Examining objections to the problem of divine hiddenness. According to the argument from divine hiddenness adh, gods existence is. God, if he exists, must surely be mysterious, polyvalent, other, hidden in some way. Schellenberg singlehandedly turned the problem of divine hiddenness into a major issue in contemporary philosophy of religion. Contemporary culture promotes selfdisclosure, often in harmful ways. The divine hiddenness should serve as the pattern for a human hiddenness, and our friendships and relationships can benefit inestimably from the saving influence of the divine pattern. That argument, he concludes, poses a serious challenge to theism, to which contemporary theists must respond. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves. Many people seem to be utterly broken by divine silence in the midst of their own suffering or the suffering of others, or simply by.
Filling a gap in the argument from reason eps national conference 2016. Divine hiddenness for many people the existence of god is by no means a suf. Next to the problem of evil, the problem of divine hiddenness has become the most prominent argument for atheism in the current literature. A comparativephilosophical perspective on divine hiddenness.
Divine hiddenness and the value of divinecreature relationships. Schellenbergs atheistic argument from divine hiddenness keeps generating lively debate in various quarters in the philosophy of religion. Chapter 15 divine hiddenness, death, and meaning paul k. However, divine hiddenness refers to something else in recent philosophical literature, especially since the publication of j. The fact of divine hiddenness is also, according to some people, a source of good evidence against the existence of god. The problem of horrific suffering, two other forms of the problem of evil, and the place of human free will in a world governed by a wholly good god. The basic idea is that if god really existed, he would. I think, however, that the problem of divine hiddenness whatever exactly it. Attention to subtleties pertaining to belief allows one to disambiguate key premises of the hiddenness argument. Over time, the author has responded to many criticisms of his argument, both in its original evidentialist version and in its subsequent conceptualist version. What divine hiddenness reveals, or how weak theistic evidence. Divine silenceor, as many think of it, divine hiddenness is the source of one of the two most important and widely discussed objections to belief in god. Divine hiddenness and the opiate of the people springerlink. In this context, it refers to alleged facts about the absence of belief of god, on the basis of which one might think there is no god.
The argument from nonbelief also known as the argument from divine hiddenness is a philosophical argument against the existence of god. As the literature on divine hiddenness is wideranging, my aim here is only to offer a sampling of the various theistic responses and counter responses to the argu ment, along with some thoughts on the relevant strengths and weaknesses of the replies available to the theist. An argument from nonbelief is a philosophical argument that asserts an inconsistency between the existence of god and a world in which people fail to recognize him. Reevaluating the hiddenness argument from above springerlink. What divine hiddenness reveals, or how weak theistic. Defeated evidence volume 81 charity anderson skip to main content accessibility help we use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites.
It fits with divine hiddenness although not accounting for it in a fully satisfying way. Schellenberg who, in divine hiddenness and human reason, argues that the epistemic hiddenness of god presents a strong argument for atheism. Moser in the phaedo, plato claims that those who really apply themselves in the right way to. It is also one of the most important sources of doubt and spiritual distress for religious believers. Sep 30, 2015 a lecture at baylor university on why i prefer the problem of divine hiddenness to the problem of evil. While there are aspects of his argument that make it a hybrid of the two classes of objection, i consider it a primarily dthd argument, specifically a human deficiency one.
Hiddenness, holiness, and impurity religious studies. Sep 28, 20 divine hiddenness and divine humility divine hiddenness and divine humility dumsday, travis 20928 00. The argument from nonbelief or the argument from divine hiddenness is a philosophical argument against the existence of god, specifically, the god of theism. Divine hiddenness, greater goods, and accommodation. The arguments then note that if god is allloving, he would care deeply about whether we, his creatures, believe that he exists. Schellenbergs first book, divine hiddenness and human reason cornell university press, 1993, developed the argument from divine hiddenness or hiddenness argument against the existence of god. Perhaps the suggestion will instead be that the hiddenness argument is reducible to the argument from evil because the former, like the latter, is arguing from things bad. Divine hiddenness and affective forecasting divine hiddenness and affective forecasting. Schellenbergs divine hiddenness argument dha since the publication of his divine hiddenness and human reasonin 1993. Paul conceptualized moral impurity as a causal state that transfers from person to person, like a contagious disease.
Assessing the argument from divine hiddenness for atheism. It is similar to the classic argument from evil in affirming an inconsistency between the world that exists and the world that would exist if god had certain desires combined with the power to see them through. Flint divine hiddenness and human reason ithaca, ny. Schellenbergs book contained the first booklength analysis and. Human reason religious diversity sceptical theist horrendous evil moral ignorance these keywords were added by machine and not by the authors.
As van inwagen points out2 at the heart of every defence is a reason or set of reasons for permitting the nefarious phenomenon. Divine hiddenness and the nature of belief ted poston. The place of freedom in a world governed by god keith derose part one. Gods existence were made evident, the visceral threat of divine punishments and the allure of eternal rewards would coerce us into obeying 1see schellenberg, divine hiddenness and human reason. Schellenberg\u27s argument, based on divine hiddenness and human reason, against the existence of god. Schellenberg presented the question in divine hiddenness and human freedom.
Divine hiddenness, greater goods, and accommodation pdf. Once this is done the hiddenness argument collapses. Schellenberg argues that if a perfectly loving god exists, we would not expect to find such widespread nonbelief in god\u27s existence. In that year, cornell university press published j. Schellenberg, divine hiddenness and human reason ithaca, ny. First, while it suggests that god both exists and hides, this phrase actually refers to a strategy of arguing that. Divine hiddenness and human philosophy jl schellenberg mount. The problem of divine hiddenness is an argument or family of arguments against the existence of god which appeals to facts regarding certain. Of all published articles, the following were the most read within the past 12 months. The divine hiddenness argument against christianity there is an argument against christianity based on gods hiddenness.
