Author

James R. Henderson

MS Mathematics, University of Arkansas (1990),
Ph.D. Philosophy, State University of New York at Buffalo (2003),
Associate Professor of Mathematics and Philosophy, University of Pittsburgh at Titusville.

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5 Articles

Why Is There Something Rather Than Nothing? Is Not an Argument —( James R. Henderson )

One will sometimes hear theists "argue" for god's existence by posing the question, "Why is there something rather than nothing?" (I am treating the case where the theist is not giving the cosmological argument but rather simply trying to get this question to do all of the existential work). The atheist's inability to give a naturalistic explanation is taken to be proof of god. I argue that this is no argument at all. Rather, it is the identification of a problem that requires explanation. God, of course, is one explanation, but then evidence must be marshaled to support god's existence (or whatever explanatory principle one invokes), and that evidence must go beyond the mere existence of the universe—the thing to be explained cannot be evidence for the explanatory principle.

Published: 10/11/2011

Theism, Atheism, and Agnosticism —( James R. Henderson )

"I'm not sure how I would prove that my cousin's unicycle isn't a god; perhaps it is inscrutable and isn't showing its powers right now. The same goes for the carton of grapefruit juice sitting in my refrigerator right now. When the definitions are wide open, when gods are allowed to be careful not to leave fingerprints, agnosticism looks like it's forced on us."

Published: 12/7/2011

Pimpin' May Not Be Easy, but Try Being a Moderate Christian —( James R. Henderson )

If you're feeling like a pimp, go on and brush your shoulders off. If, alternatively, you're feeling like a moderate Christian, you have a tricky tightrope to walk.

Published: 3/1/2012

Faith and Evidence —( James R. Henderson )

Ambrose Bierce takes faith to be "belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel." Richard Dawkins terms 'faith' "belief that isn't based on evidence." Sam Harris says "Where we have reasons for what we believe, we have no need of faith." The word 'faith' is badly in need of rehabilitation.

Published: 3/26/2012

Undermining the Argument from Common Consent —( James R. Henderson )

"Peter Kreeft defends the Argument for Common Consent by claiming it is not an illicit appeal to the masses. While it is true that some appeals to the majority are legitimate, Kreeft fails to show that the Argument from Common Consent falls into this category. Given this, I argue that the argument carries no weight and adds nothing in the way of establishing god's existence."

Published: 5/10/2012