Formulating a Probabilistic Argument from Divine Hiddenness and Seeking Empirically Informed Solutions

从神圣隐藏中提出概率论证并寻求经验丰富的解决方案

• 批准号: 2726204
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Birmingham
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2726204
• 关键词: Formulating; Probabilistic; Argument; Divine; Hiddenness

This project will focus on an objection to belief in God called the Argument from Divine Hiddenness (Schellenberg, 1993), which has now become the leading philosophical objection to God's existence in contemporary philosophy of religion. My work will seek to enlarge the discussion on this topic by looking at how the Argument from Divine Hiddenness can be reformulated using probabilistic reasoning, rather than deductive reasoning (Drange, 1993; Schellenberg, 2007, 2015). While this type of approach has been applied to and enhanced discussion of other arguments against God's existence, such as the Argument from Evil (Draper, 1989, 2011; Tooley, 1991, 2019; Rowe, 1979), virtually no work of this type has been applied to the Argument from Divine Hiddenness (Maitzen, 2006). Given increasing awareness of the unique contribution that Divine Hiddenness makes beyond the Argument from Evil (Anderson, forthcoming), my work will remedy this lack of attention on Divine Hiddenness by presenting a new probabilistic Argument from Divine Hiddenness.In addition, I will be using the tools and findings of epistemology, psychology of religion, and cognitive science of religion to explore potential solutions to this new argument, focusing primarily on non-culpable ways in which individuals might miss or fail to have available evidence. In epistemology, this will be on whether providing evidence to x entails that x will be in receipt of the evidence (Anderson, 2017, 2018). In psychology of religion, I will look at how types of biased reasoning bear on the question of belief in God along with how differences in information processing influences evidence sets. (Shenhav, Rand, and Greene, 2012; Lobato et al., 2020). And finally, in cognitive science of religion I will focus on the alleged naturalness of religious belief (Mccauley, 2011) and the implications this has for Divine Hiddenness.While my research will be methodologically innovative by, at least in part, relying on empirically informed data, I will still be using the methodology of contemporary analytical philosophers: conceptual analysis. Beyond moving conversation on Divine Hiddenness away from its current deadlock in the literature towards more fruitful dialogue, my research in epistemology and psychology of religion, for example, will have far-reaching implications to domains such as the legal system. Understanding how biases operate and how different individuals or groups may process evidence is a crucial component to reform policies concerning court proceedings and jury trials. Moreover, my research in the cognitive science of religion will explore some of the evolutionary underpinnings of religious belief. Exploring the cognitive mechanisms that give rise to religiosity can, for example, help sociologists understand and predictfactors affecting social change.

该项目将重点关注对上帝信仰的反对，称为“来自神圣隐藏的论证”（Schellenberg，1993），它现已成为当代宗教哲学中对上帝存在的主要哲学反对意见。我的工作将试图通过研究如何使用概率推理而不是演绎推理来重新表述神圣隐藏的论证，从而扩大关于这个主题的讨论（Drange，1993；Schellenberg，2007，2015）。虽然这种类型的方法已被应用于并加强了对其他反对上帝存在的论证的讨论，例如来自邪恶的论证（Draper，1989，2011；Tooley，1991，2019；Rowe，1979），但实际上没有这种类型的著作被应用于来自神圣隐藏的论证（Maitzen，2006）。鉴于人们越来越认识到神圣隐藏性在邪恶论证之外所做出的独特贡献（安德森，即将出版），我的工作将通过提出一种新的来自神圣隐藏性的概率论证来弥补对神圣隐藏性关注的缺乏。此外，我将使用认识论、宗教心理学和宗教认知科学的工具和发现来探索这一新论证的潜在解决方案，主要关注个人 可能会错过或无法获得可用的证据。在认识论中，这将取决于向 x 提供证据是否意味着 x 将收到证据（Anderson，2017，2018）。在宗教心理学中，我将研究偏见推理的类型如何影响对上帝的信仰问题，以及信息处理的差异如何影响证据集。 （Shenhav、Rand 和 Greene，2012 年；Lobato 等人，2020 年）。最后，在宗教认知科学中，我将重点关注所谓的宗教信仰的自然性（Mccauley，2011）以及这对神圣隐藏性的影响。虽然我的研究将在方法论上进行创新，至少部分依赖于经验丰富的数据，但我仍将使用当代分析哲学家的方法论：概念分析。除了将关于神圣隐藏性的对话从目前文献中的僵局转向更富有成效的对话之外，我在认识论和宗教心理学方面的研究，例如，将对法律体系等领域产生深远的影响。了解偏见如何运作以及不同个人或团体如何处理证据是改革有关法庭诉讼和陪审团审判的政策的重要组成部分。此外，我在宗教认知科学方面的研究将探讨宗教信仰的一些进化基础。例如，探索产生宗教信仰的认知机制可以帮助社会学家理解和预测影响社会变革的因素。