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Scholar of the Fortnight
Alvin Plantinga is one of the most prominent Christian philosophers in academic philosophy today. He is recognized for working out explicitly Christian beliefs in the medium of contemporary analytic philosophy, and due to his efforts, theism in general, and Christian theism in particular, has become a much more respectable philosophical position.
Plantinga, who recently retired from the University of Notre Dame, argued in his 1967 book God and Other Minds, that even though the traditional arguments for God’s existence don’t succeed as proofs, God-belief may still be rational, just as belief that there are other minds is rational, despite our lack of good arguments for
that conclusion.
It is often said that Plantinga “solved” the logical problem of evil. This problem said that if an all-good and all-powerful God exists, then it is logically impossible that evil also exists. Plantinga’s response to this argument was a rigorous explication of the “Free Will Defense” – he argued that it is possible that any creature with free will would go morally wrong, but this is not something God could have prevented (without interfering with free will).
Quote: “The Christian philosopher does indeed have a responsibility to the philosophical world at large; but his fundamental responsibility is to the Christian community, and finally to God.”
Toph Beach
Cool! I’m reading one of his books for my Contemporary Apologetics 501 course: Warranted Christian Belief. I’m really enjoying it!
I think that not only does the Christian philosopher have a responsibility to the world, the church and God–but also that the church has a responsibility under God toward the Christian philosopher. I mean, if God gives the gift of teaching to such a person to edify the church (1 Cor 12), then shouldn’t the church exercise its “gift of listening” in its various capacities?
As wonderful as it is to be exposed to Plantinga’s work, it’s a shame, in my view, that I’ve been in the church all my life, and have only heard of this man now, in my grad studies.
But, better late than never :)