The Reluctant Theologian Podcast

In today’s episode, I’m continuing my series on rival models of God. Dr. Ema Sani and I chat about two models of God called neoclassical theism and open theism. We discuss the difficulties in defining neoclassical theism, and then turn to topics such as the incompatibility of timelessness with divine passibility. Afterwards, we discuss various objections to models of divine foreknowledge and providence, such as theological determinism, simple foreknowledge, Molinism, and open theism. 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. 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

On today’s episode, I sit down with David Anzalone to chat about divine impassibility and divine passibility. One version of divine passibility is called omnisubjectivity, which says that God has perfect empathy with all of his creatures. David explains how different models of hell cause problems for omnisubjectivity. 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: David Anzalone is a PhD candidate in philosophy at the University of Lucerne. 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, Dr. Tasia Scrutton and I discussed arguments for and against divine impassibility. Then we started to consider the doctrine of divine passibility. In today’s episode, we pick up the conversation by considering objections to divine passibility related to omnipotence and perfect rationality. Then we chat a bit about Tasia’s new book, “Christianity and Depression.” We ask if the suffering God of passibility can really help us in our time of anguish. Here is a link to her new book.  https://scmpress.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9780334058908/christianity-and-depression 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

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