Western Philosophy 20th-century philosophy
Plantinga in his office at the University of Notre Dame, 2004
Name Western philosophy is a modern claim that there is a line of related philosophical thinking, beginning in ancient Greece (Greek philosophy) and the ancient Near East (the Abrahamic religions), that continues to this day. ... It has been suggested that Contemporary philosophy be merged into this article or section. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The University of Notre Dame IPA: is a Catholic[4] institution located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated section of St. ...	Alvin Carl Plantinga
Birth	November 15, 1932 Ann Arbor, Michigan is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Ann Arbor redirects here. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Largest metro area Metro Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ...
School/tradition	Analytic Analytic philosophy (sometimes, analytical philosophy) is a generic term for a style of philosophy that came to dominate English-speaking countries in the 20th century. ...
Main interests	Epistemology, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Religion Theory of knowledge redirects here: for other uses, see theory of knowledge (disambiguation) According to Plato, knowledge is a subset of that which is both true and believed Epistemology or theory of knowledge is the branch of philosophy that studies the nature, methods, limitations, and validity of knowledge and belief. ... Plato (Left) and Aristotle (right), by Raphael (Stanza della Segnatura, Rome) Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the ultimate nature of reality, being, and the world. ... Philosophy of religion is the rational study of the meaning and justification ( or rebuttal) of fundamental religious claims, particularly about the nature and existence of God (or gods, or the divine). ...
Notable ideas	Reformed epistemology Free will defense Modal ontological argument Proper Function Reliabilism Evolutionary argument against naturalism Reformed epistemology is the title given to a broad body of epistemological viewpoints relating to Gods existence that have been offered by a group of Protestant Christian philosophers that includes Alvin Plantinga, William Alston, and Nicholas Wolterstorff among others. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... An ontological argument for the existence of God is one that attempts the method of a priori proof, which utilizes intuition and reason alone. ... Reliabilism, a category of theories in the philosophical discipline of epistemology, has been advanced both as a theory of knowledge and of justified belief (as well as other varieties of so-called positive epistemic status). ... The Evolutionary argument against naturalism (sometimes abbreviated EAAN) is a philosophical argument that metaphysical naturalism when combined with contemporary evolutionary accounts of the origin of human life is in a certain interesting way self-defeating[1]. Although C. S. Lewis made somewhat similar observations, the argument as it is commonly...
Influences	Thomas Reid · Abraham Kuyper Thomas Reid Thomas Reid (April 26, 1710 – October 7, 1796), Scottish philosopher, and a contemporary of David Hume, was the founder of the Scottish School of Common Sense, and played an integral role in the Scottish Enlightenment. ... Abraham Kuyper (October 29, 1837, Maassluis – November 8, 1920 The Hague; name officially Kuijper) was a Dutch politician, journalist, statesman and theologian. ...

Philosophy Portal

Alvin Carl Plantinga (born 15 November 1932 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA) is a contemporary American philosopher known for his work in epistemology, metaphysics, the philosophy of religion and modest support of intelligent design. He is currently the John A. O'Brien Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. Despite growing up in the Dutch Reformed tradition, Plantinga along with William Lane Craig, is a prominent proponent of Molinism in the debate over divine sovereignty and providence. He gave the 2004-5 Gifford Lectures at St. Andrews University, titled Science and Religion: Conflict or Concord (to be published). Image File history File links Socrates. ... is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ann Arbor redirects here. ... A philosopher is a person who thinks deeply regarding people, society, the world, and/or the universe. ... Theory of knowledge redirects here: for other uses, see theory of knowledge (disambiguation) According to Plato, knowledge is a subset of that which is both true and believed Epistemology or theory of knowledge is the branch of philosophy that studies the nature, methods, limitations, and validity of knowledge and belief. ... Plato (Left) and Aristotle (right), by Raphael (Stanza della Segnatura, Rome) Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the ultimate nature of reality, being, and the world. ... Philosophy of religion is the rational study of the meaning and justification ( or rebuttal) of fundamental religious claims, particularly about the nature and existence of God (or gods, or the divine). ... For other uses, see Intelligent design (disambiguation). ... The University of Notre Dame IPA: is a Catholic[4] institution located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated section of St. ... The Dutch Reformed Church or Netherlands Reformed Church (in Dutch: Nederlandse Hervormde Kerk (NHK)) is a denomination of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin. ... William Lane Craig William Lane Craig (born August 23, 1949) is an American philosopher, theologian, New Testament historian, and Christian apologist. ... Molinism, named after 16th Century Jesuit theologian Luis de Molina, is a religious doctrine which attempts to reconcile the omniscience of God with human free will. ... The Gifford Lectures were established by the will of Adam Lord Gifford (d. ... University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews was founded between 1410-1413 and is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the United Kingdom. ...

