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480Evaluating a New Logical Argument From EvilFaith and Philosophy 38 (2): 229-244. 2021.J. L. Schellenberg, in “A New Logical Problem of Evil,” published in The Blackwell Companion to the Problem of Evil, argues that (if God exists) God has, of necessity, a disappreciation of evil, operating at a metalevel in such a way as to give God a non-defeasible reason to rule out actualizing a world containing evil. He also argues that since God’s motive in creating the world is to share with finite beings the good that God experiences prior to creation, which is good without evil, it follow…Read more
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348God, Horrors, and Our Deepest GoodFaith and Philosophy 37 (1): 77-95. 2020.J.L. Schellenberg argues that since God, if God exists, possesses both full knowledge by acquaintance of horrific suffering and also infinite compassion, the occurrence of horrific suffering is metaphysically incompatible with the existence of God. In this paper I begin by raising doubts about Schellenberg’s assumptions about divine knowledge by acquaintance and infinite compassion. I then focus on Schellenberg’s claim that necessarily, if God exists and the deepest good of finite persons is uns…Read more
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171Prediction and Providence: Rejoinder to Almeida's ReplyIn L. Kvanvig Jonathan (ed.), Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Religion, Oxford University Press. pp. 225-235. 2013.This paper is a rejoinder to Michael Almeida's reply to my chapter "Unrestricted Actualization and Divine Providence" in Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Religion Volume 9 (where his reply also appears).
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Unrestricted Actualization and Divine ProvidenceOxford Studies in Philosophy of Religion 9 195-212. 2019.Michael Almeida, in his book "Freedom, God, and Worlds" (OUP 2012) argues that (C) Necessarily, God has available an infallible method, Unrestricted Actualization, by which God can bring about whatever undetermined events God chooses, except those which it is metaphysically or accidentally necessary that God does not bring about. I argue that we have no reason to believe either of the two premises of Almeida's main argument for (C).
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257Rightmaking and Wrongmaking Properties, Evil, and TheismIn L. Kvanvig Jonathan (ed.), Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Religion, Oxford University Press. pp. 177-202. 2013.Michael Tooley, in Plantinga & Tooley, "Knowledge of God" (Blackwell 2008) argues that, in the absence of strong evidence in favour of the existence of God, the logical probability of God's existence is extremely low. His argument focusses on rightmaking and wrongmaking properties of divine actions, and employs Carnap's inductive logic to reach his conclusion. I argue that Tooley's argument's conceptual foundations are problematic, and that his application of Carnap's inductive logic is flawed. …Read more
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10Guest Editor’s IntroductionBusiness and Professional Ethics Journal 21 (3-4): 2-4. 2002.This is a short statement about the Australiian Association for Professional and Applied Ethics, and the association's conference at which the papers in the journal were published.
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8Finite and Infinite Goods: A Framework for EthicsPhilosophia Christi 3 (1): 284-286. 2001.This is a review of Robert Merrihew Adams's book Finite and Infinite Goods (Oxford UP 1999), which provides an impressive theistic axiological and ethical theory.
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155Klaas Kraay . God and the Multiverse: Scientific, Philosophical and Theological Perspectives (review)European Journal for Philosophy of Religion 9 (3): 221-225. 2017.My review summarizes the book's constituent papers, with occasional brief comments. All of the contributions are competent and interesting.
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653The ethics of shareholdingJournal of Business Ethics 37 (2). 2002.The copy provided on ths site is a late draft. It provides a philosophical argument for the view that by and large it is morally wrong to buy shares in a company that is behaving badly unless you (if necessary acting together with others) are able and willing to prevent the misbehaviour. A key lemma in my argument concerns a chain of authorisation from the shareholders to the company's board to the CEO -- one in virtue of which shareholders are ultimately responsible for major patterns of wrongd…Read more
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54Miracles and principles of relative likelihoodInternational Journal for Philosophy of Religion 18 (3). 1985.I EXAMINE VARIOUS SUGGESTED PRINCIPLES FOR WEIGHING TESTIMONY TO PAST EVENTS AND IDENTIFY ONE WHICH SEEMS TO BE BOTH TRUE AND ROUGHLY IN THE SPIRIT OF DAVID HUME’S ESSAY. I ARGUE THAT HUME FAILS TO PROVIDE GOOD REASONS FOR SAYING THAT THIS PRINCIPLE, WHEN APPLIED TO REPORTS OF MIRACLES PURPORTING TO SUPPORT RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, WILL ALWAYS LEAD US TO REJECT THE OCCURRENCE OF THE MIRACLE
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269Wiggins' defence of essentialismSouthern Journal of Philosophy 13 (4): 459-469. 1975.This paper is a critique of David Wiggins's treatment of essentialism in his book Identity and Spatio-Temporal Continuity (Blackwell 1967). I argue in detail that he has not provided an adequate account either of the concept of a sortal term or of the concept of a substance-concept, even though both concepts play important roles in his case for essentialism. I also discuss Wiggins's views on how substance-concepts are related to judgments of identity through time.
