Edward Feser: Philosophy Forums

Edward Feser

ciceronianus
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Posted 09/02/09 - 11:58 AM: Subject: Edward Feser	#1
Has anyone ever read this fellow? Although I tend to think the dispute about God's existence is futile, I also tend to pick up books on both sides of the issue to see if any new arguments arise. I'm in the process of trying to read The Last Superstition. It's difficult to get past the smugness, and the rather flippant analysis (which he may feel is required in any attack on Dawkins et al, I suppose--some of the so-called "new atheistics" get on my nerves periodically--or perhaps he thinks it's part of selling the book). But, he seems to be a kind of Thomist which, to me, is an Aristotelian who tries to establish the existence of God, prefereably that of Christianity. I'm in the early part of the book, but he seems to be trying to make an agument based on the old potentiality/actuality distinction, which never worked for me. Just curious what you may think of him.
"Let us not pretend to doubt in philosophy what we do not doubt in our hearts."--C.S. Peirce "There is nothing so absurd but some philosopher has said it."--Marcus Tullius Cicero "Philosophy recovers itself when it ceases to be a device for dealing with the problems of philosophers and becomes a method, cultivated by philosophers, for dealing with the problems of men."--John Dewey

Cadrache
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Posted 09/02/09 - 12:53 PM:	#2
Nah. I tend to not read those types of books. A lot of it is "Society does this." "God says this." There is a relationship because "This is This." or at least very similar. Therefore... we will make an argument on the basis of being able to relate one thing to another. The exclusion of course is the actual linguistic form versions. Like metaphors for instance. Those actually bring insight occassionally. IE: I'm a guy so I should play football.
"...There was a writer who asked why it was that when we find positive experiences we say that only the physical facts are real, but in negative experiences we believe that reality is subjective. He made an example of those who say that in birth only the pain is real, the joy a subjective point of view, but that in death it is the emotional loss that is the reality." - Tony Ballantyne, Recursion. _____________________________________________ Truth is want. - The internal state of matters. Truth is Need. - The external state of affairs.

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