Irreligion : a mathematician explains why the arguments for God just don't add up

Paulos, John Allen.

Book 2009

Are there any logical reasons to believe in God? Mathematician Paulos thinks not. Here he presents the case for his own worldview, organizing his book into twelve chapters that refute the twelve arguments most often put forward for believing in God's existence. Interspersed among his twelve counterarguments are remarks on a variety of irreligious themes, ranging from the nature of miracles and creationist probability to cognitive illusions and pr...

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Atheism

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ISBN:

9780809059188
0809059185

Edition:

First paperback edition

Description:

xvii, 158 pages ; 19 cm

Notes:

Includes index

Contents:

[Pt. 1]. Four classical arguments.
The argument from first cause (and unnecessary intermediaries)
The argument from design (and some creationist calculations)
A personally crafted pseudoscience
The argument from the anthropic principle (and a probabilistic doomsday)
The ontological argument (and logical abracadabra)
Self-reference, recursion, and creation
[pt. 2]. Four subjective arguments.
The argument from coincidence (and 9/11 oddities)
The argument from prophecy (and the Bible codes)
An anecdote on emotional need
The argument from subjectivity (and faith, emptiness, and self)
The argument from interventions (and miracles, prayers, and witnesses)
Remarks on Jesus and other figures
[pt. 3]. Four psycho-mathematical arguments.
The argument from redefinition (and incomprehensible complexity)
The argument from cognitive tendency (and some simple programs)
My dreamy instant message exchange with God
The universality argument (and the relevance of morality and mathematics)
The gambling argument (and emotions from prudence to fear)
Atheists, agnostics, and "brights"

Control Number:

314802

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