About Me
My name is James Fodor, and I’m a student at the University of Melbourne in Australia. I like to learn about everything, and often think about how we can know anything at all. Here I post about some of my recent thoughts concerning philosophy, science, religion, politics, history, and other topics I think are important. If you’re deciding whether to read this blog, you might want to know about some of my views: epistemology (coherentism with leanings to Humean skepticism), metaethics (moral realism, lean towards reductive moral naturalism), religion (agnostic atheist, former Mormon), ethical theory (preference utilitarian with some leanings to virtue ethics), politics (centrist classical liberal), gender (sex-positive feminism), philosophy of mind (functionalism/connectionism, physicalist monist), and scientific realism. I have been influenced by David Hume, Bertrand Russell, Peter Railton, Willard Quine, Friedrich Hayek, Carl Sagan, Peter Singer, Ray Kurzweil, and Friedrich Nietzsche.
Feel free to get in touch with me via email at Fods12@gmail.com.
About the Title
The title of this blog, ‘The Godless Theist‘, is a deliberate oxymoron. The inherently contradictory nature of this phrase is meant to be reflective of the inherent absurdities, contradictions, and inanities with which life abounds. The title is also reflective of my view of myself as having a foot in two ‘opposing camps’, so to speak. On the one hand, I am an atheist, former president of a secular club, and involved in atheist, humanist, and skeptic groups and communities. On the other hand, I grew up as a Mormon, attend Christian events, and have a great many strongly religious friends.
I believe that, in differing ways and in differing degrees, both Atheistic naturalism and Christian theism are rationally justifiable and intellectually imposing worldviews, each deserving of serious engagement and consideration. I believe both hold valuable insights to understanding the human condition and leading a good life, and respect the intellectual history and cultural influences of each perspective.
Strange as it may sound, I see theism and atheism as both contradictory and complementary ideologies. Each requires the other in order to exist, just like the existence of up mandates the existence of down. Each one the yin to the other’s yang, these positions highlight each other’s respective strengths and weaknesses. Ultimately, of course, only one can actually be true, but it is necessary to engage honestly, tirelessly, and earnestly with them both, for a winner cannot be pronounced except by comparison with a loser. Theism and Atheism are thus both opposites and brothers. Both must face the challenge of making sense of this unrelentingly confusing and absurd world we live in. Both must force a balance between faith and reason, between belief and doubt, between optimism and cynicism. Both have their own unique advantages, but also face deep and serious challenges.
I find beauty, power, wisdom, and strength in both theism and atheism. I am not religious, but nor am I purely atheistic. I am The Godless Theist.
will be interested to see how this blog develops…
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Whats your email? and when did you leave LDS?
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I stopped attending the LDS church about six years ago now. My email address is Fods12@gmail.com
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I am enjoying your book on William Lane Craig, but I am curious why you don’t mention “Did God Create the Universe from Nothing? Countering William Lane Craig’s Kalam Cosmological Argument” by Jonathan M.S. Pearce, with a Foreword by Jeffrey Jay Lowder And with contributions from James East & Counter Apologist?
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A big THANKS for your ” Brain and Language” from a speech pathology student in SA!
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