Minimal Theism and Naturalism

Abstract

We set out the central material of the book: a detailed comparison of the theoretical merits of Minimal Theism and Minimal Naturalism. We start with a comparison of our two theories prior to the introduction of data, and then go on to consider, in turn, global causal structure; cosmic fine-tuning; the history of the earth; the history of humanity; a priori knowledge; morality and human flourishing; consciousness and reason; religious experience; and scripture, authority, organisation and tradition. We argue that, prior to the introduction of data, naturalism trumps theism on grounds of simplicity and that none of the data that we consider favours theism over naturalism. We conclude that, given the data considered, naturalism wins.