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William Lane Craig

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William Lane Craig
Born (1949-08-23) August 23, 1949 (age 74)
Peoria, Illinois
Era21st-century philosophy
RegionWestern philosophy
SchoolAnalytic philosophy
Main interests
Philosophy of religion, natural theology, philosophy of time, Christian apologetics
Notable ideas
Kalam cosmological argument

Middle knowledge

A-theory of time

A-theoretic possible worlds semantics
Websitereasonablefaith.org

William Lane Craig (born August 23, 1949) is an American analytic philosopher, philosophical theologian, and Christian apologist. He is known for his work on the philosophy of time and the philosophy of religion, specifically the existence of God and the defense of Christian theism.[1] He has made major contributions to the philosophy of religion and his defense of the Kalām cosmological argument is the most widely discussed argument for the existence of God in contemporary Western philosophy.[2] He has authored or edited over 30 books including The Kalam Cosmological Argument (1979), Theism, Atheism and Big Bang Cosmology (co-authored with Quentin Smith, 1993), Time and Eternity: Exploring God's Relationship to Time (2001), and Einstein, Relativity and Absolute Simultaneity (co-edited with Quentin Smith, 2007).[3]

Academic background

Craig received a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Wheaton College, Illinois, in 1971 and two summa cum laude master's degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, in 1975, in philosophy of religion and ecclesiastical history.[4] He earned a Ph.D. in philosophy under John Hick at the University of Birmingham, England in 1977 and a Th.D. under Wolfhart Pannenberg at the University of Munich in 1984.[5] From 1980 to 1986 he was an assistant professor of philosophy at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He briefly held the position of associate professor of religious studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, from 1986 to 1987. From 1987 to 1994 Craig pursued further research at the University of Leuven, Belgium. Since 1996 he has held the position of research professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University in La Mirada, California.[5]

Work

Philosophy of religion

Craig's primary contribution to philosophy of religion is his revival of the kalam cosmological argument. In The Kalam Cosmological Argument, he formulates the argument in the following manner:

  1. Everything that begins to exist has a cause of its existence.
  2. The universe began to exist.
  3. Therefore, the universe has a cause of its existence.[6]

He defends the second premise by arguing that actual infinities and the formation of an actual infinite through continual addition are metaphysically impossible. Although he recognizes that axiomatized infinite set theory is logically consistent he maintains that the existence of actual infinities in the real world would lead to absurdities. For example, David Hilbert's famous "Hilbert's Hotel" thought experiment demonstrates how a fully occupied hotel would still be able to accommodate an infinite number of guests. Craig modifies the thought experiment by introducing operations such as subtraction and shows that subtracting identical quantities from identical quantities would have non-identical remainders.[7] Since we have no evidence of such things in the actual world, Craig maintains that actual infinities are, for all intents and purposes, metaphysically impossible. Craig also argues that the thermodynamic properties of the universe and its expansion provide more evidence in support of premise 2.[8]

Craig also develops an a posteriori argument against actual infinities which rests on the A-theory of time. He gives Bertrand Russell's example of Tristam Shandy, who writes his autobiography so slowly that it takes him one year to write down the events of one day. A similar temporal sequence would have occurred in an eternal universe. No matter how long it takes, an eternal universe would still not be 'actually infinite' and must have begun to exist.

Craig has also contributed to the problem of divine foreknowledge (the compatibility of God's omniscience with human freedom). He analyzes current discussions of time travel, retrocausality, special relativity, and Newcomb's Paradox and brings them to bear on theological fatalism (most often supported by strongly Augustinian theologies, particularly Calvinism).[9] Rejecting fatalism[10] he defends the middle knowledge view (also known as Molinism).[11] According to this solution, prior to actualizing a possible world God knows everything that does or will happen as well as how free creatures would act if placed in any particular circumstance. Craig considers that this also provides the answer to the question of how God foreknows future contingents.[12]

Philosophy of time

Craig is a presentist and defends the A-series of time. He rejects J. M. E. McTaggart's famous argument against it, describing it as "an engaging and recalcitrant brain teaser that no one takes seriously," but also argues against hybrid A-B theorists because they are all refuted by McTaggart's paradox.[13] He argues that McTaggart's objection does not succeed as it employs an incoherent combination of a B-theoretical ontology with A-theoretical temporal becoming.[14] According to Craig, if one adopts a neo-Lorentzian interpretation of special relativity the A-theory can be reconciled with the theory of relativity.[15]

In terms of God's relationship to time, Craig argues that God must exist in time if he is to be regarded as a causal agent. He rejects the view that God could exist timelessly with creation as he did sans creation on the grounds that nothing outside time could have temporal interactions with the world. Critics such as Paul Helm maintain that Craig’s objections against divine timelessness is itself incoherent because "There can be no temporal 'and then' for a timelessly eternal God."[16] Craig responds to this charge by arguing that God's timeless and temporal phases are not related to each other as "earlier" and "later."[17]

