Closer To Truth Current Arguments for God
Apr 1, 2026
John Polkinghorne, physicist-turned-Anglican priest advocating natural theology and fine-tuning. Rebecca Goldstein, philosopher-novelist probing philosophy, science, and religion. They debate Spinoza and the principle of sufficient reason. They critique common theistic moves and explore science’s role in making belief plausible. They weigh cumulative cases for and against a creator.
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Spinoza's Self-Explaining Universe As God
- Rebecca Goldstein favors Spinoza's intelligibility argument that the universe must explain itself via the principle of sufficient reason.
- She argues that if explanation goes all the way down, the universe is self-explaining and that self-causing reality is what Spinoza calls God.
Science's Boundaries Invite Religious Questions
- Ian Barbour says science raises religious questions at its boundaries, such as why the Big Bang occurred and why laws permit life.
- He sees mathematics' fit with nature and fine-tuning as suggestive of a plausibility for a mindlike source, without offering proof.
Natural Theology Plus Revelation Forms A Cumulative Case
- John Polkinghorne frames two argument types: natural theology (world-based) and revelation (self-disclosure).
- He points to cosmic order and fine-tuning as intelligible under a creator and sees revelation as necessary to learn God's character.