Biography

Family

Plantinga was born on November 15th, 1932 in Ann Arbor, Michigan to Cornelius A. Plantinga and Lettie Plantinga. Plantinga's father was a first generation immigrant, born in the Netherlands ^[1]. His family was from the part of the Netherlands known as Friesland. Plantinga’s father earned a Ph.D. in philosophy from Duke University and a Master's Degree in psychology ^[2]. His father taught several subjects at various colleges over the years^[3]. One of Plantinga's brothers, Cornelius "Neal" Plantinga, Jr., is a theologian and the current president of Calvin Theological Seminary. Another of his brothers, Leon, is a professor of musicology at Yale University ^{[4] [5]}. His brother Terrell worked for CBS News ^[6]. For other uses, see November (disambiguation). ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Largest metro area Metro Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... Capital Leeuwarden Queens Commissioner drs. ... Duke University is a private coeducational research university located in Durham, North Carolina, USA. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. ... Cornelius Plantinga is the President of Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, MI. Prior to holding this position he was the Dean of the Chapel at Calvin College. ... Calvin Theological Seminary is a seminary affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and very closely tied to Calvin College. ... For other uses, see Music (disambiguation). ... Yale redirects here. ...

In 1955, Plantinga married Kathleen De Boer ^[7]. Plantinga and his wife have four children: Carl, Jane, William Harry, and Ann ^[8][9]. Carl Plantinga, his oldest son, is a professor of Film Studies at Calvin College^[10][11]. Plantinga's oldest daughter, Jane Plantinga Pauw, is a pastor at Rainier Beach Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) in Seattle, Washington^[12]. Film theory seeks to develop concise, systematic concepts that apply to the study of film/cinema as art. ... This article is about a liberal arts college in the United States. ... This article needs cleanup. ... City nickname Emerald City City bird Great Blue Heron City flower Dahlia City mottos The City of Flowers The City of Goodwill City song Seattle, the Peerless City Mayor Greg Nickels County King County Area   - Total   - Land   - Water   - % water 369. ... For the capital city of the United States, see Washington, D.C.. For other uses, see Washington (disambiguation). ...

Education

At the end of 11th grade, Plantinga's father instructed Plantinga to skip his last year of high school and immediately enroll in college. Plantinga followed his father's advice and in 1949, a few months before his 17th birthday, he enrolled in Jamestown College, in Jamestown, North Dakota ^[13]. During that same year, his father accepted a teaching job at Calvin College, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In January of 1950, Plantinga moved to Grand Rapids with his family and enrolled in Calvin College. During his first semester at Calvin, Plantinga applied for, and was awarded, a scholarship to attend Harvard University^[14]. Beginning in the fall of 1950, Plantinga spent two semesters at Harvard. In 1951, during Harvard's spring recess, Plantinga attended a few philosophy classes at Calvin College. He was so impressed with Calvin philosophy professor William Harry Jellema that he returned 1951 to Calvin College to study philosophy under Jellema ^[15]. In 1954, Plantinga began his graduate studies at the University of Michigan where he studied under William Alston, William Frankena and Richard Cartwright, among others ^[16]. A year later, in 1955, he transfered to Yale University where he received his Ph.D. in 1958 ^[17]. Jamestown College is a private liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church located in Jamestown, North Dakota. ... Jamestown is a city in Stutsman County, North Dakota in the United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Bismarck Largest city Fargo Area  Ranked 19th  - Total 70,762 sq mi (183,272 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 340 miles (545 km)  - % water 2. ... This article is about a liberal arts college in the United States. ... Grand Rapids is the name of several places in the United States of America: Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids, Minnesota Grand Rapids, Ohio Grand Rapids, Wisconsin is the former name of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin Grand Rapids is also the name of a town in Canada: Grand Rapids, Manitoba. ... Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and a member of the Ivy League. ... This article is about a liberal arts college in the United States. ... This article is about a liberal arts college in the United States. ... The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (U of M, UM or simply Michigan) is a coeducational public research university in the state of Michigan, and one of the foremost universities in the United States. ... William P. Alston (born 1921) is professor emeritus at Syracuse University, and has been influential as an epistemologist. ... William Klass Frankena (June 21, 1908, Manhattan, Montana - October 22, 1994, Ann Arbor, Michigan) was an American philosopher, professor and chair of philosophy at the University of Michigan, and author of several introductory textbooks on moral philosophy and the philosophy of education. ... Yale redirects here. ...

