What is doxastic voluntarism?
Doxastic voluntarism, in short, is the idea that people willingly choose what they believe to be true. While the Bible indicates that each person is responsible for his or her own beliefs, it also suggests that some of what we believe is dependent on the work of God. Both of these doctrines have a partial…
What is living cosmology?
A cosmology is simply a story that explains how the universe came to be and our place in it. Most people are familiar with at least two well-known cosmologies regarding the origin and destiny of the universe and our place in it. Living cosmology attempts to blend aspects of the two major cosmologies. The first…
What is the New Atheism?
The early 21st century has seen secularism and atheism promoted throughout the Western world with an ever-increasing vigor and militancy. This has led to the emergence of the “new atheists,” notable members of which include best-selling authors such as Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens. The contention of the new atheists is,…
What is agnosticism?
Agnosticism is the view that the existence of God is impossible to be known or proven. The word “agnostic” essentially means “without knowledge.” Agnosticism is a more intellectually honest form of atheism. Atheism claims that God does not exist—an unprovable position. Agnosticism argues that God’s existence cannot be proven or unproven—that it is impossible to…
What does it mean for a society to be post-Christian?
The term post-Christian has no universally accepted definition, though it is often applied to modern Western cultures. In that use, a post-Christian society is historically based in Christian ideas and follows simplified Christian values, but rejects the authority of Christianity and does not consider it the basis of either its ethics or its culture. The…
What is the coherence theory of truth?
The coherence theory of truth, or coherentism, asserts that truth is found in its coherence with a particular set of propositions. That is, we can know that an idea is “true” when it fits logically into a larger, more complex system of beliefs without contradicting anything. Looked at together, all the various parts of the…
What is confirmation bias?
Confirmation bias is the tendency to interpret evidence and reality in such a way as to affirm what we want to believe. A simple example of confirmation bias can be seen when two people are watching a football game but are supporting the opposite teams. A play is made in which a wide receiver catches…
What is nontheism?
A nontheist is someone who does not believe in God or gods. According to the construction of the words, atheist and nontheist mean exactly the same thing. Theists believe in God. The prefixes a- and non- are both negators; therefore, a-theists and non-theists share disbelief in God. However, language is dynamic, and connotations of certain…
What is the Mandela Effect?
The Mandela Effect is the phenomenon of people’s collective misremembering of specific facts or events. It is what happens when someone has a clear “memory” of something that never actually happened. The Mandela Effect is often linked to bizarre conspiracy theories involving parallel universes, colliding alternate realities, and time travel. One tenet of these theories…
What is subjectivism?
Subjectivism is the philosophical theory that there is no truth outside of one’s own experience. It is contrasted with objectivism, which believes the opposite: that truth exists outside of experience and that, though we may not entirely understand that truth, it is there and it is absolute. Subjectivism says that truth is subjective and that…