Papers by Kelly James Clark
Faith and Philosophy, 1995
Abrahamic Reflections on Randomness and Providence, 2021
Some theists take God to govern the cosmos by way of intervention. Others deny that God would vio... more Some theists take God to govern the cosmos by way of intervention. Others deny that God would violate the laws of nature. The distinction is illustrated by contrasting the sports of curling and bowling, which are in turn developed into memorable metaphors for divine providence. The two major scientific challenges to providence—Darwinian evolution and quantum mechanics—are also introduced.
European Journal for Philosophy of Religion, 2011
A large chorus of voices has grown around the claim that theistic belief is epistemically suspect... more A large chorus of voices has grown around the claim that theistic belief is epistemically suspect since, as some cognitive scientists have hypothesized, such beliefs are a byproduct of cognitive mechanisms which evolved for rather different adaptive purposes. This paper begins with an overview of the pertinent cognitive science followed by a short discussion of some relevant epistemic concepts. Working from within a largely Williamsonian framework, we then present two different ways in which this research can be formulated into an argument against theistic belief. We argue that neither version works.
Rhetoric & Public Affairs, 2000
Rhetoric & Public Affairs, 2001
... Since we take Jean Bethke Elshtain's criticisms as friendly amendments, we will focus in... more ... Since we take Jean Bethke Elshtain's criticisms as friendly amendments, we will focus instead on the essays by Edwin Black, Jay Mechling, and James Arnt Aune, who found our arguments and even us to be ludicrous and dangerous. Our argument is summarized as follows. ...
Religious Studies, 1996
In The Christian God (hereafter CG), Richard Swinburne offers a series of arguments which a prior... more In The Christian God (hereafter CG), Richard Swinburne offers a series of arguments which a priori support the necessity of the doctrine of the Trinity. If his arguments are successful, he has dramatically narrowed the field of logically possible religious beliefs to (Christian) trinitarianism. I contend that Swinburne's arguments necessitate the existence of more than one quasi-independent divine being; indeed Swinburne's arguments move us in the direction of tritheism rather than orthodox trinitarianism.
Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 2011
Some contemporary philosophers defend the claim that it is rational to believe that God exists ev... more Some contemporary philosophers defend the claim that it is rational to believe that God exists even if that belief is not based on evidence. Many such defenses are developed from a religious epistemology inspired by the work of Thomas Reid's "common sense" epistemology that posits the existence of numerous cognitive faculties that nonreflectively deliver beliefs. Reid argued that one is justified in believing the automatic deliverances of these faculties unless evidence mounts to contradict them. Reformed Epistemologists have suggested that, likewise, one should give the benefit of the doubt to beliefs that are produced by a god-faculty or sensus divinitatis. Recent research in the cognitive science of religion provides new reasons to believe that humans are naturally endowed with cognitive faculties that stimulate belief in the divine. We discuss these scientific findings in relation to the arguments of Reformed Epistemologists and also with regard to arguments against the rational justification of religious beliefs.
Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 2004
International Philosophical Quarterly, 1995
The Apostle's creed contains a ringing endorsement of God's benevolent and nurturing care for his... more The Apostle's creed contains a ringing endorsement of God's benevolent and nurturing care for his creatures as well as his awesome power: "I believe in God the Father, almighty..." The theist affirms God's tender loving paternal care as well as his unsurpassable ability. In that very affirmation, however, lie the seeds for a potent argument against the existence of God. If our heavenly Father cares for his spiritual children as an earthly father cares for his biological children then God the Father is bound by similar moral obligations and enjoys similar permissions incumbent upon earthly fathers. Earthly parents have a prima facie obligation to prevent certain harms from coming to their children; therefore, God has a prima facie obligation to prevent those same harms from coming to his children. God, in contradistinction to merely human fathers, has the ability to prevent harms that a comparatively impotent earthly parent cannot prevent. God, therefore, has an obligation to prevent the same harms that an earthly parent would be obliged to prevent and, being almighty, has the ability to prevent such harms. But such harms have not been prevented; there are countless harms that have occurred that an earthly parent, if present and able, would have been obliged to prevent. Hence, God the Father, almighty does not exist. i In this essay I intend to refute the claim that God would have obligations closely analogous to those of earthly parents. My strategy is not conventional for philosophers. The bulk of the essay is an a priori conceptual analysis of the role of father and what the father/child relationship entails with respect to moral obligations and permissions. I will argue that the Christian will not be obliged to make the same plausibility judgments that the atheologian makes about what God ought to do in this and similar circumstances of horrific evils. ii I shall follow J. L. Mackie's strategy of assessing the theist's set of beliefs and values: "Since I am charging the theist with holding
Faith and Philosophy, 2010
Reformed epistemology and cognitive science have remarkably converged on belief in God. Reformed ... more Reformed epistemology and cognitive science have remarkably converged on belief in God. Reformed epistemology holds that belief in God is basicthat is, belief in God is a natural, non-inferential belief that is immediately produced by a cognitive faculty. Cognitive science of religion also holds that belief in gods is (often) non-reflectively and instinctively produced-that is, non-inferentially and automatically produced by a cognitive faculty or system. But there are differences. In this paper, we will show some remarkable points of convergence, and a few points of divergence, between Reformed epistemology and the cognitive science of religion.
