Kalam Cosmological Argument - A Tippling Philosopher

Obliterating the Kalam Cosmological Argument

I love me a bit of the Kalam. Well, more accurately, a bit of criticism of the Kalam. What am I talking about? What is this Kalam? Well, the Kalam Cosmological Argument (KCA) is a short, three-lined syllogism that supposedly shows that the universe required a cause for its existence,

Did God Create the Universe from Nothing?

Carrier's Anti-Kalam Book Endorsement!

Apologies for my absence - half term, and kids, and all that. Dr Richard Carrier was very generous indeed with his time and effort on my recent book The Resurrection: A Critical Examination of the Easter Story [UK]. I was very much indebted to him for his extensive blog entry

Cosmology

Lowder, Kalam and Creating the Universe from Nothing

Here is the foreword to my book Did God Create the Universe from Nothing: Countering William Lane Craig's Kalam Cosmological Argument [UK] by Jeffery Jay Lowder. I think this is one of my tightest books, one that I am particularly proud of. Anyway, over to Lowder: There are

Cosmology

Did God Create the Universe from Nothing?

This was the question I sought to answer in my book of the same name, with the subtitle of Countering William Lane Craig's Kalam Cosmological Argument [UK]. I often think this is my best book. It's tight, aimed at just the right level and audience in

Cosmology

Causality and Kalam

A YouTuber commenter hit me with this comment the other day in the context of me having written a book on the Kalam Cosmological Argument (Did God Create a Universe from Nothing) [UK]. Here is his comment, with my reactions interlinearly: The central thesis of your book against the Kalam,

Cosmology

Kalam Underwritten by Science?

I wrote a, what I obviously think is fantastic, book on the Kalam Cosmological Argument a few years back. The sort of reviews I have enjoyed getting go something like this: 5.0 out of 5 stars William Lane Craig really should read this book before he says anything else

Cosmology

Pearced Off! #8 - The Kalam and Free Will as Not Compatible

I am running a series of the old podcast segments from my Pearced Off! section of the Skepticule Podcast (a British skepticism-based podcast now on hiatus) that I used to contribute to. Some of the earlier ones have some quieter audio. Apologies. They run at around ten minutes. Something to

kalam

Free Will & the Kalam: Causes & Reasons

I recently posted on the Kalam Cosmological Argument and how it isn't compatible with libertarian free will. Luke Breuer took issues with what I said, transcribing my video (now in italic) in his comment: Jonathan, you seem to be conflating causes and reasons: But basically someone who is

Did God Create the Universe from Nothing?

Kalam and Free Will

Here's a video for you based on an argument in my book Did God Create the Universe from Nothing? (UK) and about which I have written several times before: Stay in touch! Like A Tippling Philosopher on Facebook: A Tippling Philosopher You can also buy me a cuppa.

Did God Create the Universe from Nothing?

Libertarian Free Will and the Kalam, Revisited

It seems that internet friends and atheist You Tube sensations CosmicSkeptic and Rationality Rules have either read my book at some point or are just hitting a rich vein of Kalam Cosmological Argument (KCA) criticism by mutual awesomeness. I recently posted about my thoughts concerning CosmicSkeptic's debate with

Consciousness

An Immaterial Mind Causing the Universe

The other day, I was sent an argument by a commenter on my video discussing the Kalam Cosmological Argument. For the full details of his arguments, please see my post here. William Lane Craig uses an extension to his Kalam Cosmological Argument to conclude that this an immaterial mind, qua

abstracts

Criticising Craig's Personal Mind As Causing the Universe

Here is an argument that a commenter on one of my recent YouTube videos on the Kalam Cosmological Argument gave me. It's actually something I have argued elsewhere (possibly even mentioning in that Kalam series itself). Before I hand over to him, let me remind you of the

conceptual nominalism

Dekonstructing the Kalam: CosmicSkeptic, William Lane Craig & Conceptual Nominalism

In my first video in this series on the Kalam as pertaining to leading light of internet atheism, CosmicSkeptic, I looked at running a commentary that hoped to highlight the need for clarity in many of the points that Alex O'Connor made in a vide debunking his former

Did God Create the Universe from Nothing?

