Skip to content
Carmelics
TopicsThinkersChangesContributorsLoading account…

    Carmelics

    A reasoning platform. Break down any belief into clear reasons, explore both sides, and weigh the evidence honestly.

    Navigate

    • Topics
    • Search
    • Recent Changes
    • Contribute
    • How It Works
    • Glossary
    • Thinkers
    • Contributors
    • About
    • Statistics
    • Terms
    • Privacy

    Database

    Statements
    —
    Perspectives
    —
    Topics
    —

    Press ? for keyboard shortcuts

    LoyalLoyalJusticeJustice
    Made withinDC&Austin
    Statements
    321,452
    Perspectives
    108,905
    Topics
    42
    If our epistemic position regarding divine motivations is... — Carmelics
    Home
    HistoryEditSee Inverse

    Part of a larger discussion

    Challenges→The equiprobability-principle approach to the inductive step in the argument from evil is superior to alternative accounts.

    If our epistemic position regarding divine motivations is analogous to a child's regarding a surgeon's reasons, then assigning equal priors to possible divine reasons commits a base-rate error rooted in anthropocentric bias.

    ?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
    1 reason for
    1 reason against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.Children systematically misestimate adult reasoning due to cognitive limitations; humans may similarly misestimate divine reasoning given our finitude.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 2.Assigning equal priors assumes divine reasons distribute like human reasons; absent evidence of equivalence, this reflects anthropocentric projection.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 3.Base-rate neglect occurs when prior probabilities are ignored; treating unknown divine motivations with uniform priors violates rational updating principles.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
    ?
    • 1.The child-surgeon analogy proves too much: if we cannot access divine reasoning, we cannot identify our bias, making the charge self-defeating.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 2.Equal priors on unknown possibilities is epistemically justified in the absence of information; rejecting them requires evidence about divine motivation distribution.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    • 3.Anthropocentric bias is unavoidable for human reasoners; accusing equal priors of bias without proposing justified alternatives merely restates the problem.
      ?

      Think about whether this reason is strong or weak

    Sign in or register to share your perspective on this statement.

    Next step

    Based on where you are in your exploration

    Strongest counterpoint
    Explore the most compelling reason on the other side.

    Key Terms

    Anthropocentric bias(described as the source of the base-rate error)
    The tendency to interpret everything from a human perspective or to assume that human-centered thinking is the standard, even when it might not apply to non-human things like God.
    Base-rate error(a logical error in reasoning about divine reasons)
    A mistake made by ignoring important background information or statistics about how common something actually is; like assuming rare events are common because you don't know the baseline facts.
    Equal priors(refers to how we might incorrectly assign equal chances to different divine reasons)
    Starting your reasoning by assuming all possibilities are equally likely, with no reason to favor one option over another.
    analogous(as used in logic and philosophy)
    Similar in important ways; if two things are analogous, what's true about one should be true about the other.
    divine(Cross 2009: 453)
    Having the properties of being necessary, necessarily omniscient, omnipotent, eternal, immutable, impassible, and impeccable
    epistemic position(as used in epistemology)
    Someone's current state of knowledge or what information they have access to in a particular situation.

    Connections

    1 topic

    Problem of Evil1 linked

    Related

    Anthropocentric bias is unavoidable for human reasoners; accusing equal priors o...Assigning equal priors assumes divine reasons distribute like human reasons; abs...Base-rate neglect occurs when prior probabilities are ignored; treating unknown ...Children systematically misestimate adult reasoning due to cognitive limitations...

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    2 (1 for, 1 against)
    Edits
    1 edit
    +3 moreShow less
    Equal priors on unknown possibilities is epistemically justified in the absence ...The child-surgeon analogy proves too much: if we cannot access divine reasoning,...The equiprobability-principle approach to the inductive step in the argument fro...