Apologetics...

David, I tried, but unfortunately I cannot access infidels from my office (it's filtered for some reason incomprehensible to me). But, I will try to register from my home computer and perhaps I can give you a little support on some discussions. I like the tag-team idea.

As far as the IVF staff worker, let me restate what I said the other night here, since not everyone on this blog was in class last night. I simply want to encourage everyone that IV is not "lost" nor does it think apologetics is dead. Obviously this staff worker has gone a little post-modern on us, but I assure you he is the exception and not the norm. There is a staff worker at CSU, for example, Don Everetts, who is constantly preaching directly AGAINST relativism and he teaches apologetics. Also, at UW, Tony Archer leads a team of outstanding staffworkers who teach their students a full discipleship model that includes loving the Lord with all of your mind. Abbi and I have done a good bit of work over the years with IVF, and on the whole this type of discussion that David had with a staffworker is an anomaly (but still, it is very discouraging I agree).

Painful Symbolic Logic

Here's some symbolic logic to make your brain hurt.

http://analphilosopher.blogspot.com/

I think that the problem is in step 2.

Thoughts?

Ian

RE: Apologetics is Dead?

David - First off, we missed you and your wife on Saturday night! (She isn't a 5th grade teacher is she? - three of the spouses there, including my wife, are!)

I am EXTREMELY disheartened by this type of a comment coming from a IVF STAFF person. I would expect such words to come out of the mouth of your average college student, but now even IVF has been infiltrated!?! It all comes down to the question of truth. I perhaps naively still believe that most people don't want to live a life of deliberate self-deception. There is something inherent in our humanity, as we are created in God's image, that causes us to hunger for the truth. Some people may superficially claim that they live their life through a pragmatic definition of truth and that they have no use for an actual correspondence view. However, I think that you can challenge them on the actual "pragmatism" of some of their decisions.

The problem with pragmatism is how long or short sighted you are - what might be pragmatic now and tomorrow, may have dire consequences looking a week or month out.
Example: I just got paid and my money's burning a hole in my pocket. Taking a very short term pragmatic view I could go out and spend it all at the greyhound race track in Commerce City and derive much pleasure from it - quite pragmatic (just kidding...really). Taking a longer term pragmatic view I might go to the grocery store and stock up on Ramen Noodles for the next week. Or taking an even longer term view, I might pay my car payment so that my car doesn't get reposessed this month. All of these are pragmatic, based upon my time frame.

I think that the IVF staffer needs to take PR501 or at least read Truth Decay. While some students may be so brainwashed by postmodernism that they are happy to live in a relativistic pragmatic world of their own creation, most, when presented with well thought out heartfelt questions and answers, will respond to the Truth.

Just my $.02.

Ian

Or how about this.

Lewis...He'll not not fight for non-falsehoods!

Ian, I've got another philosopher campaign slogan for you...

If Dr. Lewis ever ran for public office could we say:

Lewis... He'll fight for the Truth!


(this could also work for Dr. G).

I am in at the Lewis's on Sat. Abbi is coming as well. It should be a good time.

About the Matrix: Chris, the Strawser's are in. Abbi and I have always been huge Matrix fans. I agree -- it is very common that I find myself engaged in a discussion about God that was spawned by an initial shared interest in the Matrix.

Chris, can you set up the details of such a Matrix outing? Which theatre? What time? Where to go afterwards? etc.

My vote is for the giant AMC multiplex down at C-470 and Broadway.... It is a cool theatre and there are a ton of great places to hang afterwards right there (of course, that suggestion is also clearly biased b/c it is Southward in town and you know which direction Abbi and I will be coming from).

Another possibility is we could do it either before or after the get together at the Lewis's on Sat....?

In light of the elections going on this week, here's a little philosophy humor from http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/philosophy/politics.html

Philosophers and Their Campaign Slogans

Heraclitus: He's for Change!

Parmenides for President: He's the One!

Don't Be a Fool . . . Vote for Anselm

Descartes . . . He has a dream!

Pascal: In your heart you know he's right

Pascal . . . The Best Bet!

Vote for Spinoza . . . (Like you have a choice)

Leibniz . . . For the Best Possible World!

Hegel . . . He's got the Spirit!

Kierkegaard: Take the leap to a new level of politics

Schopenhauer: He's got the Will!

F. H. Bradley: The Absolutely Ideal Candidate

Bergson . . . For more vitality!

James . . . Bring pragmatism back into politics!

Wittgenstein . . . Because running the country is not just a game!

Who's going to Dr. Lewis' on Sat. night? - Ian