Other views

Craig is a critic of metaphysical naturalism[18] and New Atheism[19] as well as a defender of Reformed epistemology[20]. His work as a New Testament historian focuses on a defense of central Christian doctrines, specifically Jesus' resurrection from the dead. After reviewing the debate throughout history and providing a critical analysis of David Hume's argument against miracles in The Historical Argument for the Resurrection of Jesus, Craig examines New Testament material dealing with the resurrection and concludes that the resurrection is indeed the most plausible explanation of the historical data.[21] Craig maintains that the theory of evolution is compatible with Christianity.[22] Although he does not fully endorse intelligent design,[23] he thinks it might be a viable alternative to evolution.[24] He is a fellow of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture[25] and a fellow of the International Society for Complexity, Information and Design (ISCID).[26]

Debates

Craig has debated with prominent intellectuals such as Antony Flew,[27] A. C. Grayling,[28] Daniel Dennett,[29] Lawrence Krauss,[30][31] Victor Stenger,[32] Peter Atkins,[33] and Christopher Hitchens.[34] Popular New Atheist author Sam Harris described Craig at their Notre Dame University debate as "the one Christian apologist who seems to have put the fear of God into many of my fellow atheists."[35] Evolutionary biologist and atheist Richard Dawkins has refused to debate with William Lane Craig, accusing him of being an apologist for genocide with reference to Craig's comments defending the Old Testament account of the slaughter of the Canaanites.[36]

Bibliography

File:The-Kalam-Cosmological-Argument.jpg
Cover for Craig's 1979 book The Kalām Cosmological Argument.
  • The Kalām Cosmological Argument. London: MacMillan. 1979. ISBN 157910438X / ISBN 978-1579104382
  • The Cosmological Argument from Plato to Leibniz. London: MacMillan. 1980. ISBN 1579107877 / ISBN 978-1579107871
  • The Son Rises: Historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. Chicago: Moody Press. 1981. ISBN 9781579104641 / ISBN 978-1579104641
  • Apologetics: An Introduction. Chicago: Moody Press. 1984. ISBN 0802404057
  • The Historical Argument for the Resurrection of Jesus during the Deist Controversy. Toronto: Edwin Mellen. 1985. ISBN 0-88946-811-7
  • The Only Wise God: The Compatibility of Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom. Grand Rapids: Baker Bookhouse. 1987. ISBN 1579103162 / ISBN 978-1579103163
  • The Problem of Divine Foreknowledge and Future Contingents from Aristotle to Suarez. Leiden: E.J. Brill. 1988. ISBN 9004085165 / ISBN 978-9004085169
  • Knowing the Truth About the Resurrection. Ann Arbor: Servant. 1988. ISBN 089283384X / ISBN 978-0892833849
  • Assessing the New Testament Evidence for the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus. Toronto: Edwin Mellen Press. 1989. ISBN 0889466165/ ISBN 978-0889466166
  • Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom: The Coherence of Theism I: Omniscience. Leiden: E.J. Brill. 1990. ISBN 9004092501 / ISBN 978-9004092501
  • No Easy Answers. Chicago: Moody Press. 1990. ISBN 0802422837 / ISBN 978-0802422835
  • Theism, Atheism, and Big Bang Cosmology (with Quentin Smith). Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1993. ISBN 978-0198263838
  • The Tensed Theory of Time: A Critical Examination. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. ISBN 0792366344 / ISBN 978-0792366348
  • Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up? A Debate Between William Lane Craig and John Dominic Crossan. Grand Rapids: Baker Bookhouse. 1998.
  • God, Are You There?. Atlanta: RZIM. 1999. ISBN 1930107005 / ISBN 978-1930107007
  • The Tenseless Theory of Time: A Critical Examination. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. 2000. ISBN 9780792366355 / ISBN 978-0792366355
  • God, Time and Eternity. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. 2001. ISBN 9781581342413 / ISBN 978-1581342413
  • Time and The Metaphysics of Relativity. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. 2001. ISBN 0 7923 6668 9
  • Time and Eternity: Exploring God's Relationship to Time. Wheaton: Crossway. 2001. ISBN 9781581342413 / ISBN 978-1581342413
  • What Does God Know? Atlanta: RZIM. 2002. ISBN 9781930107052
  • Hard Questions, Real Answers. Wheaton: Crossway Books. 2003. ISBN 9781581344875 / ISBN 978-1581344875
  • God?: A Debate Between a Christian and an Atheist(with Walter Sinnot-Armstrong). New York: Oxford University Press. 2003.
  • Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview (with J.P. Moreland). Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press. 2003.
  • Creation out of Nothing: Its Biblical, Philosophical, and Scientific Exploration (with Paul Copan). Grand Rapids: Baker Bookhouse. 2004. ISBN 0801027330
  • Reasonable Faith. Wheaton: Crossway. 1994. rev. 3rd ed. 2008. ISBN 0891077642 / ISBN 978-0891077640
  • On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision. Colorado Springs: David C. Cook. 2010. ISBN 1434764885 / ISBN 978-1434764881

