Philosophy for Theologians

Engaging Philosophy as a Christian

mail@reformedforum.org (Reformed Forum) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 05:00:04 +0000

Jared Oliphint sits down with Dr. K. Scott Oliphint to speak about how Christians should approach the subject of philosophy. They speak about the necessity of the Christian position, the questions asked and answers offered by secular philosophers, and the worldviews communicated in popular culture.

The Pastors College and the Philosophy of Hume

mail@reformedforum.org (Reformed Forum) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 05:00:45 +0000

We speak with Nathan Sasser, Assistant Director of Academic Affairs at the Pastors College for Sovereign Grace Ministries and PhD student in philosophy at the University of South Carolina. Nathan describes the format and goals of the Pastors College, as well as the subject of his doctoral work, the philosophy of David Hume.

An Introduction to Universals

mail@reformedforum.org (Reformed Forum) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 05:00:32 +0000

Philosophy for Theologians opens up the subject of universals by discussing the basic approaches to reality found in thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle. After laying an introductory foundation, the panel discusses Bavinck’s approach to the subject and his views of how theology relates to disciplines.

The Relationship of Philosophy to Theology

mail@reformedforum.org (Reformed Forum) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 05:00:49 +0000

For Reformed theologians it can be rather difficult to articulate the relationship between philosophy and theology. Is philosophy simply theology asking different questions? Is it a distinct discipline that can be differentiated from theological inquiry? Bob LaRocca drives a discussion pertaining to these difficult questions.

The Untamed God

mail@reformedforum.org (Reformed Forum) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 13:25:32 +0000

Jared Oliphint and Nate Shannon lead a discussion on Jay Wesley Richards’ book The Untamed God: A Philosophical Exploration of Divine Perfection, Simplicity, and Immutability.

Thomas’ Second Way

mail@reformedforum.org (Reformed Forum) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 05:00:15 +0000

Bob LaRocca leads a discuss on Thomas Aquinas’ Second Way. The Second Way is an argument for the existence of God from efficient causes. The flow of the argument is as follows:

We perceive a series of efficient causes of things in the world.
Nothing exists prior to itself.
Therefore nothing is the efficient cause of itself.
If a previous efficient cause does not exist, neither does the thing that results.
Therefore if the first thing in a series does not exist, nothing in the series exists.
The series of efficient causes cannot extend ad infinitum into the past, for then there would be no things existing now.
Therefore it is necessary to admit a first efficient cause, to which everyone gives the name of God.

Visit this site for more information regarding Thomas’ Five Ways.

PhD Studies

mail@reformedforum.org (Reformed Forum) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 05:00:14 +0000

PhD students Gabe Fluhrer (MDiv, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary), Carlton Wynne (MDiv RTS, Charlotte) and Nate Shannon (ThM, Westminster Theological Seminary) share what led them to PhD studies, how their seminary experience prepared them, and how their studies have impacted their ministry.

Thomas’ First Way

mail@reformedforum.org (Reformed Forum) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 05:00:24 +0000

Bob LaRocca brings Thomas Aquinas’ famous first way to the table. Thomas’ ways have become staples in apologetic discussions.

Hume’s Argument Against Belief in Miracles, Part 2

mail@reformedforum.org (Reformed Forum) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 05:00:22 +0000

Daniel Schrock stops by to discuss Hume and his philosophical position on miracles. This is part two of a two part discussion. Download Daniel Schrock’s paper Hume’s Argument Against Miracles.

Hume’s Argument Against Belief in Miracles, Part 1

mail@reformedforum.org (Reformed Forum) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:09:39 +0000

Daniel Schrock stops by to discuss Hume and his philosophical position on miracles. This is part one of a two part discussion.

