Some problems and possibilities for theism in Peirce’s ‘Neglected Argument

Gregory Wolcott

SMC Author

Gregory Wolcott

Status

Faculty

School

School of Economics and Business Administration

Department

Organizations and Responsible Business

Document Type

Presentation

Publication Date

2014

Publication / Conference / Sponsorship

Pacific Division meeting of the American Philosophical Association

Publisher/Venue

San Diego, CA

Description/Abstract

I argue that Peirce’s “Neglected Argument” has resources for understanding theistic belief, but these resources need additional support. Firstly, Peirce’s argument doesn’t establish everything a theist would desire, but it does lay at least some of the groundwork for establishing the rationality of theism and the possibility of the moral transformation of humans toward God’s “Holy Will.” Peirce arrives at something closer to deism than theism (with some caveats) in the “Neglected Argument,” but by describing the structure of coming into belief in God, he leaves open the space for a more robustly theistic account of belief. Secondly, this argument for the rationality of theistic belief could be enhanced further only insofar as other ontological conditions are laid out, conditions he does not supply sufficiently. Once these are offered, however, belief in God becomes a more plausible proposal.

Scholarly

yes

Disciplines

Business | Economics | Philosophy

Original Citation

Wolcott, G. (2014). Some problems and possibilities for theism in Peirce’s ‘Neglected Argument.’ Presented at the Pacific Division meeting of the American Philosophical Association, San Diego, CA

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