The Kalamity of the Kalam Cosmological Argument

Towards the end of my book on the Kalam Cosmological Argument (Did God Create the Universe from Nothing?: Countering William Lane Craig's Kalam Cosmological Argument [UK]), I set out to succinctly list the issues I find in the three-line syllogism: Let me, for ease of reference, lay out

Cosmology

William Lane Craig vs Alex O'Connor on the Kalam

Alex O'Connor is a bit of a star in the atheist world right now, with a huge internet following, getting invited to conferences and getting huge names to discussions, from Richard Dawkins to, now, William Lane Craig. So here he is talking to William Lane Craig. And I

Did God Create the Universe from Nothing?

Short answer, probably not. Long answer, read my book Did God Create the Universe from Nothing?: Countering William Lane Craig's Kalam Cosmological Argument and whilst you're at it, please post a nice review or two on Amazon to counter those typical Christian reviews that give 1

Did God Create the Universe from Nothing?

Two Sides of the Review Coin

I have just received two Amazon reviews for my book on the Kalam Cosmological Argument (Did God Create the Universe from Nothing?: Countering William Lane Craig’s Kalam Cosmological Argument). One a 5-star review from a skeptical someone who contacted me by email to show his appreciation - I am

Did God Create the Universe from Nothing?

Defending the Kalam with the B-Theory of Time

This second video below looks to show, whilst taking the view that the A-Theory of time as being inconsistent with science and therefore the Kalam, that the B-Theory of time can be used to defend the Kalam. For those of you not aware of the two theories of time: William

causality

Kalam, Causality and God

The other day, a Christian commenter posted a series of comments concerning the Kalam (appearing to pertain to my book Did God Create the Universe from Nothing?). I would like to take them to task in considering some of those comments, which include: "It is… a mere assertion… that

determinism

Libertarian Free Will and the 80-20 Problem

One of the most common defences of Libertarian Free Will (or contra-causal free will) is what I sometimes term the 80-20% approach. Most people, to some degree or another, accept that our lives are at least somewhat, and in most cases, a good deal influenced. This may be by genetic,

Did God Create the Universe from Nothing?

Aquinas and the Kalam; Necessity and Induction

Some time back, I was put onto a paper on the Kalam Cosmological Argument (KCA) called "New remarks on the cosmological argument" by Gustavo E. Romero and Daniela Pérez. It is packed full of formal logic and propositional calculus. One excerpt that chimes very well with claims in

Counter Apologist

The Kalam - On Time: Metaphysics and Theories of Time

As many of you will know, I have recently written a new book concerning the Kalam Cosmological Argument (Did God Create the Universe from Nothing? Countering William Lane Craig’s Kalam Cosmological Argument), which has had some cracking reviews. This post is an extract from the book that deals with

Counter Apologist

The Kalam - On Time: Relativity, Simplicity and Science

As many of you will know, I have recently written a new book concerning the Kalam Cosmological Argument (Did God Create the Universe from Nothing? Countering William Lane Craig’s Kalam Cosmological Argument), which has had some cracking reviews. This post is an extract from the book that deals with

Cosmology

The Kalam - On time: Craig’s inconsistent appeals to science

As many of you will know, I have recently written a new book concerning the Kalam Cosmological Argument (Did God Create the Universe from Nothing? Countering William Lane Craig’s Kalam Cosmological Argument), which has had some cracking reviews. This post is an extract from the book that deals with

abstracts

The Pertinence of Nominalism to Religious and Philosophical Debates

I have written about nominalism quite a number of times, both here at the blog and in my books (most recently in Did God Create the Universe from Nothing? Countering William Lane Craig's Kalam Cosmological Argument). For those of you unfamiliar with the topic, let me briefly explain: