I would like to thank Dr. Sullivan for his recent post, Nature, Artifacts, Meaning and Providence which has helped to clear the air enormously. In his closing comments, Dr. Sullivan calls for calm in the debate over life’s origin, and urges that the origin of life should be examined dispassionately, in an atmosphere free from […]
Author: vjtorley
I've just completed a Ph.D. in philosophy, but I have a fairly broad academic background (B.S. with a pure mathematics major; B.A. with computing and philosophy majors; B.Ec. with economics and accounting majors; M.A. in philosophy; Dip. Ed. in Secondary School Teaching). I'm an Australian, but I currently live in Japan with my wife and baby son.
Living things, Machines and Intelligent Design (Part Two of a Response to the Smithy)
First, I would like to thank Michael Sullivan for taking the time and trouble to comment on my post, In Praise of Subtlety, after successfully defending his dissertation. I look forward to reading future articles by Dr. Sullivan on issues relating to teleology and design. I would also like to thank Sullivan for his courtesy […]
What a living thing is, what an artifact is, and why the first living thing would have been one (Part One of a Response to the Smithy)
The Smithy, a Web site devoted to the life, times, and thought of the Subtle Doctor, the Blessed John Duns Scotus, has recently weighed in on the ID controversy, with three recent posts by Michael Sullivan in response to my post, In Praise of Subtlety. Before I continue, I would like to congratulate Michael Sullivan […]
In Praise of Subtlety
You might not know the guy in the picture above. John Duns Scotus, O.F.M, was one of the greatest theologians of the Middle Ages. A penetrating thinker of unsurpassed ingenuity, he was nicknamed the Subtle Doctor. Later on in this post, I’ll argue that in one particular respect, his philosophy is particularly ID-friendly – even […]
Christopher’s Challenge
Christopher Hitchens is nothing if not a straight-shooter. He calls it like he sees it, and not even a vicious attack could stop him from denouncing evil, racist ideologies that are still with us today. He is also a fearless and formidable debater. In recent years, he has declared himself an anti-theist, a term he […]
A Response to Professor Feser
Professor Edward Feser is an intrepid philosopher, who is not afraid to confront error head-on and expose it for what it is. That is an admirable trait. He is also a former atheist, who now defends religion from a traditional Roman Catholic perspective. In his book The Last Superstition (St. Augustine’s Press, 2008; available here […]