metaphysics

An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 10 – God 2 (Atheism) – Part 7: Summary – Heads or tails?

by

After everything we’ve explored, there’s no clear answer. No airtight proof for or against God. Reasonable people, standing on opposite sides of the same question, each convinced they’re being honest. At the core, we’re not theists or atheists as much as we are agnostics with preferences. Faith doesn’t need certainty—doubt is its companion. The opposite of faith is not doubt, but knowledge—the kind that closes the conversation. Instead, we engage in abduction reasoning, trying to make sense of incomplete evidence. Some see God in the universe. Others don’t. Different stories, same data. The question of God might not be about solving a math problem but about how we reason, what we fear, what we hope, and the uncertainty we can live with.

Read the letter →

An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 10 – God 2 (Atheism) – Part 4: Have you stopped beating your wife?

by

The free will defense, often cited by believers to explain the problem of evil, sounds comforting at first: evil exists because God gave us the freedom to choose. But this reasoning quickly unravels when we consider that free will is selectively interrupted by miracles, prayers, and divine intervention. Why, then, does God intervene sometimes and not others? Additionally, much suffering is not a result of human choice—natural disasters, diseases, birth defects—so the free will defense cannot explain natural evil. And in heaven, a place of perfection, free will seems unnecessary for goodness. The defense falters when we confront the reality of suffering and the fact that, often, telling the grieving that pain is “necessary” for a greater good feels dismissive, not loving. Maybe, the honest response to suffering is not explanation, but humility and presence.

Read the letter →

An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 10 – God 2 (Atheism) – Part 3: Have you ever been in pain?

by

Pain doesn’t ask permission. It doesn’t care about belief. It just is. The traditional view of God—powerful, all-knowing, and good—collides with the reality of suffering, leading us to ask: If God could intervene, why does so much pain remain untouched? The problem of evil isn’t a theological trick; it’s a question born from love. It’s the refusal to accept suffering as just the way things are. Sometimes, atheism begins with grief, with the painful recognition that a loving God who doesn’t intervene looks eerily like one who isn’t there at all. So, what do we do with a universe where pain is real, often undeserved, and the most compassionate response isn’t explanation—but presence?

Read the letter →

An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 10 – God 2 (Atheism) – Part 2: Does God have dissociative identity disorder?

by

If God were a universal, fixed reality, why is there such discord over God’s nature? The contradictions within religious belief—peace and holy war, mercy and vengeance—are normalized. What we believe about God is often determined by where and when we were born, shaped by culture, language, and history. A God who deeply cares about being known correctly would leave less room for confusion. So the real question is: are we projecting different gods based on our geography, or is God truly fragmented across cultures?

Read the letter →

An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 09 – God 1 (Theism) – Part 7: Summary – What’s your favorite color?

by

The question isn’t whether we believe in God, but whether we recognize that God believes in us. Whether we’re believers or nonbelievers, the idea of God shows up in our values, our sense of meaning, and our relationships. The light doesn’t vanish because we describe it differently; it shines through in our actions, our resistance to meaninglessness, and our capacity for love. Whether we pray, doubt, or live quietly, the essence of God might not be in belief, but in the life we create and the love we give.

Read the letter →

An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 09 – God 1 (Theism) – Part 4: Who put this together?

by

The teleological argument invites us to consider purpose in the universe. When we see design, we assume a designer. Whether it’s the intricacy of the eye or the precision of the physical constants, the universe seems to behave as if it’s aiming toward something. But does this point to a creator, or just a vast system of function? Philosophy asks: if the universe is designed, then for what? Is it for life, for consciousness, or for something else entirely?

Read the letter →

An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 09 – God 1 (Theism) – Part 3: Which came first – the chicken or the God?

by

The cosmological argument begins with an undeniable intuition: everything that begins has a cause. From the origins of the universe to the first domino falling, there must be a first cause – a push that set everything else in motion. This first cause, while not necessarily a personal deity, is where we begin to speak of “God.” The argument doesn’t prove a personality or intention; it simply points to the necessity of something that began the chain. The question is: what does that uncaused cause look like?

Read the letter →

An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 06 – Metaphysics 3 (Metaphysical Monism) – Part 1: Introduction: If you had to choose, you would rather be without a body or a mind?

by

Metaphysical monism challenges us to reconsider the split between mind and body. Rather than choosing one over the other, philosophy asks us to notice how our lives already reveal our assumptions. Do we treat the physical world as primary, or do we live as though inner experience carries greater weight? Our daily habits often disclose our metaphysical commitments more honestly than our words.

Read the letter →

An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 04 – Metaphysics 1 (The Nature of Reality) – Part 7: Summary – What if I get lost?

by

Reality resists being pinned down. Each framework we explore reveals something true, yet never the whole truth. Metaphysics teaches us to live with uncertainty without fear, to question without needing final answers. When we accept that reality may always be partly out of reach, we discover that meaning lives not in certainty, but in the courage to keep wondering.

Read the letter →

An Introduction to Philosophy (RLL style) Week 04 – Metaphysics 1 (The Nature of Reality) – Part 6: Are you a simulation?

by

What if reality isn’t simply discovered, but constructed? Kant reminds us that the world we experience is shaped by the mind that encounters it. Whether reality is mathematical, simulated, or something stranger still, philosophy invites humility: we never see the whole thing at once. Wisdom grows when we recognize that every perspective reveals part of the pattern, and that understanding reality is a shared, ongoing creation.

Read the letter →