Skeptical Theism

✍ Scribed by Perry Hendricks

• Publisher: palgrave mcmillan
• Year: 2023
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 302
• Category: Library

✦ Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Praise for Skeptical Theism
Contents
1: Introduction
Preliminary Remarks
God
Is This Book Immoral? Anti-Anti-Theodicy
Summary of Chapters
2: Axiological Skeptical Theism Proved
Introduction: Different Skeptical Theisms
Axiological Skeptical Theism
The Default Argument for Axiological Skeptical Theism
Objections to the Default Argument for Axiological Skeptical Theism
Direct Objection 1: There Likely Aren’t Unknown States of Affairs
Direct Objection 2: Equiprobability Objections
The Argument from Reasons
A Preliminary Problem
The Argument from Reasons Continued
The Argument from Actuality
Is a Sufficiently Weighty Unknown Good Likely?
Conclusion: Unknown Goods and Evils Aren’t Equiprobable
Direct Objection 3: Ekstrom’s “Good Reasons” for Rejecting ST1–3
Direct Objection 4: Benton, Hawthorne, and Isaacs’ Rejection of ST1–4
Direct Objection 5 Oppy’s Objection to Axiological Skeptical Theism
Indirect Objection 1: Moral (or Value) Skepticism
Indirect Objection 2: Oppy’s ‘Item’ Skepticism
Indirect Objection 3: Climenhaga’s Bayesian Objection
Conclusion
3: Deontological Skeptical Theism Proved
Introduction
Deontological Skeptical Theism
The Nature of Reasons
The Justifying and Requiring Distinction Is Not Arbitrary
Moral Dilemmas and the Asymmetry of Reasons
Agent Centered Reasons
The Default Argument for Deontological Skeptical Theism
Objections to the Default Argument for Deontological Skeptical Theism
Direct Objection 1: There Likely Aren’t Unknown Reasons
Direct Objection 2: Equiprobability Objections
Why Reality Is Biased Towards Permissibility
Is a Sufficiently Weighty Unknown Reason Likely?
Indirect Objection 1: Moral Skepticism or Paralysis
Indirect Objection 2: Climenhaga’s Objection
Indirect Objection 3: Skepticism About Theodicy and Natural Theology
Conclusion
4: Skeptical Theism and the Problems of Evil
Introduction
Arguments from Evil
Noseeum Arguments from Evil
Gratuitous Evil: What Is it?
The Noseeum Axiological Argument
God and Axiological Gratuitous Evil: Are They Compatible?
Axiological Skeptical Theism Against the Noseeum Axiological Argument
Objections to the Efficacy of Skeptical Theism: Howard-Snyder and Tooley
The Noseeum Deontological Argument
The Equiprobability Argument from Evil
A Modest Problem for the Equiprobability Argument from Evil
A Fatal Problem for the Equiprobability Argument from Evil
Objection: Deny Permissibility/Justifying Reasons
Another Fatal Problem: Structural Similarity Again
Conclusion
Humean Arguments from Evil
The Axiological Humean Argument
Draper’s Objection to STE (and Axiological Skeptical Theism)
The Deontological Humean Argument
Conclusion
5: Skeptical Theism and Other Arguments for Atheism
Introduction
The Argument from Inscrutability
The Evil-God Challenge
The Argument from Divine Hiddenness
The Logical Argument from Divine Hiddenness
The Evidential Argument from Divine Hiddenness
The Evolutionary Argument for Atheism
The Case for Atheism: What’s Left?
The Case for Theism: Weakened?
6: Skeptical Theism Defeated?
Introduction
The Nature of Defeaters
Rationality Defeaters
Rebutting Rationality Defeaters
Undercutting Rationality Defeaters
Help for Arguments from Evil?
Warrant Defeaters
Humean Defeaters
Purely Alethic Defeaters
Conclusion
7: Faithful Skeptical Theism
Introduction
Divine Revelation and Skeptical Theism
The Nature of Faith
Is Faith Rational?
Faith Is Responsive to Evidence
Faith Enables Completion of Long-Term Risky Rational Commitments
Commitment
Rational Commitment
Long-Term Risky Commitments
How Faith Enables the Completion of Long-Term Risky Rational Commitments
Faith Is Self-Justifying
On Faith that Bad Propositions Hold
Religious Faith and its Rationality
Religious Faith Is Responsive to Evidence
Religious Faith Enables the Completion of Long-Term Risky Rational Religious Commitment
Religious Commitment Is Rational
Religious Faith Is Self-Justifying
The Importance of Faith for Religion
Faithful Skeptical Theism
EVIDENCE and Faith
INSCRUTABLE and Faith
Transformative Experience, Faith, and INSCRUTABLE
Taking Stock
Conclusion
8: Theodicy and Natural Theology
Introduction
Theodicy: Two Case Studies
Felix Culpa
The Problem
The Kantian Theodicy
The Problem
Natural Theology: Two Case Studies
The Argument from Conscious Agents
The Problem
The Argument from Psychophysical Harmony
The Problem
Four Narrow Solutions
Felix Culpa: A Narrow Solution
The Kantian Theodicy: A Narrow Solution
The Argument from Conscious Agents: A Narrow Solution
The Argument from Psychophysical Harmony: A Narrow Solution
Four Metaethical Solutions
The Felix Culpa: A Metaethical Solution
The Kantian Theodicy: A Metaethical Solution
The Argument from Conscious Agents: A Metaethical Solution
The Argument from Psychophysical Harmony: A Metaethical Solution
Is the Metaethical Solution Too Narrow? Extending the Metaethical Solution to the Resemblance Solution
How to Make an Effective Argument for Atheism
9: Commonsense Problems of Evil
Introduction
Commonsense Problems of Evil
The Axiological Commonsense Problem of Evil
Reply 1: An Incredulous Stare
Reply 2: An Undercutting Defeater
Bergmann’s Undercutting Defeater
Conclusion
The Deontological Commonsense Problem of Evil
Reply 1: An Incredulous Stare
Reply 2: An Undercutting Defeater
Bergmann’s Undercutting Defeater
Conclusion
The Real Commonsense Problem of Evil
Reply 1: An Incredulous Stare
Reply 2: Undercutting Defeat
Bergmann’s Undercutting Defeater
Reply 3: Transformative Experience
Reply 4: Accepting Undefeated Evil
Conclusion
Concluding Remarks
References
Index