What is Philosophy?

At its root, philosophy (from Greek philo = love, sophia = wisdom) is the disciplined pursuit of knowledge and understanding about the most fundamental aspects of reality, knowledge, values, and reason.

It asks questions like:

• What is real? (metaphysics)

• How do we know what we know? (epistemology)

• How should we live? (ethics)

• What is beauty or art? (aesthetics)

• How should we reason? (logic)

  
  

  So, philosophy isn't just abstract - it's the foundation for science, theology, law, politics, and even daily decision-making.

How Can Philosophy Be Used?

• Critical Thinking: Spotting flaws, assumptions, and contradictions

• Debate: Structuring rational arguments for (or against) God, morality, free will, etc.

• Ethics & Politics: Building frameworks for justice, human rights, governance.

• Personal Growth: Examining your worldview, why you believe what you do, and refining it.

Basically, philosophy is a toolbox for reasoning and persuasion.

Classic Debate Styles in Philosophy

Philosophers use different logical and argumentative methods. Here are the common ones

Deductive Reasoning

• Starts with general premises - reaches a logically certain conclusion.

• Example: All humans are mortal. Ryan is human. Therefore, Ryan is mortal

• Strength: Very powerful when premises are solid

• Weakness: Falls apart if even one premise is questionable

Inductive Reasoning

• Observations - general conclusions.

• Example: The sun has risen every day in recorded history - Therefore, the sun will rise tomorrow.

• Strength: Useful for science and probability.

• Weakness: Never gives absolute certainty.

Abductive Reasoning (Inference to the best explanation)

• Look at the evidence, then argue what best explains it.

• Example: You hear footsteps in your house - best explanation: someone is home.

• Strength: Very persuasive in debates about God, because you weigh which worldview best explains existence, morality, consciousness, etc.

• Weakness: More subjective since "best explanation" can differ between people.

Dialectic (question/ answer style)

• Used by Socrates (Socratic Method). You question assumptions to expose contradictions.

• Example: Q. What is justice? A. Doing what is fair. Q. But is it always fair to punish?

• Strength: Forces clarity dismantles weak reasoning.

• Weakness: More about exposing than proving.

This debate style is generally my favorite to use. I find that it gives me control of the conversation and leverage on where I want to take it. I question to get better clarification and understand my opponent's worldview, then after I have gathered enough information, I press them on the weak points of their claims. I tend to couple this style with Abductive reasoning, think of it as a process of elimination through compare and contrast. I have found it to be very effective.

Which Style is Strongest for Arguing God's Existence?

• Deductive works well with arguments like the Cosmological Argument (everything that begins to exist has a cause)

• Inductive helps in moral arguments (we see consistent moral behavior in humans, which points beyond survival.)

• Abductive is strongest overall: it compares worldviews and asks, "Which explanation makes the most sense of reality?" - Christianity often argues that God best explains consciousness, morality, fine-tuning, and the universe's beginning.

Contrary to what I previously stated, most Christians combo deductive and abductive. I guess I'm the black sheep.

Classic Philosophical Thinkings About God

Here are the big arguments philosophers have used for God:

1. Cosmological Argument (Aquinas, Leibniz)

   • Everything that begins has a cause → the universe began → therefore, a First Cause exists (God).

2. Teleological / Design Argument (Paley, modern fine-tuning)

   • The universe shows order and fine-tuning → best explained by an intelligent Designer.

3. Ontological Argument (Anselm, Descartes, later Alvin Plantinga)

   • If God (the greatest conceivable being) can be conceived, He must exist in reality, not just in thought. (Very debated, but famous.)

4. Moral Argument (Kant, C.S. Lewis modern version)

   • Objective morality exists → requires a moral lawgiver → God.

5. Experiential Argument (Pascal, Kierkegaard)

   • Human longing, consciousness, and spiritual experience point to God.

Respected Philosophers Who Believed in God

Some of the most influential thinkers were theists:

• Plato (c. 427–347 BC) → Believed in a divine reality beyond the material (the Form of the Good).

• Aristotle (384–322 BC) → Argued for a “Prime Mover,” pure actuality that causes all motion (proto-theism).

• Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD) → Major Christian philosopher, combined Plato with Christian theology.

• Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) → Catholic thinker, developed the Five Ways to prove God.

• Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) → Wager argument, emphasized faith and reason.

• René Descartes (1596–1650) → Used reason to argue for God’s existence.

• Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) → Believed morality points to God.

• Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) → Father of existentialism, emphasized the leap of faith.

• Alvin Plantinga (1932–present) → Leading modern Christian philosopher, developed Reformed epistemology (belief in God can be “properly basic”).