Reddit reviews Naturalism Defeated?: Essays on Plantinga's Evolutionary Argument against Naturalism

If you're interested in literature (both for and against) Plantinga's evolutionary argument against naturalism, there is a whole volume of essays on it featuring some very notable philosophers.

With regard to pressupositionalism, a long time ago, I wrote a blog post dealing with pressupositional apologists like Sye Ten Burgencate. I no longer think everything I say there, but it might be interesting to you.

> Nothing can exist outside the laws of nature.

You think so and I think so too. But how do you know this? Do you know this? Does anyone?

Apologist star philosopher Alvin Plantinga has written a whole goddamn book in which he purports to prove that Naturalism is false, and therefore what you just wrote as well. I think his claim is bullshit but I'm not qualified to prove him wrong. Other folks are probably trying, but this is not the kind of discussion that ever reaches a clear result.

Again, the question of whether Naturalism is true is roughly equivalent to the question of whether God exists. There could be things that go bump in the night, and if so, God may be one of them. We skeptics and rationalists are pretty sure there are no such things, including no such God. Unfortunately, the only evidence available is in the form of philosophy based on the assumptions of whoever is making the claim. A very unsatisfactory situation to those of us who enjoy certainty and clarity.

Alvin Plantinga's argument is a bit more subtle than that and you are misrepresenting it. It is not as easy as it may seem to tackle. There is an entire book out featuring prominent philosophers trying to take the argument down. http://www.amazon.com/Naturalism-Defeated-James-K-Beilby/dp/0801487633

>For the most part, they don't--very few professional philosophers pay any attention to Plantinga's philosophy of religion.

Sure. they. don't...:eyeroll:

Ernest Sosa, Dan Dennett, Jerry Fodor, Michael Tooley...etc.