About

“The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil and no good, nothing but blind pitiless indifference.” (Richard Dawkins, River Out of Eden, p. 133)

I disagree profoundly with Richard Dawkins' claim, but it presupposes the right question, which I think is the most important question a human being can ask: 

What does the structure of the universe imply about the ultimate reality behind the universe?

Although human history reveals a seemingly infinite variety of descriptions of ultimate reality, most of the interesting ones seem to fall into two general categories. C.S. Lewis (in Mere Christianity) described the first as the 'materialist' view, according to which "matter and space just happen to exist, and always have existed, nobody knows why; and that the matter, behaving in certain fixed ways, has just happened, by a sort of fluke, to produce creatures like ourselves who are able to think." (pp. 21-22) Based on the above quote, Richard Dawkins aligns himself completely with the materialist view. The second, which Lewis called the 'religious' view, is that "what is behind the universe is more like a mind than it is like anything else we know. That is to say, it is conscious, and has purposes, and prefers one thing to another." (p.22) 

I align myself with the second view, and more specifically I write as a Christian convinced that the Cause of the universe is not only a powerful mind, but that it was embodied in Jesus of Nazareth. On this blog, however, I want to focus mostly on the more general contrast between materialist and religious views of ultimate reality. I approach my writing here with an exploratory tone rather than apologetic; although I will not hesitate to vigorously argue for positions I believe are correct, I primarily want to understand and explicate the writings and opinions of the most profound thinkers throughout history who have devoted themselves to these questions, such as Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Plotinus, Anselm, Aquinas, Duns Scotus, Descartes, Leibniz, Hume, etc. 

I will do my best to carefully and accurately describe an author's view before interacting with it critically, and I hope that my explorations will converge on a religious worldview that is intellectually as well as spiritually satisfying. On occasion I will also post thoughts on education and how it relates to my religious pursuits given that I am a science teacher, as well as more personal musings about my ongoing recovery from a serious knee injury that has left me with a permanent disability. If I am convinced of anything, it is that philosophy matters and that my convictions about ultimate reality should dictate the way I live my life.