Reasonable Faith Podcast Is This a Good Argument for Atheism?
15 snips
Dec 8, 2025 Joe Schmidt, a philosophy doctoral student from Princeton, dives into a groundbreaking reverse modal ontological argument for atheism. He discusses how traditional ontological arguments aim to prove God's existence through concepts. William Lane Craig, initially skeptical, shares his shift to defending these arguments. The duo explores modal logic's dynamics, debating the feasibility of a reverse argument that claims the nonexistence of God leads to impossibility. Their engaging dialogue challenges listeners to consider the implications of possibility in the debate between theism and atheism.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
What The Ontological Argument Seeks To Do
- Ontological arguments try to show God's existence from a priori reflection on the concept of God.
- William Lane Craig notes the key premise is that it's possible that God (a maximally great being) exists.
Value Argument Supports Possibility
- Craig presents Rasmussen's value argument to support possibility of maximal greatness.
- The argument concludes that if some degree of value can be instantiated, maximal greatness can be instantiated and thus is possible.
From Possible To Necessary In Modal Terms
- Modal ontological arguments use modal logic to move from possibility to necessity.
- Craig explains the modal steps showing that if God is possibly necessary then God exists in the actual world.
