Review: The Six Ways of Atheism

[Switch]

It's a new book explaining six logical arguments against the existence of God. I review it right here:

http://aigbusted.blogspot.com/2010/02/review-six-ways-of-atheism.html

[Mooby the Golden Sock]

I thought your review was rather well-written and I might be interested in reading that book.  I understand that your review is not a stand-in from the book, but from what you presented I feel that only the 4th argument presents much of a challenge, though.

[jetson]

Nice write-up Switch.  Some things I haven't thought much on to consider.  I can already hear most of the apologetic responses from theists, but that's par for the course.  I may have to give the book a read.  I'm currently reading Bart Erhman's latest at the moment...

[SkunkButt]

Nice write up Switch but I don't see much that I haven't already seen as far as the book's content is concerned.




I liked your book better.   

[PingTheServer]

This was interesting:

If we define God as an all-powerful and all-good creator of the universe, then it follows quite naturally that such a being would be expected to create this world in its best possible state. This world must be the best of all possible of worlds if God created it. If it is not the best of all possible worlds, then God did not create it....

Berg observes that, since the world has been improving, it follows that the world was not created in the best possible state (by definition you cannot improve something that is perfect). Therefore God does not exist.

I think this is a strong argument.  I think the conclusion is a little off...in that it could also result in God not being the only being with the ability to create.  It could also be that our definition of god is all wrong, that he is perhaps not all powerful, knowing, or good. 

In my mind, it just shows that at least one of those 3 attributes is wrong, or that there are more than 1 god, or that there are no gods.  It definitely shows that the omnimax deity idea is wrong though.

[Waldo]

What is meant by "since the world has been improving"?

[PingTheServer]

What is meant by "since the world has been improving"?

we have improved the world around us.  we can anticipate hardships and use our intellect to make life better for ourselves.   The more we can improve our surroundings and anticipate the future, the better we make teh world around us.

[Switch]

What is meant by "since the world has been improving"?

You should have read the review:

Berg observes that the world has improved quite a bit over the ages. After all, few of us would care to live in the Middle Ages or in the iron grip of the Roman empire. If I may bring up a quick point, I remember PBS airing a series called The 1900 House, a reality series in which a family lived in a house with conditions like those of the beginning of the twentieth century. After watching that series, I am very grateful that I was not born in that time period. And the reality series did not even fully recreate what that era was like, since many things had to be altered slightly from the way they actually were back then due to health and safety concerns. Anyway, back to the argument: Berg observes that, since the world has been improving, it follows that the world was not created in the best possible state (by definition you cannot improve something that is perfect). Therefore God does not exist.