Daniel Schrock Hume’s Argument Against Miracles
Hume entry on Wikipedia
Hume’s works on the Gutenberg Project

Quine’s Two Dogmas of Empiricism

mail@reformedforum.org (Reformed Forum) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 23:33:24 +0000

Willard Van Orman Quine (June 25, 1908 â€“ December 25, 2000) (known to intimates as “Van”) was an American philosopher and logician in the analytic tradition. From 1930 until his death 70 years later, Quine was continuously affiliated with Harvard University in one way or another, first as a student, then as a professor of philosophy and a teacher of mathematics, and finally as a professor emeritus who published or revised several books in retirement. He filled the Edgar Pierce Chair of Philosophy at Harvard, 1956â€“78. A recent poll conducted among philosophers named Quine as one of the five most important philosophers of the past two centuries.

Quine’s paper Two Dogmas of Empiricism, published in 1951, is one of the most celebrated papers of twentieth century philosophy in the analytic tradition. According to Harvard professor of philosophy Peter Godfrey-Smith, this “paper [is] sometimes regarded as the most important in all of twentieth-century philosophy”. The paper is an attack on two central parts of the logical positivists’ philosophy. One is the distinction between analytic truths and synthetic truths, explained by Quine as truths grounded only in meanings and independent of facts, and truths grounded in facts. The other is reductionism, the theory that each meaningful statement gets its meaning from some logical construction of terms that refers exclusively to immediate experience.

from Wikipedia

The Metaphysics of Aristotle

mail@reformedforum.org (Reformed Forum) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 15:42:27 +0000

The crew spends a few minutes discussing the metaphysical system of Aristotle, one of philosophy’s greatest minds.

Logical Positivism

mail@reformedforum.org (Reformed Forum) — Mon, 31 May 2010 05:00:26 +0000

Logical positivism is a combination of empiricism and mathematical and logico-linguistic constructs and deductions in epistemology. The crew provides a brief overview of the view and major players. They then proceed to offer a short critique.

post image from the cover of A. J. Ayer’s Language, Truth and Logic.

Bertrand Russell’s (Un)Apologetic

mail@reformedforum.org (Reformed Forum) — Mon, 24 May 2010 05:00:50 +0000

The group discusses Bertrand Russell’s infamous essay Why I Am Not a Christian. Russell led the 20th century British revolt against idealism and contributed greatly to the philosophical field of logic. Jared Oliphint leads a march through Russell’s essay as the group offers a critique of the philosopher’s arguments.

René Descartes

mail@reformedforum.org (Reformed Forum) — Mon, 17 May 2010 05:00:26 +0000

René Descartes (31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650), was a French philosopher, mathematician, and physicist. He has been dubbed the “Father of Modern Philosophy,” and much of subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings. Many of his works are still studied today – in particular, his Meditations on First Philosophy. Descartes is also known for his contribution to mathematics and even is credited as the father of analytical geometry. Descartes was also one of the key figures in the Scientific Revolution. His famous phrase cogito ergo sum (“I think therefore I am”) is perhaps the most well known philosophical phrase. This phrase encapsulates Descartes attempt to find something he could not doubt – an indubitable. And for him, that thing was the very fact that he was thinking.

Bavinck, Reid and Realism

mail@reformedforum.org (Reformed Forum) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 05:00:40 +0000

We realized many of our discussions on the Reformed Media Review were drifting toward the philosophical. And we also believe there is a general lack of good philosophical resources â€“ at least from people working from a Reformed theological framework. As a result, we bring you Philosophy for Theologians.

Our goal in this program is to provide an overview of a particular philosophical figure or an idea and to analyze it critically through the lens of Scripture. That doesn’t mean proof-texting Kant’s views, but it does mean that we consider everything in light of God’s revelation. We not only want to address philosophical questions on Philosophy for Theologians, but we want to equip you with a way to think about these questions.

In this wide-ranging discussion, the panel begins with a discussion between Nate Shannon and Bob LaRocca regarding the role of realism in Herman Bavinck and the consistency thereof. The discussions moves on and touches, among other things, upon Thomas Reid, Alvin Plantinga and possible worlds semantics.