Today we talk with Dr. Victor Reppert, a name intimately associated with The Argument From Reason, which Lewis puts forth most famously in his book, “Miracles”…
S5E44: “C.S. Lewis’s Dangerous Idea” – After Hours with Dr. Victor Reppert (Download)
If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe on your preferred podcast platform, such as iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, and many others…
For information about our schedule for Season 5, please see the our season roadmap, containing a list of all the episodes we plan to record together, as well as “After Hours” interviews with special guests.
Finally, if you’d like to support us and get fantastic gifts such as access to our Pints With Jack Slack channel and branded pint glasses, please join us on Patreon for as little as $2 a month.
Show Notes
Introduction
Quote-of-the-week
“If my mental processes are determined wholly by the motions of atoms in my brain, I have no reason to suppose that my beliefs are true … and hence I have no reason for supposing my brain to be composed of atoms.”
C.S. Lewis, Miracles (Chapter 3)
Biographical Information
Dr. Victor Reppert received his PhD from the University of Illinois. He is adjunct professor of philosophy at Glendale Community College in Arizona.
He is active in several C. S. Lewis societies, and he has written articles on Lewis’s apologetics for such journals as The Christian Scholar’s Review, Philosophia Christi, and the International Journal for Philosophy of Religion.
He’s here to talk about “C.S. Lewis’s Dangerous Idea” and his book of the same name.
Biographical Information for Dr. Victor Reppert
Chit-Chat
–
Beverage and Toast
- David was drinking green tea
- Patreon supporter, Michael Kelley was toasted:
Michael, we raise a glass to do. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Cheers!
Patreon Toast
Discussion
1. “C.S. Lewis: Philosophical Journey”
- Many people dismiss Lewis as a philosopher. Would you mind tracing his philosophical training and journey?
2. “Theism and the God-of-the-gaps”
- Is this an argument for theism (if so, does it fall prey to the god-of-the-gaps), or just against Naturalism?
3. “Free will and morality”
- This argument about reason against naturalism seems related to the question of free will and morality. Do you agree?
Dr. Reppert referred to a recent shooting in Texas. He also quoted Richard Dawkins, referring to an episode of the English TV Show, Fawlty Towers:
4. “Hard and soft Artificial Intelligence”
- Under naturalism, the human being is simply subroutine, but one programmed by evolution. Under naturalism Hard AI would seem to be possible.
Dr. Reppert referred to a chess programme called Stockfish.
5. “Responses to the argument”
- Who has responded to your book, C.S. Lewis’s Dangerous Idea?
6. “The Anscombe Incident”
- There is a popular idea that Lewis was defeated in debate by philosopher Elizabeth Anscombe and he gave up defending Christianity and wrote children’s books. What actually happened?
