Category Archives: Philosophy

The APA Controversy Over Religion and Sexuality

Posted on March 7, 2009 by Jim Spiegel

Some members of the American Philosophical Association (APA) are circulating a petition that aims to censure orthodox Christian colleges and universities.  The authors of the petition are requesting that the APA not allow these institutions to advertise open positions in … Continue reading →

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Why Beauty is an Objective Quality in the World

Posted on February 22, 2009 by Jim Spiegel

In my February 12 post I presented an anti-naturalist argument from beauty.  A key premise of this argument is that beauty is an objective quality in the world.  This view is known as aesthetic objectivism.  Before offering some reasons in defense … Continue reading →

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An Anti-Naturalist Argument from Beauty

Posted on February 12, 2009 by Jim Spiegel

The history of philosophy has seen many “theistic proofs” or arguments for the existence of God, dating at least as far back as Plato in the 4th century B.C.  Some of the standard arguments reason to God’s existence from apparent … Continue reading →

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On a Certain Irony in the Case for Gay Rights

Posted on January 26, 2009 by Jim Spiegel

When it comes to the debate on human sexuality, typically it is traditionalists who are painted as enemies of freedom.  After all, they are the ones who insist that extra-marital sex is wrong and should be discouraged.  However, the central … Continue reading →

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Want to Get Rich? Major in Philosophy!

Posted on December 20, 2008 by Jim Spiegel

A recent PayScale Inc. study on college graduates across the disciplines revealed some surprising facts about the earning power of a Philosophy degree.  Fifty different bachelors’ degrees were compared in terms of average incomes for recent graduates and for those a … Continue reading →

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Faith, Film, and Philosophy

Posted on December 12, 2008 by Jim Spiegel

The other day I received some good news from one of my publishers, InterVarsity Press.  The book I co-edited with Doug Geivett last year, Faith, Film, and Philosophy, is going into a second printing.  This is gratifying because it means … Continue reading →

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Two Approaches to the Problem of Evil

Posted on November 13, 2008 by Jim Spiegel

One of the most challenging issues in the philosophy of religion is the problem of evil.  Put simply, the problem concerns the difficulty of reconciling the reality of evil—from immoral behaviors to diseases and natural disasters—with the existence of an … Continue reading →

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An Argument Against Gay Marriage

Posted on October 2, 2008 by Jim Spiegel

One of the more divisive moral-political issues of our time is gay marriage.  Conservative Christians oppose gay marriage and are often criticized because their only reasons for doing so are biblical in nature.  This rankles some people who complain that Christians … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics, Philosophy, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 32 Comments