Teaching Career

Plantinga began his career as a philosophy professor in 1958 at Wayne State University. In 1963, he accepted a teaching job at Calvin College, where he replaced the retiring Harry Jelema ^[18]. He then spent the next 20 years at Calvin College before moving to the University of Notre Dame. For College in Nebraska, see Wayne State College. ... This article is about a liberal arts college in the United States. ... This article is about a liberal arts college in the United States. ... The University of Notre Dame IPA: is a Catholic[4] institution located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated section of St. ...

Philosophical views

He is best known for:

• The "free will defense" to the logical problem of evil, particularly as expressed by J. L. Mackie. Plantinga's makes a distinction between a defense and a theodicy. A theodicy tries to justify God's permitting evil by explaining why God allows evil. A defense doesn't try to explain why God actually allows evil, but rather logically possible reason God could have for allowing evil. Plantinga does not offer a free will theodicy but rather a free will defense. He does not claim that God permits evil for the sake of free will but that it is logically possible that he allows evil for the purpose of free will. Plantinga's argument has two basic stages. In this first stage he argues that the atheologian has failed to demonstrate that God and evil to be logically incompatible. In the second stage he argues positively that the existence of God and the existence of evil are logically consistent. He does so by constructing a model that includes both the existence of God and the existence of evil. Among other things, his model includes the possibility of transworld depravity.

• A Christian religious epistemology that he dubs "reformed epistemology." According to Reformed epistemology, belief in God can be rational and justified even without arguments or evidence for the existence of God. More specifically, Plantinga argues that belief in God is properly basic. Plantinga eventually develops a religious externalist epistemology that, if true, explains how belief in God could be justified independently of evidence. His externalist epistemology, called "Proper functionalism," is a form of epistemological reliabilism.Plantinga develops his view of Reformed epistemology and Proper functionalism in a three volume work on epistemology. In the first book of the trilogy, Warrant: The Current Debate, Plantinga introduces, analyzes, and criticizes 20th century developments in analytic epistemology, particularly the works of Chisholm, BonJour, Alston, Goldman and others. In the second book, Warrant and Proper Function, he introduces the notion of warrant as an alternative to justification and goes deeper into topics like self-knowledge, memories, perception, and probability. In 2000, the third volume, Warranted Christian belief, was published. Plantinga applies his theory of warrant to the question of whether or not specifically Christian theistic belief can enjoy warrant. He argues that this is plausible. Notably, the book does not address whether or not Christian theism is true.

• A modal version of the ontological argument. Plantinga uses modal logic to develop, in a more rigorous and formal way, Norman Malcolm's and Charles Hartshorne's modal ontological arguments.

• His "evolutionary argument against naturalism." Plantinga argues that the truth of evolution is a epistemic defeater for naturalism (i.e. if evolution is true, it undermines naturalism). His basic argument is that if evolution true, our cognitive faculties didn't evolve to produce true beliefs but rather beliefs that have survival value i.e. maximizing our success at "feeding, fighting, and reproducing"). If evolution is true and we have reason to think that our cognitive faculties developed in order to produce, not true beliefs, but rather beliefs that have survival value, then we have reason to doubt the truth of all of the products of our cognitive faculties. This includes naturalism. So, if evolution is true, it gives us reason to doubt evolution (and all other products of our cognitive faculties). An important criticism of this argument is that having true beliefs about the world contributes to surviving in the world. If our belief forming apparatus evolved to give us beliefs that help us survive, then they evolved to give us true beliefs because true beliefs contribute to surviving. Plantinga understands this importance of this objection and addresses it this way: While there may be overlap between true beliefs and beliefs that contribute to survival, the two kinds of beliefs are not that same. He give the following as an example. Consider Paul:

