Objections to Charles Peirce's Article, A Neglected Argument for the Reality of God
ABSTRACT: Charles S. Peirce sketches "a nest of three arguments for the Reality of God" in his article "A Neglected Argument for the Reality of God." I provide careful analysis and explication of Peirce's argument, along with consideration of some objections. I argue that (1) there are significant differences between Peirce's neglected argument and the traditional arguments for God's existence; (2) Peirce's analysis of the neglected argument into three arguments is misleading; (3) there are two distinct levels of argument that Peirce does not recognize; and (4) it is doubtful whether the argument meets all the criteria set by Peirce himself.
Charles S. Peirce published in the Hibbert Journal in 1908 an article titled, "A Neglected Argument for the Reality of God." The article sketches what Peirce calls, in a later comment, "a nest of three arguments for the Reality of God" (6.486). (1)
I provide an analysis of Peirce's argument and his interpretation of it along with a consideration of some objections. I shall argue:
(1) that there are significant differences between Peirce's neglected argument and the traditional arguments for God's existence;
(2) that Peirce's own analysis of the neglected argument into three arguments is misleading;
(3) that there are two distinct levels of argument that Peirce does not acknowledge, and
(4) that it is doubtful the argument meets all the criteria Peirce himself establishes.
I trust that your response to what I have to say will not mirror the response Michael Raposa reports he received from a "prominent American philosophical theologian," when he gave a presentation on this topic; that...
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... 77-78. Also, if we follow Karl Barth. s interpretation of Anselm. s ontological argument, then the prayerful context in which Anselm offers his argument gives it a more religious cast. However, whatever similarities may exist I think it vital to recognize the differences otherwise one will expect to find yet another bit of metaphysical argumentation about God and be disappointed at not finding it.
(5) It must, however, be admitted that if everyone who mused reached the same conclusion, this rather impressive fact would cry out for some explanation.
(6) C.F. Delany, "Peirce on the Hypothesis of God," op. cit., p. 735.
(7) Donna Orange, Peirce's Conception of God. op. cit., p. 86.
(8) Michael L. Raposa, Peirce's Philosophy of Religion. op. cit., p. 128.
(9) John E. Smith, "The Tension Between Direct Experience and Argument in Religion." op. cit., p. 497.
The question of God’s existence has been debated through the history of man, with every philosopher from Socrates to Immanuel Kant weighing in on the debate. So great has this topic become that numerous proofs have been invented and utilized to prove or disprove God’s existence. Yet no answer still has been reached, leaving me to wonder if any answer at all is possible. So I will try in this paper to see if it is possible to philosophically prove God’s existence.
The first method of Peirce fixing beliefs is the method of tenacity, the role of this method play how simply or directly the person's believe their own view and never stray from their system of beliefs, they will forever be satisfied thus acquiring a great peace of mind. For example, if a person already believes that she/he thinks is that yes it is true. On the other hand, if it's something a person does not already believe that she/he thinks it is no that is not true. Moreover, this is a very simple method for deciding what to believe and doesn't require much thinking, Peirce says, so it's pretty handy.
to so many things to survive (i.e. technology, fashion trends, laws, etc.), then why has it taken
The emergence of the Internet and the World Wide Web brought upon a medium of communication with a range of opportunities for the world. However, this medium is, in due course, subject to the control of a few major companies. The enigma of information flow is the central concern of net neutrality. Consumers, competition and network owners would benefit directly from the regulation of network neutrality because it would provide a positive impact to those parties as well as provide equality.
In “The Fixation of Belief”, Charles S. Peirce attempts to explain his four methods of establishing belief, in which he says all people have. These methods can be put to the test with any subject matter, and one shall always fit.
