The Reluctant Theologian Podcast

Have you ever thought about God’s emotional life? What is an emotion, and what kind of emotions does God have? In this two part episode, I sit down with Tasia Scrutton to discuss the debate over divine impassibility and divine passibility. We discuss the philosophy of emotions, and the role that emotions play in debates over the divine nature. In part 2, we continue the conversation about this debate, but also consider the implications of this for issues related to mental health, and the problem of suffering. Credits: Host: R.T. Mullins (PhD, University of St Andrews) is a research fellow at the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities. Guest: Tasia Scrutton (PhD, University of Durham) is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Leeds. Scientific Adviser and Show Manager: Ema Sani (PhD, University of Glasgow) is a postdoctoral fellow in biology at the University of Edinburgh. Music by Rockandmetal_domination – Raising-questions rtmullins.com

What can we actually say about God? Can I make positive claims about God, such as God is perfectly loving? Or can I only describe God in terms of what God is not like, such as God is not weak, or God is not ignorant? In today’s episode, I sit down with Simon Hewitt to discuss something called apophaticism, or negative theology. We chat about the apophatic approach to speaking of God, and some of the implications for theology, the problem of evil, and politics. Credits: Host: R.T. Mullins (PhD, University of St Andrews) is a research fellow at the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities. Guest: Simon Hewitt (PhD, University of London) is a research fellow in philosophy at the University of Leeds. Scientific Adviser and Show Manager: Ema Sani (PhD, University of Glasgow) is a postdoctoral fellow in biology at the University of Edinburgh. Music by Rockandmetal_domination – Raising-questions rtmullins.com

In the last episode, Thomas Williams and I discussed a model of God called classical theism In today’s episode, Thomas and I consider several objections to classical theism. Can an impassible God love us? Can a timeless and immutable God create and sustain the universe without undergoing any change or succession? Is the doctrine of divine simplicity coherent? These are some of the objections we consider. Today’s episode also contains the ever popular popcorn round. Credits: Host: R.T. Mullins (PhD, University of St Andrews) is a research fellow at the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities. Guest: Thomas Williams (PhD, University of Notre Dame) is professor of philosophy and Catholic Studies at the University of South Florida. Scientific Adviser and Show Manager: Ema Sani (PhD, University of Glasgow) is a postdoctoral fellow in biology at the University of Edinburgh. Music by Rockandmetal_domination – Raising-questions rtmullins.com

In contemporary theology, there are multiple models of God to consider. One could be a classical theist, an open theist, maybe even a panentheist. In today’s episode, I sit down with Thomas Williams to discuss classical theism. We chat about great thinkers like Augustine, Aquinas, and Scotus. Then we explore divine attributes like omniscience, timelessness, immutability, simplicity, and impassibility. We even consider some of the implications for human freedom and religious language. Credits: Host: R.T. Mullins (PhD, University of St Andrews) is a research fellow at the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities. Guest: Thomas Williams (PhD, University of Notre Dame) is professor of philosophy and Catholic Studies at the University of South Florida. Scientific Adviser and Show Manager: Ema Sani (PhD, University of Glasgow) is a postdoctoral fellow in biology at the University of Edinburgh. Music by Rockandmetal_domination – Raising-questions rtmullins.com

There are many different kinds of robots out there. There are the hard robots that vacuum your floor, and the soft robots Big Hero 6. Did you know that there are also underwater robots that look like squids? In today’s episode, I sit down with Francesco Giorgio-Serchi. We chat about robots, pig brain transplants, and the possibility of achieving immortality through robots. We even ask if immortality would be good for society. Credits: Host: R.T. Mullins (PhD, University of St Andrews) is a research fellow at the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities. Guest: Francesco Giorgio-Serchi (PhD, University of Leeds) is a chancellor's fellow in robotics and autonomous systems at the University of Edinburgh. Scientific Adviser and Show Manager: Ema Sani (PhD, University of Glasgow) is a postdoctoral fellow in biology at the University of Edinburgh. Music by Rockandmetal_domination – Raising-questions rtmullins.com

