scholarly journals Wagering Against Divine Hiddenness

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 85-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liz Jackson

J.L. Schellenberg argues that divine hiddenness provides an argument for the conclusion that God does not exist, for if God existed he would not allow non-resistant non-belief to occur, but non-resistant non-belief does occur, so God does not exist. In this paper, I argue that the stakes involved in theistic considerations put pressure on Schellenberg’s premise that non-resistant non- belief occurs. First, I specify conditions for someone’s being a non-resistant non-believer. Then, I argue that many people fulfil these conditions because, given some plausible assumptions, there is a very good pragmatic reason to be a theist rather than an atheist. I assume it is more likely that theists go to heaven than atheists, and I argue there is a non-zero probability that one can receive infinite utility and a method of comparing outcomes with infinite utilities in which the probability of each outcome affects the final expected values. Then, I show how this argument entails there is no good reason to think that there are very many non-resistant non-believers.

2014 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
TRAVIS DUMSDAY

AbstractNext to the problem of evil, the problem of divine hiddenness is the most prominent single argument for atheism in the current literature. Most advocates of the problem target what can be termed ‘generic theism’, theism abstracted from any particular religious tradition. Correspondingly most replies are made from the perspective of generic theism. While understandable, this common structure to the dialectic can obscure possible replies centred on the doctrinal resources of particular religions. I argue here that Christian soteriology provides a good reason why God might refrain from making His existence rationally indubitable to all.


Author(s):  
B. D. Athey ◽  
A. L. Stout ◽  
M. F. Smith ◽  
J. P. Langmore

Although there is general agreement that Inactive chromosome fibers consist of helically packed nucleosomes, the pattern of packing is still undetermined. Only one of the proposed models, the crossed-linker model, predicts a variable diameter dependent on the length of DNA between nucleosomes. Measurements of the fiber diameter of negatively-stained and frozen- hydrated- chromatin from Thyone sperm (87bp linker) and Necturus erythrocytes (48bp linker) have been previously reported from this laboratory. We now introduce a more reliable method of measuring the diameters of electron images of fibrous objects. The procedure uses a modified version of the computer program TOTAL, which takes a two-dimensional projection of the fiber density (represented by the micrograph itself) and projects it down the fiber axis onto one dimension. We illustrate this method using high contrast, in-focus STEM images of TMV and chromatin from Thyone and Necturus. The measured diameters are in quantitative agreement with the expected values for the crossed-linker model for chromatin structure


Author(s):  
Hanifah Nurus Sopiany

Penalaran matematis menggunakan pola pikir logis dalam menganalisa suatu masalah yang nanti pada akhirnya akan ditandai dengan aktivitas menyimpulkan atas masalah tersebut. Seseorang yang memiliki penalaran yang baik, tentunya akan berhati-hati dalam bertindak dan memutuskan sesuatu. Materi-materi pada kalkulus merupakan materi yang ada pada tingkat sekolah menengah yang nantinya menjadi lahan mengajar mahasiswa calon guru matematika S-1. Kemampuan penalaran yang dikaji mempengaruhi pembelajaran mahasiswa kedepannya karena berlaku pada matakuliah lanjut, contohnya pada kemampuan pembuktian akan selalu digunakan pada matakuliah persamaan diferensial, struktur aljabar, analisis  vektor, analisis real, dll. Sedangkan sebagai calon guru yang nantinya mengajar pada tingkat sekolah menengah, maka kemampuan penalaran ini menjadi salah satu capaian pembelajaran matematika bagi siswa sekolah menengah, maka oleh karena itu guru yang mengajarnya haruslah memiliki kemampuan penalaran yang baik. Analisis kesalahan sangat penting untuk melakukan evaluasi dan refleksi pada struktur soal maupun pada perlakuan dalam pembelajaran dalam upaya memperbaiki kemampuan penalarannya.   Mathematical reasoning uses a logical mindset in analyzing a problem that will eventually be marked by concluding activity on the problem. Someone who has good reason, will certainly be careful in acting and deciding something. The material content on the calculus is the material that exists at the secondary school level which will become the field of teaching the prospective master of math teacher bachelor. The reasoning ability studied influences student learning in the future as it applies to advanced courses, for example in the ability of proof will always be used in the course of differential equations, algebraic structure, vector analysis, real analysis, etc. While as a teacher candidate who will teach at the secondary school level, then this reasoning ability becomes one of the achievements of mathematics learning for high school students, therefore teachers who teach it must have good reasoning ability. Error analysis is very important to evaluate and reflect on the problem structure as well as on the treatment in learning in order to improve the reasoning ability.