"Perhaps Paul very much likes the idea of being eaten, but when he sees a tiger, always runs off looking for a better prospect, because he thinks it unlikely the tiger he sees will eat him. This will get his body parts in the right place so far as survival is concerned, without involving much by way of true belief... Or perhaps he thinks the tiger is a large, friendly, cuddly pussycat and wants to pet it; but he also believes that the best way to pet it is to run away from it... Clearly there are any number of belief-cum-desire systems that equally fit a given bit of behaviour."^[19] This article does not cite any references or sources. ... In the philosophy of religion and theology, the problem of evil is the problem of reconciling the existence of evil or suffering in the world with the existence of a god. ... For other people named John Mackie, see John Mackie. ... Transworld depravity is a concept explained by Alvin Plantinga as the claim that given any possible world in which a free person (P) exists, P will on certain occasions act morally wrong with respect to an action. ... Theory of knowledge redirects here: for other uses, see theory of knowledge (disambiguation) According to Plato, knowledge is a subset of that which is both true and believed Epistemology or theory of knowledge is the branch of philosophy that studies the nature, methods, limitations, and validity of knowledge and belief. ... Reformed epistemology is the title given to a broad body of epistemological viewpoints relating to Gods existence that have been offered by a group of Protestant Christian philosophers that includes Alvin Plantinga, William Alston, and Nicholas Wolterstorff among others. ... In foundationalism, basic beliefs are beliefs which do not depend on other beliefs for their validity, and which form the basis for other beliefs. ... Recently internalism and externalism have become part of the standard jargon of philosophical discourse, and have become central to certain important debates. ... This article or section should include material from Episteme Epistemology (from the Greek words episteme=science and logos=word/speech) is the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature, origin and scope of knowledge. ... Reliabilism, a category of theories in the philosophical discipline of epistemology, has been advanced both as a theory of knowledge and of justified belief (as well as other varieties of so-called positive epistemic status). ... Theory of knowledge redirects here: for other uses, see theory of knowledge (disambiguation) According to Plato, knowledge is a subset of that which is both true and believed Epistemology or theory of knowledge is the branch of philosophy that studies the nature, methods, limitations, and validity of knowledge and belief. ... Roderick M Chisholm (Seekonk, Massachusetts, 1916 -- Providence, Rhode Island, 1999) was an American philosopher, known for his work on epistemology, metaphysics, free will, and the philosophy of perception. ... Laurence BonJour (Ph. ... William P. Alston (born 1921) is professor emeritus at Syracuse University, and has been influential as an epistemologist. ... Alvin Ira Goldman (born 1938) is a professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University. ... In formal logic, a modal logic is any logic for handling modalities: concepts like possibility, existence, and necessity. ... An ontological argument for the existence of God is one that attempts the method of a priori proof, which utilizes intuition and reason alone. ... In formal logic, a modal logic is any logic for handling modalities: concepts like possibility, existence, and necessity. ... Norman Malcolm (1911 – 1990) is an American philosopher. ... Charles Hartshorne (June 5, 1897 – October 9, 2000) was a prominent philosopher who concentrated primarily on the philosophy of religion and metaphysics. ... The Evolutionary argument against naturalism (sometimes abbreviated EAAN) is a philosophical argument that metaphysical naturalism when combined with contemporary evolutionary accounts of the origin of human life is in a certain interesting way self-defeating[1]. Although C. S. Lewis made somewhat similar observations, the argument as it is commonly... Look up Defeater in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Naturalism may refer to: Naturalism (philosophy), any of several philosophical stances wherein all phenomena or hypotheses commonly labeled as supernatural, are either false, unknowable, or not inherently different from natural phenomena or hypotheses Methodological naturalism is the methodological assumption that that observable events in nature are explained only by natural...

