The Enduring Appeal of Natural Theological Arguments

Datos Bibliográficos

ID4079728
AutoresHelen De Cruz (0000-0003-0139-3769, University of Oxford, autor de correspondencia)
Año2014
Volumen9
Número2
Páginas145-153
Fecha de publicación2014-02-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaPhilosophy Compass (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1747-9991 • E-ISSN: 1747-9991
EditorialWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/phc3.12105
OpenAlexW1940924621
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas4
Referencias citadas26

Natural theology is the branch of theology and philosophy that attempts to gain knowledge of God through non-revealed sources. In a narrower sense, natural theology is the discipline that presents rational arguments for the existence of God. Given that these arguments rarely directly persuade those who are not convinced by their conclusions, why do they enjoy an enduring appeal? This article examines two reasons for the continuing popularity of natural theological arguments: (i) they appeal to intuitions that humans robustly hold and that emerge early in cognitive development; (ii) they serve an argumentative function by presenting particular religious views as live options. I conclude with observations on the role of natural theology in contemporary analytic philosophy of religion

Appeal · Argumentative · Epistemology · Natural theology · Political science · Popularity · Theology · Evolution and Science Education · History · Law · Medieval and Classical Philosophy · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology · Theology and Philosophy of Evil