In case you are wondering, you are a conscious being. Have you ever asked what exactly is consciousness? And which particular things in the universe are conscious? Perhaps you think only souls can be conscious. Or maybe you think that material objects can be conscious. Whatever view you take, you need to ask where does consciousness comes from. In today’s episode, I sit down with Ben Page to discuss a family of arguments for the existence of God based on the existence of consciousness. Credits: Host: R.T. Mullins (PhD, University of St Andrews) is a research fellow at the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities. Guest: Ben Page (PhD, Oxford University) is a member of the philosophy department at the University of Durham. Scientific Adviser and Show Manager: Ema Sani (PhD, University of Glasgow) is a postdoctoral fellow in biology at the University of Edinburgh. Music by Rockandmetal_domination – Raising-questions rtmullins.com

From driverless car, to robots helping surgeons in hospitals, we are increasingly accepting the role of machines and artificial intelligence in controlling our lives and taking decisions for us. But should I be really worry about my Alexa device taking over the world? In today’s episode, I sit down with Vaishak Belle. We discuss the nature of artificial intelligence, and an array of ethical questions that arise from our use of AI. Credits: Host: R.T. Mullins (PhD, University of St Andrews) is a research fellow at the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities. Guest: Vaishak Belle (PhD, Aachen University) is a chancellor's fellow in human-like computing at the University of Edinburgh. Scientific Adviser and Show Manager: Ema Sani (PhD, University of Glasgow) is a postdoctoral fellow in biology at the University of Edinburgh. Music by Rockandmetal_domination – Raising-questions rtmullins.com

Many people believe that there is a close connection between consciousness and the brain. Yet the human brain is still somewhat of a mystery to us. For example, we still know very little about the early stages of human brain development. Recently, scientists have started growing these little things called brain organoids to help them understand how human brains grow and develop. In today’s episode, I sit down with the neurobiologist, John Mason, to discuss his work on brain organoids, and some of the potential philosophical implications. Credits: Host: R.T. Mullins (PhD, University of St Andrews) is a research and teaching fellow in analytic theology at the University of St Andrews. Guest: John Mason (PhD, University of Cambridge) is a reader in developmental neurobiology at the University of Edinburgh.  Scientific Adviser and Show Manager: Ema Sani (PhD, University of Glasgow) is a postdoctoral fellow in biology at the University of Edinburgh. Music by Rockandmetal_domination – Raising-questions rtmullins.com

We have received so many interesting messages from listeners. The questions range over a host of topics, and we hope to address as many of them as we can. In today's episode, Ema Sani and I open up some mail, and respond to questions about the show, the nature of God, and the nature of time. We consider questions about the absolute theory of time, some confusions about the A-theory and B-theory of time, evil twins, Twitter gossip, and the essential and contingent attributes of God.  Credits: Host: R.T. Mullins (PhD, University of St Andrews) is a research and teaching fellow in analytic theology at the University of St Andrews. Scientific Adviser and Show Manager: Ema Sani (PhD, University of Glasgow) is a postdoctoral fellow in biology at the University of Edinburgh. Music by Rockandmetal_domination – Raising-questions rtmullins.com

In today’s episode, I sit down with Steven Nemes to discuss something called the modal collapse argument against divine simplicity. The modal collapse argument has been defended by myself and many other philosophers over the years. It is an argument that some people love, and that other people love to hate. In today’s episode, I ask Steven to explain how he understands the argument, and why it is a serious problem for the doctrine of divine simplicity. After that we chat about his strategies for avoiding the modal collapse. Check out Steven's paper at:  https://www.academia.edu/41975414/Divine_simplicity_does_not_entail_modal_collapse?fbclid=IwAR38yV_6D5e8PvEcGhwYiajYGNGb4YFp5P5Zya27zbsJ3he3NIyTJfvQ_DE Credits: Host: R.T. Mullins (PhD, University of St Andrews) is a research and teaching fellow in analytic theology at the University of St Andrews. Guest: Steven Nemes is a PhD candidate at Fuller Theological Seminary. Scientific Adviser and Show Manager: Ema Sani (PhD, University of Glasgow) is a postdoctoral fellow in biology at the University of Edinburgh. Music by Rockandmetal_domination – Raising-questions rtmullins.com