A Critique of ‘The Argument from Desire’

Introduction
The Argument from Desire is an often overlooked argument that is both logically and emotionally appealing to theists. As Christian apologist Norman Geisler puts it, “it has a certain existential force.” 1 The Argument from Desire interprets seemingly universal desires and experiences of human beings, including those who may passionately declare themselves to be atheists, agnostics, or something else entirely, as evidence that points to the existence of Heaven specifically, but which is entailed by the existence of the Christian God more generally.

Though originally championed by C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity, Pilgrim’s Regress, and The Problem of Pain 2, there have been numerous forms of the argument advanced in contemporary times. Some scholars, such as Norman Geisler and Art Lindsley 3, argue that the desire is one for immortality. Others state that it is a desire for everlasting joy, as Lewis himself did. Still others, such as Peter Kreeft, argue that this universal yearning is a desire for an intimate and lasting relationship with God, which likely entails the other two desires. This paper will focus mostly on the version of the Argument from Desire put forth by Christian apologist Peter Kreeft. 4 In the remainder of this paper, I will explore Kreeft’s argument in detail, providing criticisms and clarifications where appropriate applicable. 

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Suggestions for Medical Testing on Human Subjects

Analysis:

Ultimately, I agree with Miller et al. that the moral principles which govern clinical medical practice should not be confused with the moral principles which should govern clinical medical research. While the Principles of Non-Maleficence [1], Clinical Equipoise [2], and Beneficence [3] ought to be strictly observed within the context of clinical practice, the differences in purposes, methodology, and costs of clinical practice compared to clinical research make it clear that they are not the same and should not be treated as such. But I am also sympathetic, at least in part, to Freedman et al. in that there is still room for significant improvement. As a result, I seek to argue for a kind of middle ground in this particular debate.

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‘Moral Blind Spots’ by Gerald Jones: A Brief Critique

Introduction and Overview

Gerald Jones has recently published a fascinating article in PhilosophyNow magazine entitled ‘Moral Blind Spots.’ Though the content of his article is multi-faceted (e.g. nodding to topics in transhumanism, historical revisionism, and metaethics) and ultimately addresses the moral imperatives behind veganism and vegetarianism, what piqued my interest was the extended analogy that Jones developed to compare physical deficiencies involving one’s eyesight with moral deficiencies. Continue reading

What’s More Preposterous? A Survey of the Beliefs of Professional Philosophers

Recently, Brian Leiter (of the blog The Leiter Reports) published the results of an internet poll about various philosophical views. More specifically, this internet poll sought to rank the most to least preposterous philosophical belief systems or concepts (reread that again to make sure you got them in the right order). In total, over 1300 current professional philosophers were surveyed and the 6 philosophical belief systems or concepts that were utilized (and in this particular order) include…

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