Bibliography

Works by Plantinga

• (ed) Faith and Philosophy, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964.
• (ed) The Ontological Argument, Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1965.
• God and Other Minds, Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1967; rev. ed., 1990. ISBN 0-8014-9735-3
• The Nature of Necessity, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1974. ISBN 0-19-824404-5
• God, Freedom, and Evil, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974. ISBN 0-04-100040-4
• Does God Have A Nature? Wisconsin, Marquette University Press, 1980. ISBN 0-87462-145-3
• and Nicholas Wolterstorff (eds) Faith and Rationality: Reason and Belief in God, Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, Indiana & London, 1983. ISBN 0-268-00964-3
• Warrant: the Current Debate, Oxford University Press, New York & Oxford, 1993. ISBN 0-19-507861-6
• Warrant and Proper Function, Oxford University Press, New York & Oxford, 1993. ISBN 0-19-507863-2
• The Analytic Theist: An Alvin Plantinga Reader, James F. Sennett (editor), William. B. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1998. ISBN 0-8028-4229-1
• Warranted Christian Belief, Oxford University Press, New York & Oxford, 2000. ISBN 0-19-513192-4
• Essays in the Metaphysics of Modality ed. Matthew Davidson, New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. ISBN 0-19-510376-9

Cornell University Press, established in 1869, was the first university publishing enterprise in the United States and is one of the countrys largest university presses. ... Marquette University Press is a university press. ... The University of Notre Dame Press is a university press that is part of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, United States. ... Oxford University Press (OUP) is a highly-respected publishing house and a department of the University of Oxford in England. ...

Representative assessment

• Ferrer, Francisco S. Conesa, Dios Y el Mal, La Defensa del Teísmo Frente al problema del mal según Alvin Plantinga, Pamplona: University of Navarre Press, forthcoming.
• Beilby, James (ed) Naturalism Defeated? Essays on Plantinga's Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York & London, 2002.
• Kvanvig, Jonathan (ed), Warrant in Contemporary Epistemology: Essays in Honor of Plantinga's Theory of Knowledge, Savage, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 1996.
• Claramunt, Enrique R. Moros, Modalidad y esencia: La metaphysica de Alvin Plantinga Pamplona: University of Navarre Press, 1996.
• McLeod, Mark S., Rationality and Theistic Belief: An Essay on Reformed Epistemology (Cornell Studies in the Philosophy of Religion), Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1993.
• Linda Zagzebski (ed.), Rational Faith, Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1993.
• Sennett, James, Modality, Probability, and Rationality: A Critical Examination of Alvin Plantinga's Philosophy, New York: P. Lang, 1992.
• Hoitenga, Dewey, From Plato to Plantinga: an Introduction to Reformed Epistemology, Albany: State University of New York Press, 1991.
• Parsons, Keith M., God and the Burden of Proof: Plantinga, Swinburne, and the Analytic Defense of Theism, Prometheus Books, Buffalo, New York, 1989.
• Tomberlin, James E., and Peter van Inwagen (eds) Alvin Plantinga, Profiles Volume 5, D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Boston & Lancaster, 1985.

The State University of New York Press (or SUNY Press), founded in 1966, is a university press that is part of State University of New York system. ... Prometheus Books is a publishing company founded in August 1969 by Paul Kurtz and publishes scientific, educational, and popular books, especially those of a secular humanist or scientific skepticism nature. ...

External links

• Alvin Plantinga's home page at the University of Notre Dame
• Plantinga's Curriculum Vitae, including a complete bibliograpy
• Virtual Library of Christian Philosophy (largest collection of Plantinga's work on the web).
• A list of articles and lectures given by Plantinga
• "The Dawkins Confusion", Plantinga's review of Richard Dawkins's The God Delusion from Books and Culture magazine
• Alvin Plantinga: The Analytic Theist
• Alvin Plantinga's spiritual autobiography
• Review of Naturalism Defeated? by John F. Post
• Fitelson and Sober's rebuttal to Plantinga's argument against naturalism in PDF

Clinton Richard Dawkins (born March 26, 1941) is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and popular science writer who holds the Charles Simonyi Chair for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford. ... The God Delusion is a book by British biologist Richard Dawkins, Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford. ... PDF is an abbreviation with several meanings: Portable Document Format Post-doctoral fellowship Probability density function There also is an electronic design automation company named PDF Solutions. ...

References