Divine hiddenness and the opiate of the people springerlink. 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. 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. But even if in some sense the hiddenness argument can be said to be arguing from what. Cornell university press 1993, 26 this content downloaded from 140. Chapter 15 divine hiddenness, death, and meaning paul k. 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. 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. What divine hiddenness reveals, or how weak theistic evidence.
It fits with divine hiddenness although not accounting for it in a fully satisfying way. In that year, cornell university press published j. University of notre dame press, cambridge university press. Divine hiddenness and affective forecasting divine hiddenness and affective forecasting. Sep 30, 2015 a lecture at baylor university on why i prefer the problem of divine hiddenness to the problem of evil. God, if he exists, must surely be mysterious, polyvalent, other, hidden in some way. 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. 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. 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. Filling a gap in the argument from reason eps national conference 2016. The argument begins with the observation that many people of apparently good will and at least average intelligence.
Flint divine hiddenness and human reason ithaca, ny. The problem of divine hiddenness has become one of the most prominent arguments for atheism in the current philosophy of religion literature. Daniel grosz coercion and the argument from hiddenness. Schellenbergs landmark book, divine hiddenness and human reason 1993. The fact of divine hiddenness is also, according to some people, a source of good evidence against the existence of god. 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. Divine hiddenness and human philosophy jl schellenberg mount. 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. Schellenbergs in christian philosophy, edited by thomas p. Divine hiddenness and the value of divinecreature relationships. There is coverage of the historical treatment of divine hiddenness as found in the work of maimonides, st. Hiddenness arguments begin with a claim to which many theists would comfortably assent. 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.
Divine hiddenness, greater goods, and accommodation pdf. This article develops a reply to schellenbergs argument by examining the notion of moral impurity, as understood by paul the apostle. Finally, the demographics make the argument from divine hiddenness in some ways a better atheological argument than the more familiar argument from evil. Schellenberg argues that if a perfectly loving god exists, we would not expect to find such widespread nonbelief in god\u27s existence. Human reason religious diversity sceptical theist horrendous evil moral ignorance these keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. Next to the problem of evil, the problem of divine hiddenness has become the most prominent argument for atheism in the current literature.
Assessing the argument from divine hiddenness for atheism. Divine hiddenness and human reason is a carefully argued, deeply insightful, and richly rewarding book. See my divine hiddenness and human reason ithaca, ny. Divine hiddenness and the value of divine creature relationships. Divine hiddenness and human reason cornell studies in the philosophy of religion 9780801473463. Moser in the phaedo, plato claims that those who really apply themselves in the right way to. Divine hiddenness and the demographics of theism philosophy. A comparativephilosophical perspective on divine hiddenness. Schellenberg, divine hiddenness and human reason ithaca, ny.
The most detailed investigation of this problem is that of j. The argument from divine hiddenness according to the argument from divine hiddenness adh, gods existence is disconfirmed by the fact that not everyone believes in god. 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. What the hiddenness of god reveals, divine hiddenness. In many places and times, and for many people, gods existence has been rather less than a clear fact. Examining objections to the problem of divine hiddenness. The most widely discussed articulation of the providence and the problem of evil, pp. Schellenberg presented the question in divine hiddenness and human freedom.
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. Parental love will not permit this to occur when it can be prevented. Divine hiddenness is the idea that god is in some sense hidden or obscure. Hiddenness of god stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. This fact the fact of divine hiddenness is a source of existential concern for many people. The argument from nonbelief or the argument from divine hiddenness is a philosophical argument against the existence of god, specifically, the god of theism. D divine hiddenness and human reason cornell studies in the philosophy of religion full pdf online self. Reevaluating the hiddenness argument from above springerlink. The arguments then note that if god is allloving, he would care deeply about whether we, his creatures, believe that he exists. Hiddenness, holiness, and impurity religious studies. Over time, the author has responded to many criticisms of his argument, both in its original evidentialist version and in its subsequent conceptualist version.
In examining the concept of gods perfect love, we must develop our understanding of it by reference to what is best in human. Schellenbergs now classic book, divine hiddenness and human reason. Responsibleminimum4 submitted 1 hour ago by responsibleminimum4. 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. John of the cross, jonathan edwards, kierkegaard, and various biblical writers. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves. Discussion of schellenbergs argument continues today, in academic journals, anthologies, and other books, as well as online. It is also one of the most important sources of doubt and spiritual distress for religious believers.