The Canadian philosopher J.L. Schellenberg has recently put forward an argument for atheism based on the idea that God is supposed to be perfectly loving and so would not permit people to be deprived of awareness of his existence. If such a deity were to exist, then, he would do something to reveal his existence clearly to people, thereby causing them to become theists. Thus, the fact that there are so many non-theists in the world becomes good reason to deny the existence of God conceived of in the given way. I first raise objections to Schellenberg’s formulation of the argument and then suggest some improvements. My main improvement is to include among the divine attributes the property of strongly desiring humanity’s love. Since to love God requires at least believing that he exists, if God were to exist, he must want widespread theistic belief. The fact that so many people lack such belief becomes a good argument for atheism with respect to God conceived of in the given way. Some objections to this line of reasoning are considered, in particular the claim that God refrains from revealing himself to people in order to avoid interfering with their free will or to avoid eliciting inappropriate responses from them or some other (unknown) purpose. An attempt is made to refute each of these objections.
...n for his thinking. Peirce wants his thoughts to make sense on their own, without having to be applicable in all cases. Peirce is concerned with what is practical, not the theoretical, because what is theoretical is not real to Peirce.” (Design)
For the purpose of this essay an argument shall be considered convincing if it would make a reasonable person with no prior opinion on the matter believe it. Further, this essay must establish a definition of ontological so as to differentiate between ontological and other forms of argument for the existence of God. As such, this essay will consider an argument to be “ontological” if the proponents the argument consider it that . However, one potential exception to this rule must be made for Leftow’s modal argument which must be considered an ontological argument despite Leftow consciously avoiding this term. This is because it is similar enough to other modal forms of ontological arguments like Plantinga’s.
A Christian apologetic method is a verbal defense of the biblical worldview. A proof is giving a reason for why we believe. This paper will address the philosophical question of God’s existence from the moral argument. The presuppositional apologetic method of Reformed thinkers Cornelius Van Til and John Frame will be the framework. Topics covered here could undoubtedly be developed in more depth, but that would be getting ahead, here is the big picture.
William Paley and David Hume’s argument over God’s existence is known as the teleological argument, or the argument from design. Arguments from design are arguments concerning God or some type of creator’s existence based on the ideas of order or purpose in universe. Hume takes on the approach of arguing against the argument of design, while Paley argues for it. Although Hume and Paley both provide very strong arguments, a conclusion will be drawn at the end to distinguish which philosophiser holds a stronger position. Throughout this essay I will be examining arguments with reference to their work from Paley’s “The Watch and the Watchmaker” and Hume’s “The Critique of the Teleological Argument”.
Roberts, Richard M. "Network Secrurity." Networking Fundamentals. 2nd ed. Tinley Park, IL: Goodheart-Willcox, 2005. 599-639. Print.
Sirico, Robert A. "Don’t Censor the Internet." Forbes 29 July 1996: 48. [Editorial outlining concerns about governmental control of the Internet and alternatives.]
Wolk, H., Dodd, J., & Tearney, M. (2003). Accounting Theory: Conceptual Issues in a Political and Economic Environment (6th edition ed.). South-Western College Pub.
1) Oxford Readings in Philosophy. The Concept of God. New York: Oxford University press 1987
“Political context includes aspects such as the distribution of power, the range of organizations involved and their interests, and the formal and informal rules that govern the interactions among different players. Political context shapes the way in which policy processes work” (Nash, R., Hudson, A., and Luttrell, C., 2006). It is important to understand the political context in which a social policy issue is embedded. When I think of context, I think of action. An advocate that is trying to influence policy would be concerned about political contexts because it would determine the likelihood, suitability, and capabilities of his/her behavior (action) and conduct while seeking to institute change. By understanding the political context in which a social policy issue is embedded, one’s strategy and approach can be outlined to understand the manner in which changes can be made. Progress can be slow without understanding the political context. An advocate may understand what needs to be changed but may not understand why the change did not occur. The advocate may also be able to institute change in social policy issues if the advocate has a great understanding of the political context. The advocate must be able to align himself/herself with those that can be recruited to change the context of a policy. The advocate can also determine the severity of instituting the change and the probability of getting the change. “The appropriate level of action and type of advocacy strategy will depend on the political, social and economic situation prevailing at a given point in time” (Rietbergen,-McCracken, J., n.d.).