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I now am on an independent site specifically for my blogging. Behold, Rational A Priori!

Inspired by the feature of the same name, created by Princeton philosopher Richard Chappell, I've decided to post a "web of beliefs" where I post my current opinions on certain key areas of philosophical inquiry. This will not only give a better picture of my thought for reader, but is also a useful tool for tracking the evolution of my own thought. NOTE: I do not have what I consider an informed opinion on everything. I've only posted my opinions on areas of philosophy where I think I ...

A common conception of God by contemporary philosophers of religion is that he is a necessary being, meaning he exists in all possible worlds. St. Anselm's formulation of the ontological argument is one of the most famous argument's for the existence of God, and many philosophers since (such as Immanuel Kant) have accepted it as proving not that God exists, but that if such a being exists, it exists necessarily. The argument is essentially as follows:

1. Imagine the greatest* being ...

One of the most important philosophical ideas of the 21st century is The Simulation Argument, laid out by Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom. While some might dismiss it as silly, this would be a mistake. It deserves serious consideration.

While I won't delve into the in-depth mathematics of the argument, it essentially presents us with a three-way disjunct. Roughly, that disjunct is:

Either

1. The chance of a given advanced civilization either destroying ...

This post is not meant to be a comprehensive argument. Rather, it is a window into my developing thoughts.

An idea I've seen kicking around the philosophy world as of late is problems with the idea of God as a necessary being and the existence of evil. I've developed this idea a little further.

'God' as defended by serious philosophers is usually conceived of as an abstract being that exists necessarily. That is to say that God's existence is a fundamental feature of ...