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The Enduring Appeal of Natural Theological Arguments

Bibliographic Data

ID4079728
AuthorsHelen De Cruz (0000-0003-0139-3769, University of Oxford, corresponding author)
Year2014
Volume9
Issue2
Pages145-153
Publication date2014-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePhilosophy Compass (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1747-9991 • E-ISSN: 1747-9991
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/phc3.12105
OpenAlexW1940924621
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited26

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

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Unique citing works4
Citations per year0,4
Citation span2016 - 2025 (10)
Citation velocityrecent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 4
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