See also

References

  1. ^ "Web Author Profiles: William Lane Craig, PhD". Evangelical Philosophical Society. Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ Smith, Quentin (2007). "Kalam Cosmological Arguments for Atheism". In Martin, Michael (ed.). The Cambridge companion to atheism. Cambridge University Press. p. 183. ISBN 9780521842709.
  3. ^ "About William Lane Craig". Reasonable Faith. Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  4. ^ "Curriculum vitae". Reasonable Faith. Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  5. ^ a b "Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). Talbot School of Theology. Retrieved 2011-10-26.
  6. ^ Craig, William Lane (1979). The Kalam Cosmological Argument. Library of philosophy and religion. Macmillan. ISBN 9780333248096. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  7. ^ Oppy, Graham (1995). "Inverse Operations With Transfinite Numbers And The Kalam Cosmological Argument". International Philosophical Quarterly. 35 (2): 219–221. Retrieved 06/10/2011. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  8. ^ Reichenbach, Bruce (2010). Edward N. Zalta (ed.). "Cosmological Argument". The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  9. ^ Craig, William Lane (1991). Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom: The Coherence of Theism: Omniscience. Retrieved 2011-10-26.
  10. ^ Viney, Donald Wayne (Spring 1989). "Does Omniscience Imply Foreknowledge? Craig on Hartshorneby". Process Studies. 18 (1). Center for Process Studies: 30–37. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  11. ^ Zagzebski, Linda (Fall 2011). Edward N. Zalta (ed.). "Foreknowledge and Free Will". The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  12. ^ "Participants: Craig, William Lane". Closer to Truth. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  13. ^ Oaklander, L. Nathan (2002). "Presentism, Ontology and Temporal Experience". In Craig Callender (ed.). Time, reality & experience. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 73–90. ISBN 9780521529679.
  14. ^ Craig, William Lane (2000). The tensed theory of time : a critical examination. Springer. ISBN 9780792366348.
  15. ^ Balashov, Yuri; Janssen, Michel (2003). "Presentism and Relativity". British Jnl. for the Philosophy of Sci. 54 (2): 327–346. Retrieved 06/10/2011. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ Helm, Paul (2010). Edward N. Zalta (ed.). "Eternity". The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved 2011-10-01.
  17. ^ Helm, Paul (2011). Eternal God : a study of God without time (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 220ff. ISBN 9780199590384.
  18. ^ Craig, William Lane; Moreland, James Porter (2000). Naturalism: A Critical Analysis. London: Routledge. ISBN 9780415235242.
  19. ^ Copan, Paul; Craig, William Lane (2009). Contending with Christianity's Critics: Answering New Atheists & Other Objectors. B&H. ISBN 9780805449365.
  20. ^ "Religious Epistemology MP3 Audio by William Lane Craig". Apologetics 315. Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  21. ^ Craig, William Lane (1989). Assessing the New Testament Evidence for the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus. Studies in the Bible and early Christianity. Vol. 16. Edwin Mellen Press. ISBN 9780889466166.
  22. ^ Stewart, Robert B. (2007). Intelligent Design: William A. Dembski and Michael Ruse in Dialogue (revised ed.). Fortress Press. ISBN 0800662180.
  23. ^ "William Lane Craig on Evolution and Intelligent Design". Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  24. ^ "William Lane Craig vs. Francisco J. Ayala - Is Intelligent Design Viable?". Apologetics 315. November 5, 2009. Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  25. ^ "William Lane Craig". Discovery Institute. Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  26. ^ "Society Fellows". International Society for Complexity, Information and Design. Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  27. ^ Flew, Antony; Varghese, Roy Abraham. There Is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind. HarperOne. ISBN 9780061335303.
  28. ^ "Unbelievable? - William Lane Craig vs AC Grayling debate on God & Evil". Premier Christian Radio. 5 July 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  29. ^ "William Lane Craig v Daniel Dennett". YouTube. Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  30. ^ Smith, Anika. "William Lane Craig Debates Lawrence Krauss Tonight, Takes on Sam Harris Next Week". Evolution News and Views. Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  31. ^ "The Great Debate". Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  32. ^ "Two Philosophers Debate the Existence of God". Oregon State University. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  33. ^ "De Deo: The existence of God". Reasonable Faith. Retrieved 10/09/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  34. ^ Jones, Nelson (20 May 2011). "Why Dawkins disappoints". New Statesman. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  35. ^ "Profile: William Lane Craig". Christianity Magazine. October 26, 2011. Retrieved 21/10/2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  36. ^ Sun, Eryn (October 20, 2011). "Richard Dawkins Explains His Refusal to Debate Christian Apologist Craig". Christian Post. Retrieved 2011-11-11.
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