This issue has been only tangentially discussed in the literature to date. A divine hiddenness argument for christianity thinking. Schellenbergs book, divine hiddenness and human reason 1993, divine hiddenness has come to refer to the. That argument, he concludes, poses a serious challenge to theism, to which contemporary theists must respond. Once this is done the hiddenness argument collapses. 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. The argument from reasonable nonbelief and the argument. Divine hiddenness, greater goods, and accommodation. A substantial introduction clarifies the main problems of and leading solutions to divine hiddenness.
This argument says that if god existed and was perfectly good and loving every reasonable person would have been brought to believe in god. 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 basic idea is that if god really existed, he would. 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.
According to the hiddenness argument, this is actually a reason to suppose that it is not a fact at all. 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. The argument from reasonable nonbelief or the argument from divine hiddenness was first elaborated in j. 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. Sep 28, 20 divine hiddenness and divine humility divine hiddenness and divine humility dumsday, travis 20928 00. I think, however, that the problem of divine hiddenness whatever exactly it. 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.
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. Attention to subtleties pertaining to belief allows one to disambiguate key premises of the hiddenness argument. Schellenberg\u27s argument, based on divine hiddenness and human reason, against the existence of god. What links here related changes upload file special pages permanent link page. Schellenberg who, in divine hiddenness and human reason, argues that the epistemic hiddenness of god presents a strong argument for atheism. The place of freedom in a world governed by god keith derose part one. However, divine hiddenness refers to something else in recent philosophical literature, especially since the publication of j. 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. 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. As van inwagen points out2 at the heart of every defence is a reason or set of reasons for permitting the nefarious phenomenon. Schellenbergs divine hiddenness argument dha since the publication of his divine hiddenness and human reasonin 1993. First, while it suggests that god both exists and hides, this phrase actually refers to a strategy of arguing that. 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.
Klaas kraay summer 2018 brief description the problem of divine hiddenness is an infelicitous phrase for two reasons. Of all published articles, the following were the most read within the past 12 months. For it may be that any reason to think that they are not comparable proves only that humans are incapable of making accurate judgments of value. That is, it raises problems about their very existence, particularly its value and purpose. According to the argument from divine hiddenness adh, gods existence is. Thus, in thinking this, some might end up turning to god for the main purpose of avoiding the threat of punishment. Schellenbergs 1993 book divine hiddenness and human reason. Paul conceptualized moral impurity as a causal state that transfers from person to person, like a contagious disease.
What divine hiddenness reveals, or how weak theistic. This paper examines the relationship between human sin and divine hiddenness, drawing on views that are widely acknowledged within the reformed tradition. Naturalism and the mental problem of causal drainage. He also believed that moral impurity precludes divine human relationship. 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. The hiddenness argument is a new argument for atheism that has come to prominence in philosophy over the past two decades. Schellenbergs book contained the first booklength analysis and. The divine hiddenness argument against christianity there is an argument against christianity based on gods hiddenness. Divine hiddenness for many people the existence of god is by no means a suf. Contemporary culture promotes selfdisclosure, often in harmful ways.
Divine hiddenness and the nature of belief ted poston. The argument from divine hiddenness according to the argument from divine hiddenness adh, gods existence is discon. Schellenbergs atheistic argument from divine hiddenness keeps generating lively debate in various quarters in the philosophy of religion. Schellenberg singlehandedly turned the problem of divine hiddenness into a major issue in contemporary philosophy of religion. In this new collection of essays, a distinguished group of. 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. In this paper we argue that attention to the intricacies relating to belief illustrate crucial difficulties with schellenbergs hiddenness argument. 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. It fits with the ambiguity of the evidence that i mentioned in my second introductory post to this series. The problem of divine hiddenness is an argument or family of arguments against the existence of god which appeals to facts regarding certain. Divine hiddenness and the nature of belief ted poston department of philosophy, university of south alabama, mobile, al 36695. 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. An argument from nonbelief is a philosophical argument that asserts an inconsistency between.
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