035 - Is Belief in Spirit Warranted? A Look at Alvin Plantinga's Work vis-à-vis Hegel.

Is there a difference between a belief having been proven correct versus a belief that while not proven, is still warranted, and not irrational?  Contemporary philosopher Alvin Plantinga believes there is.  And his method of establishing this speaks directly to Hegel's Spirit (Geist).

Plantinga is also known for his controversial theory the "Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism" (EAAN). It goes like this: If our thinking is a product of blind naturalism, how can we trust it?  Putting this in Hegelian terms, unless one believes in Spirit, can one fully put stock in thought?  It can't, because thought from blind Naturalism has no basis in truth. In other words, one that rejects Spirit cannot use thought to come up with the reason for denying Spirit.

Plantinga does not deny evolution, and believes that the conflict actually lies between Naturalism and rationally based science. 

This episode explores all this and more, including the remarkable apparent fine-tuning of the universe for life and how this may align with Hegel's project.  

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