2015 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Sharpe

In his Rhind Lectures of 1879 Joseph Anderson argued for identifying the Monymusk Reliquary, now in the National Museum of Scotland, with the Brecc Bennach, something whose custody was granted to Arbroath abbey by King William in 1211. In 2001 David H. Caldwell called this into question with good reason. Part of the argument relied on different interpretations of the word uexillum, ‘banner’, taken for a portable shrine by William Reeves and for a reliquary used as battle-standard by Anderson. It is argued here that none of this is relevant to the question. The Brecc Bennach is called a banner only as a guess at its long-forgotten nature in two late deeds. The word brecc, however, is used in the name of an extant reliquary, Brecc Máedóc, and Anderson was correct to think this provided a clue to the real nature of the Brecc Bennach. It was almost certainly a small portable reliquary, of unknown provenance but associated with St Columba. The king granted custody to the monks of Arbroath at a time when he was facing a rebellion in Ross, posing intriguing questions about his intentions towards this old Gaelic object of veneration.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 141-146
Author(s):  
LARISA KUDRYAVTSEVA ◽  

The article analyzes various aspects of the institution of alimony obligations between parents and their children, and also establishes some sanctions against law-abiding parents who do not comply with family law. The purpose of the study is to study the features of the legal responsibility of parents who avoid paying alimony in favor of their children for no good reason. The scientific work indicates some of the most important legislative changes in the field of alimony legal relations, which had a positive impact on the legal regulation of this area of family law. The study also suggested some of its own changes to the current legislation.


Author(s):  
Jed Z. Buchwald ◽  
Mordechai Feingold

Isaac Newton’s Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended, published in 1728, one year after the great man’s death, unleashed a storm of controversy. And for good reason. The book presents a drastically revised timeline for ancient civilizations, contracting Greek history by five hundred years and Egypt’s by a millennium. This book tells the story of how one of the most celebrated figures in the history of mathematics, optics, and mechanics came to apply his unique ways of thinking to problems of history, theology, and mythology, and of how his radical ideas produced an uproar that reverberated in Europe’s learned circles throughout the eighteenth century and beyond. The book reveals the manner in which Newton strove for nearly half a century to rectify universal history by reading ancient texts through the lens of astronomy, and to create a tight theoretical system for interpreting the evolution of civilization on the basis of population dynamics. It was during Newton’s earliest years at Cambridge that he developed the core of his singular method for generating and working with trustworthy knowledge, which he applied to his study of the past with the same rigor he brought to his work in physics and mathematics. Drawing extensively on Newton’s unpublished papers and a host of other primary sources, the book reconciles Isaac Newton the rational scientist with Newton the natural philosopher, alchemist, theologian, and chronologist of ancient history.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 79-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirk Lougheed

The axiological question in the philosophy of religion is the question of what impact, if any, God’s existence does (or would) make to the axiological value of our world. It has recently been argued that we should prefer a theistic world where God is hidden to an atheistic world or a theistic world where God isn’t hidden. This is because in a hidden theistic world all of the theistic goods obtain in addition to the experience of atheistic goods. I complete this line of argument by showing that theistic goods do (or could) indeed obtain in a world where God hides. In doing so I indirectly argue against proponents of divine hiddenness arguments such as J.L. Schellenberg. The correct answer to the axiological question turns out to be a solution to the problem of divine hiddenness.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 426-453
Author(s):  
Kirill Petrov

Abstract The phenomenon of color revolutions has occupied a prominent place in Russian politics for a good reason. The major threat of color revolutions as modern political warfare designed by Western countries deeply affected the political process in Russia since 2005. It may have appeared that the imperative of resisting them was the result of a non-democratic regime reacting to neighboring countries’ uprisings. Some portrayed it as authoritarian learning. This paper suggests that the counteractions stemmed from the interests of disunited Russian elite groups who were seeking opportunities to reinforce their dominance and capitalize on the idea of significant external threats. The phenomenon reshaped the balance within elite groups and led to the consolidation of law enforcement networks on the eve of Putin’s third term. Further, the prevailing perception of color revolutions discouraged any elite splits that could lead to proto-democratic rules.


2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (7) ◽  
pp. 1813-1816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ovidiu Gabriel Bratu ◽  
Radu Dragos Marcu ◽  
Bogdan Socea ◽  
Tiberiu Paul Neagu ◽  
Camelia Cristina Diaconu ◽  
...  

Retroperitoneal space is called sometimes no man�s land�and for a good reason: this is disputed anatomical territory for many surgical and medical specialties. Their wide histological diversity and unspecific clinical presentation make them a challenge for the surgeon. In order to improve their detection immunohistochemistry seems to show promising results. Methods of detection have evolved over time to identify as much as possible the histological type of tumor. Because of this extreme variability immunohistochemistry through its various markers is the one that often sets the definitive diagnosis, the simple histopathological examination being insufficient. This paper aims to highlight the main markers used in retroperitoneal tumors. As it can be seen there is a huge histologic areal for these tumors. Some have proven some of them still not. Given the fact that there is a tendency toward personalized therapy it is imperative to identify the histological type of tumor as soon as possible.


Author(s):  
Leif Wenar

Article 1 of both of the major human rights covenants declares that the people of each country “shall freely dispose of their natural wealth and resources.” This chapter considers what conditions would have to hold for the people of a country to exercise this right—and why public accountability over natural resources is the only realistic solution to the “resource curse,” which makes resource-rich countries more prone to authoritarianism, civil conflict, and large-scale corruption. It also discusses why cosmopolitans, who have often been highly critical of prerogatives of state sovereignty, have good reason to endorse popular sovereignty over natural resources. Those who hope for more cosmopolitan institutions should see strengthening popular resource sovereignty as the most responsible path to achieving their own goals.


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