Philosophy

I recently finished Michael Bergmann's Justification Without Awareness . It was very dense and I will certainly have to read it again since some discussions were above my current level of understanding. But I'll offer some thoughts on the parts that I did understand. The topic is epistemic justification. The book is divided into two parts. Part one develops an extended argument against epistemic internalism and part two defends epistemic externalism from objections. As a com

Objection: Tim, in your paper, Bignon’s Review of Mere Molinism: A Rejoinder , you wrote the following: “I wrote a 300-page book surveying biblical data, historical theology, metaphysics, epistemology, perfect being theology, and apologetics. I only had one chapter to devote to a philosophical defense of libertarian freedom. Thus, I did not have the time or space to survey potential objections (of which I am aware and which I believe do not scathe the FreeThinking Argument)”

My recently published book,  Human Freedom, Divine Knowledge, and Mere Molinism , has, for the most part, received positive reviews. But I had anticipated a negative response from one particular philosopher, Guillaume Bignon, a Calvinist, whom I critiqued in the book. Bignon provided a 50-page “extremely negative assessment” criticizing almost everything in the book — from my English and grammar, to my philosophy and theology. In the paper linked below, I offer a critical re

The book, Debating Christian Religious Epistemology , was a brilliant idea. It is educational, cordial, up-to-date with current scholarship, and quite enjoyable. For my friends (especially my Christian friends) who often ask me for good introductions to epistemology, this is among the best at least with respect to religious epistemology. The book begins with a helpful overview introducing the reader to religious epistemology. The topics covered include the structure of justif

This year, I have the privilege of studying abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland. While Scotland is now considered one of the more secular places on earth, it has a rich history of Christianity dating back to perhaps the early third century. So naturally, I made sure to enroll in Edinburgh University’s History of Christianity as a World Religion course. Readings for the course varied in time period, language, cultural context, and subject matter; they ranged from the diary of Perpet

Question: Dr. Stratton, in your book you point out that if our thoughts and beliefs are causally determined by physics and chemistry, then they are not reliable. I agree since physics and chemistry are not intentionally aimed at true beliefs. However, related to that, you also say that even if God casually determines all of our thoughts and beliefs all the time, then they still aren’t reliable. God is an intentional being (much different than physics and chemistry), so why wo

I recently made a video for the FreeThinking Ministries YouTube channel entitled Divine Determinism and the GOD OF MISCHIEF . In this video I point out that if naturalistic determinism is true, then all human thoughts and beliefs are causally determined by the forces of nature, the initial conditions of the big bang, past events, perhaps some quantum mechanics, and all other things outside of human control. Since these naturalistic events would be causally determined by proce

A parable, according to Merriam Webster , is "a short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle." Jesus was famous for teaching morality through the use of these tools. With that in mind, consider a thought experiment, a modern-day "parable," if you will:  A trained MMA fighter notices a suspected rapist/murderer was breaking into his neighbor's house to presumably rape and kill his neighbor's daughter who was home alone. What if the highly s

Foreword Dr. Tim Stratton has the rare and precious gift of taking highly complex issues in philosophical theology and making them easily understandable to laypeople at the same time as he shows their tremendous importance for scholars in the disciplines of philosophy and religion. This book will be profitably and enjoyably read by laypeople and scholars interested in various themes, including biblical exegesis, the history of Christian thought, metaphysics, epistemology, sys

I was raised in a family and a community where religious beliefs were considered personal and virtually never discussed. I attended a Catholic grade school and continued with religion classes through high school. I was a good student and knew what I was supposed to believe – but no matter how hard I tried, I just could not convince myself that any of it was true. I had a long list of questions, but mostly kept those to myself. I was pretty sure that these doubts made me a bad

Many conservatives are bewildered and befuddled by the apparent intellectual incoherence of the left. But if we really understand Marxism beyond the superficial levels we often see in the blogosphere and social media, all the bewilderment disappears. We think on the basis of the linear classical method of logical development. In other words, we follow the fundamental laws of logic. For us, truth is therefore an objective metaphysical reality independent of the material world,

A few months ago, my friend Tim Stratton at FreeThinking Ministries asked me to write a piece responding to Guillaume Bignon’s form of exhaustive deterministic Calvinism. Bignon is a compatibilist; that is, he is someone who believes that the propositions “God determines all things” and “human beings are free in the morally relevant sense” are compatible. What does it mean for God to determine all things? According to Bignon, it means that all that comes to pass is necessit

One distinctive feature of Molinism is the idea of Middle Knowledge, whereby God knows what any possible creature would freely do under any possible set of circumstances. Hence, the content of this knowledge is said to include all true Counterfactuals of Creaturely Freedom (CCF). An interesting question arises when we ask ourselves “Does God also have Middle Knowledge of His own free actions, i.e. Counterfactuals of Divine Freedom?” As Molinists understand divine omniscience,

Question: I don't believe there is such thing as cultural Marxism. It's merely a made up myth. If you disagree, please describe exactly what is meant by "cultural Marxism" and explain it to me like I was a five-year-old. While you're at it, I'd love to hear your understanding of Marxist thought because I suspect it is extremely shallow, partisan, and sophomoric. - Ben Answer: Thanks for your question, Ben. You hit the nail on the head: very few people actually understand Marx

Historians will look back on the this past year in disbelief. Indeed, it seems that 2020 is on the "wrong side of history." First the wildfires in Australia, then Kobe Bryant dies in a helicopter crash, then the coronavirus pandemic sweeps the globe, then humanity is sentenced to house arrest (aka, "quarantine"), then Tim Stratton graduates with a Ph.D., then mobs of violent rioters flood the streets, and then nearly everything became "racist." Speaking of the term “racist,”

In December of 2019, I graduated with a B.A. in Philosophy from a secular university.  At this secular university, I was immersed in ideas such as critical theory and Marxism , since these views dominated the Philosophy Department.  Having become fascinated in philosophy through a crisis of faith that led me to Christian apologetics in high school, I found these views confusing and troubling at first.  Seemingly everyone around me (who was not a Christian) bought into these

The Batman franchise directed by Christopher Nolan is not about a war of brute force against brute force. It’s about a war of ideas. That’s what makes it so intriguing, and it’s also what makes it so poignantly relevant. The physical battles in these films, and especially in the last installment, “The Dark Knight Rises” are intense to say the least. But they are galvanized by the battle for the ideas in the minds of the combatants, not just their bravado. Nolan and his writer

I have always found it amazing how many notable Christian mouthpieces have vociferously denied giving any credence to Marxist ideology while at the same time giving wholesale credence to Marxist ideology. What is obvious to the most thoughtful observer schooled in Marxist philosophy is obscured in the minds of those who are saturated with it. The best way to make a disciple of Marxism is to convince the student they are not a disciple of Marxism. This does not mean that every

If I were to ask you who the most influential philosopher of the 21st Century is, what would your answer be? The correct answer might surprise you.  It is Karl Marx. Karl Marx believed that class struggle would occur naturally on its own without the help of any social engineer. He believed the Communist Revolution was the inevitable outcome of socio-economic forces and it was only a matter of time.  He was wrong. The marxists of today believe in class struggle just like Marx

Critical Theory ideology is quite prevalent in the modern culture today. From this theory we get the term, “social justice.” Social justice touches upon many of the most volatile issues in our society. Unfortunately, this term is not clearly defined, and many people do not know how to clearly understand Critical Theory and its resultant term, ‘social justice.’  Critical Theory functions as a worldview and metanarrative that runs from oppression to liberation. This essay expl