Ep. #34 – Evolutionary Debunking Arguments with Dr. Bogardus

Summary

Are Naturalism and moral realism in tension? Dr. Tomas Bogardus argues the answer is yes. He joins us to defend “evolutionary debunking arguments.” Through these arguments, he reveals a major problem with affirming Naturalism on the one hand and moral realism on the other.

He discusses the terminology behind the arguments and defends a particular evolutionary debunking argument from a paper he wrote. In the final segment, Dr. Bogardus explains how we could introduce this sort of argument in an everyday apologetics conversation.

Guest Bio

Tomas Bogardus is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Pepperdine University, in Malibu, California. His work focuses mostly on the rationality of religious belief, as well as the nature of a human person. He lives with his wife and daughter in California, and they enjoy attending Mass at Thomas Aquinas College.

Show Outline

In the first segment, Dr. Bogardus explains what he means by ‘evolutionary debunking arguments.” Also, he tells the story of how he became interested in philosophy and ultimately Catholicism.

In the next segment, we explore the arguments of Dr. Bogardus’s paper. He explains the structure of the arguments and why the evolutionary account of moral beliefs is a problem of Naturalists.

In the final segment, Dr. Bogardus discusses how we can use this argument in conversation. For those who want to take their apologetics “to the streets” this is especially helpful. We conclude with a brief discussion of his current research and where listeners can go to find out more.

Resources Mentioned

Dr. Bogardus’ personal website

Only All Naturalists Should Worry About Only One Evolutionary Debunking Argument – by Dr. Bogardus (the paper discussed in this episode)

Related Episodes

Ep. #33 – Naturalism and Self-defeat with Dr. Slagle