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32Some internal theodicies and the objection from alternative goodsInternational Journal for Philosophy of Religion 34 (1). 1993.
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19Colin Howson Objecting to God (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011). Pp. xi+ 220.£ 17.99 (Pbk). ISBN 978 0 521 18665 0 (review)Religious Studies 48 (3): 415-419. 2012.
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Richard SwinburneIn Graham Oppy & Nick Trakakis (eds.), Medieval Philosophy of Religion: The History of Western Philosophy of Religion, Volume 2, Routledge. pp. 5. 2009.In tyhis book chapterI provides concise overviews of Richard Swinburne's views on topics in natural theology and also in distinctively Christian philosophical theology; changes in his views are identified. I explain Swinburne's positive, cumulative case for the existence of God, and his discussion of objections to God based on evil, and then move on to outline his views on A tonement, Revelation, the Trinity, and the Incarnation. I then sketch his case for the truth of Christianity, and and his…Read more
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453Identity and spatio-temporal continuityAustralasian Journal of Philosophy 50 (2): 184-189. 1972.This article considers recent arguments against the proposition that one and the same object cannot go out of existence and then come into existence again (so that, e.g., teleportation would involve change of identity.). It argues that these arguments can be evaded by adopting a four-dimensional ontology, according to which human beings, trees, etc., have temporal as well as spatial parts.
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94Hume, Probability, Lotteries and MiraclesHume Studies 16 (1): 67-74. 1990.Hume’s main argument against rational belief in miracles might seem to rule out rational belief in other antecedently improbable occurrences as well--for example, a certain person’s having won the lottery. Dorothy Coleman has recently defended Hume against the lottery counterexample, invoking Hume’s distinction between probability of chances and probability of causes. I argue that Coleman’s defence fails
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25The Classical and Maximin Versions of the Two-Envelope ParadoxAustralasian Journal of Logic 2 30-43. 2004.The Two-Envelope Paradox is classically presented as a problem in decision theory that turns on the use of probabilities in calculating expected utilities. I formulate a Maximin Version of the paradox, one that is decision-theoretic but omits considerations of probability. I investigate the source of the error in this new argument, and apply the insights thereby gained to the analysis of the classical version.
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300Richard M.Gale reviewed my book in Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews in May 2009. The overall conclusion of my reply is that although Gale repeatedly claims that the book is defective, his review has not identified any genuine defects.
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Review of "The Miracle of Theism" by J.L. Mackie (review)Australasian Journal of Philosophy 62 (n/a): 195. 1984.
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19Miracles and rival systems of religionSophia 24 (1). 1985.This paper concerns some claims by Hume in the Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding Section X Part II -- specifically, what he says on pp.121-122 of Selby-Bigge's edition. Today (in September 2021) I have re-read the paper for the first time in decades. I cannot recommend that anyone else now read it: my argument was seriously defective. I still think, however, that its conclusion is correct, and accordingly may eventually write a new paper on the topic.
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63God, the Best, and EvilOxford University Press. 2008.God, the Best, and Evil is an original treatment of notable problems about God and his actions towards human beings. Three main topics are investigated in detail. First, if God exists, is God in some sense necessarily a value-maximizer? Second, Does a serious difficulty for the existence of God arise from the apparent fact that if God exists then God could have actualized a better possible world than this one? Thirdly are there strong objections top the existence of God based on evil? In the co…Read more
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SMART, J. J. C.: "Ethics, Persuasion and Truth" (review)Australasian Journal of Philosophy 65 (n/a): 491. 1987.
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7Government and Faith-Based Organisations in a Pluralist SocietyAustralian Journal of Professional and Applied Ethics 7 (1): 72-77. 2005.Religious outlooks are combinations of theological, moral and political principles, individuated in a medium-grained way. Distinguish between religious outlooks that are friendly to the fundamental political principles characteristic of liberal democracy, and those that are hostile to, or knowingly subversive of, them. I claim that (1) in some respects, but not all, governments are justified in discriminating against 'hostile' religious outlooks, but (2) governments should not intentionally favo…Read more
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17Reply to Chrzan’s commentsSophia 34 (1): 74-78. 1995.This paper is the second of two in which I address Keith Chrzan's criticisms of what Alvin Plantinga says, in Chapter 9 Section 11 of The Nature of Necessity, about probabilistic arguments from evil. l clarify the issues and defend Plantinga and myself from Chrzan's criticisms.
Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Areas of Specialization
Metaphysics |
Philosophy of Religion |
Areas of Interest
Metaphysics |
Philosophy of Religion |