What Is Agnosticism? (1981) H. J. Blackham [This article was originally published in "Free Inquiry," Summer, 1981, pp. 31-33.] Winds of Doctrine As a definition of the limits of knowledge, "agnosticism" needs to be understood historically. Summarily and roughly, philosophy at the time of Plutarch (first century A.D.) offered six positions: on the one hand, […]

Why I Am Not a Christian (2006) Graham Oppy [A somewhat different version of this paper is forthcoming in Theism and Naturalism: New Philosophical Perspectives, edited by Paul Pistone and Quentin Smith, Oxford University Press.] In 1927, Bertrand Russell gave a public lecture with the title “Why I Am Not a Christian.” I regularly use […]

Review of Weisberger, A. (1999) Suffering Belief: Evil and the Anglo-American Defence of Theism, Toronto Studies in Religion 23, New York: Peter Lang, pp.xvi+245   Perhaps almost all non-theists will agree that ‘the problem of evil’ has some role in their reasons for rejecting traditional Western theism. When they consult their intuitions, non-theists typically do […]

Critical Notice: Frank J. Tipler (1995) The Physics of Immortality: Modern Cosmology, God and the Resurrection of the Dead London: Macmillan pp.xxvi+528 Some people have wondered whether this book is an elaborate joke.[1] Others have suggested that it is merely a cynical attempt to cash in on the current craze for pop physics treatments of […]

Inverse Operations With Transfinite Numbers And The Kalam Cosmological Argument (1995) Graham Oppy   [This article was originally published as “Inverse Operations With Transfinite Numbers And The Kalam Cosmological Argument” International Philosophical Quarterly, 35, 2, pp.219-221] In “Reply To Smith: On The Finitude Of The Past”[1], Professor William Craig writes:   I reiterate that Smith […]

Review of R. C. Sproul (1994) Not a Chance: The Myth of Chance in Modern Science and Cosmology Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, xiv+235       This truly dreadful book contains ten chapters, with the following titles: 1. The Soft Pillow. 2. The Mask of Ignorance. 3. A Quantum Leap. 4. The Voice of Reason. […]

Book Review: THEISM, ATHEISM, AND BIG BANG COSMOLOGY (1996) Graham Oppy   Recent scientific research into the cosmological origins of the universe has prompted a flood of philosophical speculations about the consequences of that research for views which invoke supernatural causes for the existence of the universe. Much of this speculation has come from people […]

On Some Alleged Consequences Of ‘The Hartle-Hawking Cosmology’ (1997) Graham Oppy   [This article was originally published as “Some Questions About ‘The Hartle-Hawking Cosmology'” Sophia, 36 (1997), 1, pp.84-95] In [3], Quentin Smith claims that `the Hartle-Hawking cosmology’ is inconsistent with classical theism in a way which redounds to the discredit of classical theism; and, […]

Review of The Science of God (1998) Graham Oppy   This article was originally published in Philo, Vol. 1, No. 2 (Fall-Winter 1998), pp. 68-77. In addition to some minor editorial changes, some material from the main text in Philo has been moved into endnotes here. Review: Gerald L. Schroeder. 1998. The Science of God: […]

Review of: J. P. Moreland (ed.) The Creation Hypothesis Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press Graham Oppy This book is an interesting addition to the anti-evolution literature. (For a nice survey of this literature up until 1992, see Tom McIver’s Anti-Evolution: A Reader’s Guide to Writings Before and After Darwin Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992.) […]

On Rescher On Pascal’s Wager (1990) Graham Oppy   [This article was originally published as “On Rescher On PascalÕs Wager”, International Journal For Philosophy Of Religion, 30, 1990, pp.159-168] In Pascal’s Wager: A Study Of Practical Reasoning In Philosophical Theology,[1] Nicholas Rescher aims to show that, contrary to received philosophical opinion, Pascal’s Wager argument is […]

Reply To Professor Craig (1995) Graham Oppy   [This article was originally published as “Reply To Professor Craig”, Sophia 34, 2, December 1995, pp.15-29] [1] I hold that the considerations adduced in kalam cosmological arguments do not embody reasons for reflective atheists and agnostics to embrace the conclusion of those arguments, viz. that the universe […]

Mereological Ontological Arguments and Pantheism (19??) [1] Graham Oppy   Mereological ontological arguments are–as the name suggests–ontological arguments which draw on the resources of mereology, i.e. the theory of the part-whole relation.[2] An instance of arguments of this kind is the following: 1. I exist. (Premise, contingent a priori) 2. (Hence) Some–i.e. least one–thing exists. […]