When Matt and David went through “Mere Christianity” in Season 1, Matt said that he struggled with “The Moral Argument for God”, so in today’s episode he sits down with apologist Trent Horn to talk it out.
S5E45: “The Moral Argument” – After Hours with Trent Horn (Download)
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Show Notes
Introduction
Quote-of-the-week
Unless the measuring rod is independent of the things measured, we can do no measuring
C.S. Lewis, The Poison of Subjectivism
Biographical Information
Trent Horn serves as a staff apologist for Catholic Answers. He has master’s degrees in the fields of theology, philosophy, and bioethics.
Trent runs the podcast, The Counsel of Trent.
He published many books, such as: Counterfeit Christs, Persuasive Pro-Life, Made This Way: How to Prepare Kids to Face Today’s Tough Moral Issues, and Answering Atheism.
Here’s a returning guest to this podcast…
Biographical Information for Trent Horn
Discussion
1. “Why is Matt doing this episode?”
- Matt explained how he wasn’t entirely convinced by Lewis’ argument at the beginning of Mere Christianity which Lewis puts forward for the existence of God.
2. “The Cosmic Skeptic Debate”
- They spoke about a debate which Trent had with Cosmic Skeptic on Pints With Aquinas:
3. “Becoming an apologist”
- How did you get into apologetics?
4. “Valuing different kinds of approach”
- I find people need different things to prove the existence of God. Sometimes rational argument. Other times beauty. Do you change your strategy depending upon who you’re talking to?
5. “Most convincing theistic argument?”
- What for you is the most convincing argument for the existence of God? What is the most convincing against the existence of God?
“Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the more often and steadily we reflect upon them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.”
Immanuel Kant, Critique of Practical Reason
6. “Version #1: C.S. Lewis”
- Where does Lewis’ argument fit into this family of arguments?
7. “Version #2: William-Lane Craig”
- What are some other versions of the argument?
P1. If God does not exist, objective moral values and duties do not exist.
William Lane Craig’s Argument from Morality
P2. Objective moral values and duties do exist.
C. Therefore, God exists.
8. “Version #3: David Baggett”
- What are some abductive versions of the argument?
9. “Version #4: Trent Horn”
- What versions of the argument have you used?
P1. Moral Facts exist
Trent Horn, Answering Atheism
P2. There is no natural explanation for them
C. Therefore there must be supernatural explanation
10. “Moral Epistemology”
- How do we learn morality?
The commandments of the Decalogue, although accessible to reason alone, have been revealed. To attain a complete and certain understanding of the requirements of the natural law, sinful humanity needed this revelation
Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraph #2071
11. “Survival of the most moral?”
- How would you respond to someone who said that morality doesn’t exist?
12. “The marketplace of ideas”
- How would you respond to someone who said that morality doesn’t exist?
13. “The Euthyphro Dilemma”
- Is something moral because God said it is or is it Moral apart from God? If apart from God, does that create problems?
- John Beversluis
