Alvin Plantinga vs. Jordan Peterson

Check out my last research paper from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. I deployed Plantinga's Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism and Thomas Crisp's modified version against Jordan Peterson's Ladder of Development from his books Maps of Meaning. Listen to the podcast episode here: https://anchor.fm/parker-settecase/episodes/Ep--108---Plantinga--Crisps-EAANs-vs--Jordan-Petersons-Ladder-of-Development-e12dqdm Find the PDF here: settecase-guided-reading-plantinga-vs.-peteson-Download https://anchor.fm/parker-settecase/episodes/Ep--108---Plantinga--Crisps-EAANs-vs--Jordan-Petersons-Ladder-of-Development-e12dqdm Find the PDF here:

On Opposing Racism and Philosophical Self-Consciousness

Racism ought to be opposed, refuted, destroyed, eviscerated wherever it is encountered. Decent people everywhere must agree. But are decent people everywhere able to agree? Do all decent people hold to a philosophy strong enough to undergird their opposition to racism? Well, some do and, frankly, some do not. An important question to ask yourself...

The Epistemological Spiral

Here's my research paper from Dr. Netland's Religious Epistemology course here at TEDS. My paper is a transcendental analysis of the necessary conditions of the possibility of the Inference to the Best Explanation. Inference to the Best Explanation is eminently important in our modern lives. We use it in our scientific investigations to decide between...

Does Life Have a Purpose?

Does life have a purpose? Is there an ultimate meaning in life or is all this just meaningless? Is this whole show ultimately futile? After all, aren’t we just a tiny insignificant speck, on a slightly larger speck, zipping around a ball of gas somewhere in the outskirts of a mostly empty universe, doomed for...

What is Truth?

37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to...

One Greater Than Solomon: A Biblical Theology of Wisdom

Here's my final paper from Dr. D.A. Carson's Intro to Biblical Theology course here at TEDS. We were instructed to write a twelve page paper on a biblical-theological theme.  While a full biblical theology of wisdom would be massive, I was confined- so give me a break. Biblical theology, for those who don't know, is...

Intro to Philosophy Through Problems| Lesson 1: The Problem of Definition

“It is necessary with regard to the science that we are seeking that we should first address those puzzles that first arise… For those who wish to make good progress must start well; for subsequent progress depends on the resolution of the first puzzles” -Aristotle, Metaphysics Philosophy and Definition Are definitions possible? Does our language...

Intro to Philosophy Through Problems| Some Preliminaries

What is philosophy? Can we even define it? Can we ever truly know what it is? Can we determine its subject matter? Does it actually tell us anything about reality or is it just a big waste of time? Why should even I care? If you’re asking yourself these questions, then congrats! You’ve already begun...

The Apostle Paul and The Liar Paradox

This sentence which you are now reading is a lie. Is that sentence true? If it is true then it is a lie because it said that it is a lie. But since it turned out to be true- then it is a lie and so it is not true. If it is not true,...

“As Kant Could Have Shown…”

This is a short assignment I presented to my Analytic Theology class which is being taught by Dr. James Arcadi here at TEDS. In it, I interact with Andrew Chignell's proposed solution for the Analytic theologian to the problem of what "Kant has shown". Whether it’s round Immanuel Kant, or through him[1], most theologians and...

Who Is Man That We Should Be Mindful of Him?

This post was originally a paper I wrote for Dr. Kevin Vanhoozer's class ST 5201 God of The Gospel. We had a 2,000 word limit- so chill. I hope you to enjoy! Leave me your thoughts in a comment. What does it mean to be human? Countless hours have been spent by a legion of...

i Think, Therefore “I AM”: Van Til’s TAG

“According to the principle of Protestantism, man’s consciousness of self and of objects presupposes for their intelligibility the consciousness of God. In asserting this we are not thinking of psychological and temporal priority. We are thinking only of the question as to what is the final reference point in interpretation. The Protestant principle finds this...

Making Sense of Reason

“It has been intimated that fallen man is both irrationalist and rationalist, and at the same time. His irrationalism rests upon his metaphysical assumption that reality is controlled by or is an expression of pure chance. His rationalism is based upon the assumption that reality is wholly determined by laws with which his thought is...

Reason, Chess, and the Existence of God

There’s an obvious connection between Logic and chess, this is evident from the numerous logic and debate books out there with pictures of chess boards on their covers. If you think of a chess player, you'll think of a very logical, analytic person. When you think of a Logic professor, it’s safe to assume he...

Did Willy the Whale Shark Choose to Swallow Jonah?

Willy: “… well, so rather than deal with indigestion the whole trip, I made myself yak over by Nineveh.” Bob: “Woah, that’s quite a story, Willy. I guess that’s why us whale sharks ought to just stick to plankton, huh?” Willy: “Yeah, Bob, obviously I know we aren’t supposed to eat bearded Middle Eastern men,...

Silly Philology| That’s So Trivial!

“That’s so trivial!” We hear that all the time, but what does it mean? Well, I asked the same question as I was working on my last installment of Silly Philology, I Could Care Less. In that post I brought up the distinction between semantics and triviality or banality, which then led me to question...

Some Personal Reflections on Van Til’s Transcendental Argument

“For man self-consciousness presupposes God-consciousness.” -Van Til, Defense of the Faith, pg. 113 There are a couple different facets to Van Til's Transcendental Argument for God, or “TAG”. Some people would even say that there are 3 perspectives on TAG- a normative perspective (the essence of TAG), a situational perspective (TAG applied in different ways...

Silly Philology | “I Could Care Less”

I get confused when people say, “I could care less.” I mean, I guess I know what they’re trying to say, they’re trying convey their disinterest in whatever they’re interlocutor has said or asked. But in actuality, the phrase “I could care less” doesn’t really tell anyone much of anything. Ok, cool, so you could...

C.S. Lewis’s Transcendental Argument for God

“Unless I believe in God, I can’t believe in thought: so I can never use thought to disbelieve in God.” -C.S. Lewis, The Case for Christianity, pg. 32 C.S. Lewis is one of the most popular Christian apologists of the 20th century, and arguably, one of the most read apologists of all time. His approach...

Wisdom

I will guide your steps So your way is not hampered. But I’m not with the sluggard, Nor with the pampered. Come to my house Ye simple and clever. I’ll help to establish Your every endeavor. Share in my fruits, I’m offered to all. But humble yourself Or you surely will fall. A fountain of...