This essay introduces the Divine Command Theory of ethics, that wrong actions are wrong because God forbids them and right actions are right because God commands them, and the most important responses to it, which date back to Socrates’ discussion in ancient Greece with a man named Euthyphro.
Category: Philosophy of Religion
Avicenna’s ‘Proof’ for the Existence of God
This essay presents and explains what’s called Avicenna’s ‘proof’ for the existence of God. It is likely the most influential argument in the history of philosophy in the Islamic world.
Ecstatic Experiences: The Philosophy of ‘Losing Yourself’
"Ecstatic experiences” are when we seem to joyfully “lose” or transcend or go beyond ourselves. This essay introduces some philosophical issues about ecstatic experiences.
Atheism: Believing God Does Not Exist
This essay introduces some of the core philosophical issues about atheism: what it is, how and why people accept atheism, and the relationships between atheism and meaning in life and ethics.
Transformative Experiences: Can Life-Changing Choices Be Both Rational and Authentic?
Transformative experiences are radically new experiences that significantly change who you are. Can we rationally choose to have transformative experiences in a way that’s authentic to our own values? This essay explores this question.
Jean-Luc Marion on ‘Saturated Phenomena’: What Are Mind-blowing Experiences?
This essay introduces French philosopher Jean-Luc Marion's concept of "saturated phenomena"—things people seem to experience (e.g., artworks, romantic partners, spiritual realities, etc.) that “blow your mind”—an important idea in the school of philosophy known as “phenomenology.”
Rudolf Otto on “Numinous” Religious Experience
German philosopher and theologian Rudolf Otto (1869-1937) coined the term “numinous” and described numinous religious experience in his influential 1917 book "The Idea of the Holy." This essay introduces Otto’s theory.
Arguments from Religious Experience: Richard Swinburne’s ‘Principle of Credulity’
Philosopher Richard Swinburne (b. 1934) attempts to categorize these different types of religious experience. He argues that such experiences are usually some evidence for the existence of whatever people believe they encounter. This essay summarizes Swinburne’s philosophy of religious experience.
William James on Mystical Experience
William James is considered the first philosopher of mysticism. This essay introduces James’ views on mystical experience.
Philosophy of Mysticism: Do Mystical Experiences Justify Religious Beliefs?
Mysticism refers to religious traditions devoted to cultivating altered states of consciousness called “mystical experiences.” This essay reviews philosophical attempts to define mystical experience as well as arguments about whether mystical experiences justify religious beliefs.