Faith and Philosophy, 1997
Two pressures toward religious pluralism are the variety of religious traditions which seem equal... more Two pressures toward religious pluralism are the variety of religious traditions which seem equally successful in the transformation of human lives and that apparently sincere and equally capable truth-seekers reach divergent conclusions about the nature of ultimate reality. I discuss Hick's Kantian explanation of these phenomena. I argue that his account is: neither the only nor the best account; furthermore that more reasonable accounts allow for the members of competing traditions to affirm the truth of their religious beliefs; and if Hick's explanation were accepted it would undermine the salvific power of the respective religious traditions. I John Hick claims that there is a variety of religious traditions each of which, so far as we can tell, is equally successful in the transformation of human lives. Although they differ in their characterizations both of the goal of human life and of the processes necessary for the attainment of such goals, each of the disparate processes seems nonetheless wellsuited for the goal of the transformation of human lives from self-centeredness to what he terms Reality-centeredness. Salvation/liberation/ fulfillment/enlightenment are among the many and most prominent names of this goal; for shorthand, I shall use the term "transformation" for salvation/liberation/ fulfillment/enlightenment throughout the paper. Each religion offers its own, unique path to transformation. Pragmatically speaking, according to Hick, claims to exclusive access to religious truth for the various religions seem unfounded or even irrelevant. Religious diversity notes that apparently sincere and equally cognitively capable truth-seekers reach widely divergent conclusions about the nature of ultimate reality. The pressures of diversity are clear: to maintain that's one's own religious beliefs are
Faith and Philosophy, 2004
Analysis, 2013
1. Introduction 2. Commonsense Skeptical Theism 3. The Varieties of Accidental Necessity 4.Singul... more 1. Introduction 2. Commonsense Skeptical Theism 3. The Varieties of Accidental Necessity 4.Singular Propositions 5.Theory Comparison in Science and Religion 6. Descartes and Virtue Epistemology 7. The Value of the Atonement 8. Causation and the Mental 9.The Providential Usefulness of 'Simple Foreknowledge' 10. Then, Now, and Al
Religion, Brain & Behavior, 2016
Recent research has suggested that humans have a robust tendency to default to teleological (i.e.... more Recent research has suggested that humans have a robust tendency to default to teleological (i.e., purpose-based) explanations of natural phenomena. However, because samples have previously been heavily drawn from Western cultures, it is unclear whether this is a universal cognitive bias or whether prior findings are a product of Western philosophical and theological traditions. We evaluated these possibilities by administering a speeded judgment task to adults in Chinaa country that underwent nearly 40 years of institutionally enforced atheism in the Maoist era and which has markedly different cultural beliefs than those found in Western societies. Results indicated that Chinese adults, like Western adults, have a propensity to favor scientifically unwarranted teleological explanations under processing constraints. However, results also yielded suggestive evidence that Chinese culture may attenuate baseline tendencies to be teleological. Overall, this study provides the strongest evidence to date of the crosscultural robustness of a teleological explanatory bias.
American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly, 2012
Reformed epistemology and cognitive science have remarkably converged on belief in God. Reformed ... more Reformed epistemology and cognitive science have remarkably converged on belief in God. Reformed epistemology holds that belief in God is basicthat is, belief in God is a natural, non---inferential belief that is immediately produced by a cognitive faculty. Cognitive science of religion also holds that non---inferentially and automatically produced by a cognitive faculty or sys--epistemology and the cognitive science of religion.
Uploads
Papers by Kelly James Clark
Kelly James Clark brings together science and philosophy to examine some of humanity’s more pressing questions. Is belief in God, as Richard Dawkins claims, a delusion? Are atheists smarter or more rational than religious believers? Do our genes determine who we are and what we believe? Can our very creaturely cognitive equipment help us discover truth and meaning in life? Are atheists any different from Mother Teresa? Clark’s surprising answers both defend the rationality of religious belief and contribute to the study of cognitive science.
God and the Brain explores complicated questions about the nature of belief and the human mind.
Scientifically minded, philosophically astute, and reader-friendly, God and the Brain provides an accessible overview of some new cognitive scientific approaches to the study of religion and evaluates their implications for both theistic and atheistic belief.