Swinburne Flashcards
What is a “sceptical bog”?
When we start to doubt everything due to mistrusting our senses and rejecting the principle of credulity.
What is the principle of credulity?
We all live by the principle that our senses are reliable. If something appears to be there, then it probably is.
What is the principle of testimony?
What others tell us they have perceived, we believe it to have happened, unless we have reason to believe different.
Give an example of the principle of testimony:
When exploring a jungle, if one group discovers a new species, but a second group do not, the species still exists. The first experience is not cancelled out by the second, they were just different experiences.
According to Swinburne, why can’t God frequently break the laws of nature?
Because we would not learn from the consequences of our actions.
Swinburne’s principles have been criticised for being too…
Generous towards religious experience.
Swinburne has been criticised for treating all experiences as…
The same.
How could Swinburne’s principles be used to disprove God?
We have never perceived God, therefore he does not exist.
What is meant by special pleading?
Natural laws are like rules. Parents will occasionally break their own rules in answer to the special pleading of their children.
