object x if and only if E is essential to x and in every possible world everything distinct from x has the complement of E essentially. I then elaborate on the nature of essences and examine the relationship between essences and proper names. My view is that John Stuart Mill was mistaken in his belief that proper names do not express properties. In fact, proper names express essences and I make use of this fact in addressi…Read more
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God, Evil, and the Metaphysics of FreedomIn The Nature of Necessity, Clarendon Press. 1974.Chapter 9 is the first of two chapters that apply the findings of the previous eight chapters of The Nature of Necessity to some traditional problems in natural theology. The Problem of Evil is the objection to theism that holds that the conjunction of the propositions, God is omnipotent, omniscient, and wholly good and There is evil in the world, is necessarily false. The Free Will Defense is an effort to show the two propositions are compatible, and in the process of the defence, I use the con…Read more
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God and NecessityIn The Nature of Necessity, Clarendon Press. 1974.In Ch.10, I apply the previous chapters’ account of modality to the Ontological Argument for the existence of God. I begin the chapter by attempting to develop a sound version of the Ontological Argument based on the work of St. Anselm. I conclude that this argument fails, as does a more recent attempt by Charles Hartshorne and Norman Malcolm. I then give a modal version of the Ontological Argument that is sound and is based on the claim that the property of unsurpassable greatness is possibly e…Read more
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40Tanrı ve Diğer ZihinlerFol Yayınları. 2024.“1950’li yıllarda dönemin büyük felsefecileri arasında dinsel inancı savunan bir kişi bile yoktu. 1990’lı yıllarda Yale’den UCLA’ya, Oxford’dan Heidelberg’e kadar birçok yerde insanın manevi yanını savunan ve geliştiren yüzlerce kitap yazılacak, sel olup akacaktı. Aradaki 40 yıllık süre zarfındaysa sadece ve sadece Alvin Plantinga vardı.” Kelly James Clark Tanrı’nın veya tanrıların varlığı sorusu felsefenin ezeli sorularından biri olagelmişse de Nietzsche’nin Tanrı’nın ölümünü ilan ettiği günden…Read more
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238Tanrı, Özgürlük ve KötülükFol Yayınları. 2022.Ateistler, kötülük probleminin Tanrı’nın varlığı aleyhine en güçlü argüman olduğu konusunda hâlâ ısrarcılar. Felsefe tarihine baktığımızda da Epikuros’tan Hume’a ve yakın dönemde Mackie’ye kadar uzanan bir yelpazede çeşitli düşünürler tarafından bu konuda birçok eleştirinin dile getirildiğini görmek mümkün. Plantinga bu çalışmasında felsefe tarihinin en köklü sorunlarından biri olan ‘Tanrı’nın varlığı sorusu’nu cevaplamaya çalışmakla kalmayıp felsefi bir yöntem ve soruşturmanın nasıl olması gere…Read more
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45Knowledge of God (edited book)Wiley-Blackwell. 2008.Is belief in God epistemically justified? That's the question at the heart of this volume in the Great Debates in Philosophy series, with Alvin Plantinga and Michael Tooley each addressing this fundamental question with distinctive arguments from opposing perspectives. The first half of the book contains each philosopher's explanation of his particular view; the second half allows them to directly respond to each other's arguments, in a lively and engaging conversation Offers the reader a one of…Read more
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4Reply to Plantinga's Opening StatementIn Ernest Sosa (ed.), Knowledge of God, Blackwell. 2008.This chapter contains sections titled: Plantinga's First Objection: Naturalism and the Concept of Function Plantinga's Third Objection: Materialism and Belief Plantinga's Second Argument: Naturalism as Self‐Defeating Summing Up.
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4IndexIn Ernest Sosa (ed.), Knowledge of God, Blackwell. 2008.This chapter contains sections titled: Theism Alternatives to Theism Naturalism and Its Woes Conclusion.
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8Does God Exist?In Ernest Sosa (ed.), Knowledge of God, Blackwell. 2008.This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Some Preliminary Issues Arguments Against the Existence of God The Argument from Evil and the Existence of God The Evidential Argument from Evil Summing Up Appendix: The Structure‐Description Approach to Inductive Logic.
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18Reformed EpistemologyIn Charles Taliaferro, Paul Draper & Philip L. Quinn (eds.), A Companion to Philosophy of Religion, Wiley‐blackwell. 2010.This chapter contains sections titled: Works cited Additional recommendations by editors.
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16The Evolutionary Argument against NaturalismIn J. B. Stump & Alan G. Padgett (eds.), The Blackwell Companion to Science and Christianity, Wiley. 2012.This chapter contains sections titled: Evolution and Naturalism Reliability of Our Cognitive Faculties Naturalists Are Committed to Materialism Materialist Construal of Beliefs Reductive and Non‐reductive Materialism The Argument against Non‐reductive Materialism Reductive Materialism Objection Conclusion Note References Further Reading.
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6Divine Action in the WorldIn Melville Y. Stewart (ed.), Science and Religion in Dialogue, Wiley‐blackwell. 2010.This chapter contains sections titled: The Old Scientific Picture The New Scientific Picture Notes.
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6The Evolutionary Argument Against NaturalismIn Melville Y. Stewart (ed.), Science and Religion in Dialogue, Wiley‐blackwell. 2010.This chapter contains sections titled: Notes.
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11The Evolutionary Argument against Naturalism: An Initial Statement of the ArgumentIn Michael Ruse (ed.), Philosophy After Darwin: Classic and Contemporary Readings, Princeton University Press. pp. 301-309. 2009.
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28Response to WarrantWarrant: The Current Debate.Warrant and Proper FunctionPhilosophy and Phenomenological Research 55 (2): 415. 1995.
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1015Truth, Omniscience, and Cantorian Arguments: An ExchangePhilosophical Studies 71 (3): 267-306. 1993.An exchange between Patrick Grim and Alvin Plantinga regarding Cantorian arguments against the possibility of an omniscient being.
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121``Truth, Omniscience and Cantorian Arguments: An Exchange" (review)Philosophical Studies 71 (3): 267-306. 1993.
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85Proper and Improper Use of Cognitive Faculties: A Counterexample to Plantiga’s Proper Functioning Theory (review)Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 55 (2): 409. 1995.
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Analiticheskiĭ teist: antologii︠a︡ Alvina Plantingi = The analytic theist: an Alvin Plastinga readerI︠A︡zyki slavi︠a︡nskoĭ kulʹtury. 2014.
Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America
Areas of Specialization
Epistemology |
Philosophy of Religion |
Areas of Interest
Philosophy of Religion |
17th/18th Century Philosophy |