#73 Arguments for Atheism Tier List w/ Joe Schmid!
Jun 23, 2024
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A PhD student in philosophy at Princeton University, Joe Schmid, explores arguments for atheism, discussing topics like non-resistance in non-belief, the role of geography in Christianity, religious diversity, and the atheist argument from the scale of the universe. They delve into the nature of God's omnipotence, the connection between God and goodness, and the comparison of good and evil God hypotheses. The podcast also examines material causation, the improvability argument against God's existence, and philosophical arguments for atheism.
The inconsistency of evil with God's existence is highlighted by logical and evidential arguments from evil.
Non-resistant non-belief challenges the existence of a perfectly loving God open to personal relationships with all.
Religious diversity and confusion question a perfectly good and clear God's ability to reveal proper human relations.
Doubts are raised about traditional theistic concepts by challenges to divine attributes of omnibenevolence, omniscience, and omnipotence.
The possibility of God creating a better world suggests the actual world may not be the best possible world.
The Improvability Argument questions whether God could have created a better world, challenging the idea of the actual world being the best possible world.
Deep dives
The Problem of Evil
If God exists and is all good, all knowing, and all powerful, why does evil exist? This argument is divided into logical and evidential arguments from evil, both pointing to the inconsistency of evil with God's existence.
The Argument from Divine Hiddenness
If a perfectly loving God exists, there should be no non-resistant non-belief in God. However, there is non-resistant non-belief, suggesting that a perfectly loving God may not exist or may not be open to a personal relationship with all.
The Argument from Religious Diversity
God's failure to clearly reveal how humans should properly relate to Him is highlighted by the vast religious diversity and confusion across different beliefs. This diversity challenges the idea of a perfectly good and clear God.
Assessment and Ranking
These arguments signify challenges to the nature of God and His interactions with humanity, questioning divine attributes of omnibenevolence, omniscience, and omnipotence. While not definitive proofs, they raise significant doubts about the coherence of traditional theistic concepts.
The Possibility of a Better World Than the Actual World
If God exists, then it's possible for God to create a better world than the actual world. This implies that the world could be improved in various ways, such as having more happiness or preventing certain instances of evil. It suggests that the actual world is not the best possible world.
Implications of Creating a Better World
If it's possible for God to create a better world than the actual world, then it's possible for God to be better in some respect than he actually is. Just like an artist creating better art would be considered a greater artist, creating a better world reflects positively on God as a creator.
Acting on Better Reasons
In a world where God creates a better world, he would be responding to and acting on better reasons. This suggests that his decision-making and actions would be improved in a world where he creates a superior reality, reflecting a higher level of agency and praiseworthiness.
Ranking the Argument
The Improvability Argument questions whether God, if existing, could have created a better world, thereby potentially being a better creator. The discussion revolves around the possibility of improvement and its implications on God's nature and actions. This argument challenges the view that the actual world is the best possible world, with intuitive motivations for God's capacity for creating an enhanced reality.
The Possibility of God Being Better in Some Respect
If God exists, it's logically possible for God to be better in some way, but the concept of a perfect being implies that God is already at the peak of perfection, leading to a contradiction on the idea of God's perfection, ultimately suggesting that God doesn't exist.
The Argument from Material Causality
The argument posits that every material thing with a cause has a material origin, but if traditional theism is true, the universe lacks a material cause, leading to the conclusion that traditional theism is false. The argument is supported by the principle of material causality, emphasizing the need for pre-existing materials to explain the universe's origin.
The Modal Argument from Evil
The Modal Argument from Evil challenges God's existence by presenting the possibility of a world with extreme suffering and no corresponding good. Conceived through modal logic, this argument speculates that a world with gratuitous evil could imply that God does not exist, leading to the ultimate assertion that God, as traditionally perceived, is non-existent.
Joe Schmid is a PhD student in philosophy at Princeton University. He graduated with a B.A. in philosophy from Purdue University in 2022. He has published articles in metaphysics, philosophy of religion, and philosophy of time, and the author of books including "Existential Inertia and Classical Theistic Proofs". He runs the YouTube channel, "Majesty of Reason".
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