It argues, first, that according to these views there is no inculpable nonbelief, and thus, second, that a crucial premise in the atheistic argument from divine hiddenness is untenable. In this new collection of essays, a distinguished group of. But if the problem of divine hiddenness just is the problem of evil well, there already exist many discussions of this problem, and i do not propose to add to their number in this essay. If you do not see its contents the file may be temporarily unavailable at the journal website or you do not have a pdf plugin installed and enabled in your browser. Cornell university press 1993, 26 this content downloaded from 140. He also believed that moral impurity precludes divine human relationship. That is, it raises problems about their very existence, particularly its value and purpose. Schellenbergs landmark book, divine hiddenness and human reason 1993. This paper examines the relationship between human sin and divine hiddenness, drawing on views that are widely acknowledged within the reformed tradition. A divine hiddenness argument for christianity thinking. Schellenbergs book, divine hiddenness and human reason 1993, divine hiddenness has come to refer to the. Summary divine hiddenness in contemporary philosophy of religion may refer to the supposed fact that the existence of god is less than obvious, or to an argument against theism based on this supposed fact. University of notre dame press, cambridge university press. John of the cross, jonathan edwards, kierkegaard, and various biblical writers.
Thus, in thinking this, some might end up turning to god for the main purpose of avoiding the threat of punishment. The first fulllength treatment of its topic, divine hiddenness and human reason will be of interest to anyone who has sought to reach a conclusion as to gods existence, and especially to theologians and philosophers of religion. The most detailed investigation of this problem is that of j. The problem of divine hiddenness has become one of the most prominent arguments for atheism in the current philosophy of religion literature. Klaas kraay summer 2018 brief description the problem of divine hiddenness is an infelicitous phrase for two reasons. Schellenbergs 1993 book divine hiddenness and human reason. Divine hiddenness and the demographics of theism philosophy. Divine hiddenness and the value of divine creature relationships. Schellenberg divine hiddenness and human reason 1993, one of the problems prominent advocates, holds that the only way to prevent completely the occurrence of nonresistant nonbelief would be for god to have granted all of us a constant. Schellenbergs now classic book, divine hiddenness and human reason.
Daniel grosz coercion and the argument from hiddenness. It fits with the ambiguity of the evidence that i mentioned in my second introductory post to this series. In examining the concept of gods perfect love, we must develop our understanding of it by reference to what is best in human. The argument begins with the observation that many people of apparently good will and at least average intelligence. A substantial introduction clarifies the main problems of and leading solutions to divine hiddenness. The argument from reasonable nonbelief and the argument. Hiddenness arguments begin with a claim to which many theists would comfortably assent. First, notice that talk of divine hiddenness or the hiddenness of god originates in contexts of unquestioning belief think only of the hebrew psalmists laments. The argument from divine hiddenness according to the argument from divine hiddenness adh, gods existence is discon. Parental love will not permit this to occur when it can be prevented. Briefly stated, the argument says that the existence of nonresistant nonbelief is evidence against the existence of god, where nonbelief occurs whenever one fails for whatever reason and in whatever way to. Schellenberg divine hiddenness and human reason 1993, one of the problems prominent advocates, holds that the only way to prevent completely the occurrence of nonresistant nonbelief would be. This argument says that if god existed and was perfectly good and loving every reasonable person would have been brought to believe in god.
Finally, the demographics make the argument from divine hiddenness in some ways a better atheological argument than the more familiar argument from evil. Naturalism and the mental problem of causal drainage. This issue has been only tangentially discussed in the literature to date. This article develops a reply to schellenbergs argument by examining the notion of moral impurity, as understood by paul the apostle. Divine hiddenness and human reason cornell studies in the philosophy of religion 9780801473463. Jan 25, 2016 the problem of divine hiddenness is an argument or family of arguments against the existence of god which appeals to facts regarding certain forms of nonbelief that exist in the actual world. What links here related changes upload file special pages permanent link page.
The premise of the argument is that if god existed and wanted humanity to know it, he would have brought about a situation in which everyone reasonable believed in him. This fact the fact of divine hiddenness is a source of existential concern for many people. But even if in some sense the hiddenness argument can be said to be arguing from what. Divine hiddenness and human reason is a carefully argued, deeply insightful, and richly rewarding book. The argument from reasonable nonbelief or the argument from divine hiddenness was first elaborated in j. There is coverage of the historical treatment of divine hiddenness as found in the work of maimonides, st. The most widely discussed articulation of the providence and the problem of evil, pp. See my divine hiddenness and human reason ithaca, ny. An argument from nonbelief is a philosophical argument that asserts an inconsistency between.
Divine hiddenness is the idea that god is in some sense hidden or obscure. Over the years the argument has provoked an impressive range of theistic replies, and the topic has. What the hiddenness of god reveals, divine hiddenness. This problem, the fact of divine hiddenness, has been a source of existential concern and has sometimes been taken as a rationale to support atheism or agnosticism. Schellenbergs in christian philosophy, edited by thomas p. Discussion of schellenbergs argument continues today, in academic journals, anthologies, and other books, as well as online. Hiddenness of god stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. According to the hiddenness argument, this is actually a reason to suppose that it is not a fact at all. Divine hiddenness and the nature of belief ted poston department of philosophy, university of south alabama, mobile, al 36695. Developing a view held by aquinas, but with subtle reasoning of her own and attention to competing accounts in the recent philosophical literature, stump argues. Our reason is, roughly, that the kind of relationship god most desires to have with humanlike creatures is one which requires some epistemic distance. The premise of the argument is that if god existed and wanted humanity to know it, he would have brought about a situation in which every reasonable person believed in him. Responsibleminimum4 submitted 1 hour ago by responsibleminimum4.
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