Lecture in Greenville, SC, USA, 14 February

On 14 February 2014, I will be delivering a paper in Greenville SC entitled Veritas Intactilis: An Aristotelian Response to New Atheism. The abstract has been published as follows:

No matter the level of training in philosophy or lack thereof, everyone recognizes that mankind seems to have a natural inclination to believe in the supernatural. However, as in the advent of modern empirical science, we also seem to have a tendency to leave behind our supernatural explanations if a natural explanation is found. Today’s intellectual “elite” often become naturalist for this reason. Desire for meaning, trust in parents, seeing ordinary events as extraordinary, and induced delusion through prayer are cited as causes for religion by the new atheists and agnostics today. The claim that God exists lacks positive justification.

This paper argues against the position held by Richard Dawkins, Alex Rosenberg, and the new atheists that a natural account of religion is sufficient to advocate atheism. This view oversimplifies the question because it continues to presume a ‘machine-like’ world and fails to account for the theism based in the classical Aristotelian understanding of causality: causa causarum, which has been put forth as positive justification. Though this teleological view of the world is no longer commonly accepted, Aristotle also seems to be widely misunderstood on the topic by those who provoked this change in modernity. Every aspect of the world which is intelligible acts in predictable ways, the basis on which modern science rests and presumes, and herein is the plausibility of Aristotle’s argument for the final causes.

The structure of the paper consists of first explaining the difference in terms between the traditional “classical” and “modern” scientific viewpoints of the world in order to set up terms and contrasts. Secondly, I will explain how, whether God exists or not, material and efficient causality alone is useful but cannot give a consistent or complete view of causes because reality becomes fragmented, and thus, true explanations are not possible. I will also describe how final causality is a necessary part of any comprehensive account of the world around us because even at the most reduced level of reality, we find consistency. Lastly, I will explain why, given these points, the question of God’s existence remains clearly open to debate.

All are welcome to attend though unfortunately there is a registration process and fee. 

There will be many important topics discussed and the Conference Program can be found here:

• http://www2.furman.edu/academics/philosophy/Pages/SCSP-Conference.aspx and the SCSP website (http://artsandsciences.sc.edu/phil/scsp/.

Faculty: $65
Graduate Students: $55
Undergraduates: $45
The registration includes: Society fees, Reception on Friday night, Presidential Address Banquet on Saturday.

Checks should be made out to: “Furman University”

Send checks to:

Sandi Annone, Dept. Asst.
Department of Philosophy
Furman University
3300 Poinsett Hwy
Greenville SC, 29613

***If anyone has to leave Saturday afternoon and cannot attend the banquet Saturday night, please contact aaron.simmons@furman.edu to work out payment without the banquet being included.