From time to time I’ve asked rhetorically whether there might be a link between the loss of faith and the rise of despair. For example, in a memoir I wrote: We sometimes say people “lose hope” and become despondent, perhaps to the point of despair or even suicide, but what does that phrase really mean? […]
Read more...Tag: Aristotle
Why Truth?
Let’s consider truth. Truth in the abstract. The concept of truth. Why does it matter to us? To be clear, the question is not whether particular things are true or not, or whether we prefer truth to falsity, or even our affinity for truth as opposed to falsehood in ourselves or others. The question is: Why […]
Read more...It’s the Moon, Stupid
The natural world has a goal-directedness to it. There is an element of purpose. This is what is meant by the word “teleological,” a word used by philosophers for centuries to describe the apparent purposefulness of material things. Getting to a full understanding of teleology takes some ramping up in the form of understanding Aristotle’s final causes, […]
Read more...The Form of the Forms
For many Christians, the existence of God is self-evident, reconfirmed in a thousand ways, and so there’s a tendency not to spend too much time on the introductory course, the “why I know there’s a God 101” course. It’s good to do so, however. Let’s consider now the purpose and design we instinctively impute to […]
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