Academic

Philosophy of religion

Is the universe significant?

Published in Philosophical Writings, 2003

"In this paper, I consider the question of what it means to claim that the universe is significant, and the implications of this debate for a particular age-old argument, the Design Argument. In section 1, I show that the success of the Design Argument depends on making this claim. In section 2, I show how the claim is very problematic. In section 3, I describe one way in which the claim could be revised so that the problems can be avoided. In section 4, I defend this revision from two objections. Finally, in section 5, I briefly discuss the implications of the revision for the Design Argument."

An atheist defends the design argument

SecWeb feature article

"My aim in this article is neither to defend a theistic conclusion to the fine-tuning argument, nor to demolish it. My aim is rather to demonstrate that many of the usual attempts at demolition are simply inadequate, but a theistic conclusion is nevertheless unjustified."

Reprinted several times | Article in response | Discussion 1 | Discussion 2 | Discussion 3 | Discussion 4 | Short review | Review and discussion

From fine-tuning to theism: how gaping is the chasm?

SecWeb agora article

"Advocates of intelligent cosmological design often rely heavily on the embattled fine-tuning argument to prop up their theistic beliefs. But, even if the argument were to come up trumps, there would still be a gaping chasm between so-called fine-tuning and a Christian God."

Why religious faith is rational after all

"In this paper, I'll argue that religious beliefs, like other, more mundane beliefs, are in fact ordinarily rational - that is, grounded in reasons - and none the worse for it. I realise that I'm flying in the face of the majority of thinkers on both sides of the theist/atheist divide by saying this."

Ethics

The wild goose chase of meta-ethics

"The history of philosophy is littered with the carcasses of meta-ethical theories, many of them picked clean after enduring the critical onslaughts of generations of philosophers. I have no intention of adding to this pile by trying to construct a new theory in this article. What I want to do instead is to argue that the reason meta-ethical theories do so badly is that question is forlorn, by which I mean that no answer can possibly satisfy."

Philosophy of biology

Watching the wrong race: a reply to Paul Nesselroade

"In his article Betting on all the horses, Paul Nesselroade suggests that Darwinian explanations are sometimes weak because Darwinists interpret whatever evidence they come across as support for their theory. This article is a response to Nesselroade. I argue that his argument fails because he misunderstands what Darwinism is about."

Personal philosophy

What I believe

"I simply want to explain as best I can what I believe about God and to suggest why. I have no intention of discussing the actual philosophical arguments for and against God in this paper; rather, I want to describe my attitude towards those arguments and how they bear on my beliefs. More specifically, I want to reassure myself (if nobody else) that my opinions may be firm, but not without reason; and equally, despite that firmness, I'm quite open to being corrected, even radically if necessary."

What to do when the ball's in your court

"It's amazing how often you come across people who, when they see that they're losing an argument, will come out with "Well, I'm entitled to my opinion". From a political point of view, no doubt this is true, but from a rational point of view it's just plain wrong. Rationally speaking, you're not entitled to hold any opinion unless you're satisfied that its apparent problems, holes and inconsistencies can be resolved."

It matters what you believe

"A view that's become popular in the last few decades is the idea that it doesn't really matter what you believe - about God, about science, about the meaning of life. According to this view, beliefs about these kinds of subjects are interesting, perhaps, but morally insignificant and logically irrelevant."

Linguistics

Syncretism, ambiguity and constituent order in Old English

University of York research submission

"In this paper, the interaction between morphological case-marking and surface constituent order is investigated with a quantitative analysis of an Old English text. The hypothesis that syncretism in Old English morphological case-marking restricts surface constituent order is motivated and developed. This hypothesis is then tested on an Old English corpus, and it is demonstrated that the morphological form of the constituents in fact imposes no constraints whatsoever on surface order. The consequences of this conclusion are discussed, and alternative sources of disambiguation are described."