Tag Archives: Ethics of Belief

Why Evil Exists

Posted on April 12, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Today is Easter 2020, when Christians in Western countries celebrate (where permitted by law) the resurrection of Jesus. Eastern Orthodox Christians in Greece, Turkey, Russia and thereabouts celebrate it next week. Today is also the middle of Passover, when we … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Philosophy, Science | Tagged Ethics, Ethics of Belief, Evil, God, Good and Evil, Metaphysics, Morality, Ontology, Problem of Evil, Theodicy | Leave a comment

Putnam’s Predicament — And Ours

Posted on March 27, 2016 by N.S. Palmer

My latest blog post for The Jerusalem Post: “You can’t have your cake and eat it, too.” That was one of my father’s favorite adages, second only to “talk is cheap.” It means that if you eat your cake, you … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Epistemology, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, The Jerusalem Post | Tagged Belief Justification, Epistemology, Ethics of Belief, Hilary Putnam, Jewish Faith, Kierkegaard, Moral Epistemology, Rationality, Religion and Science, Wittgenstein | 2 Comments

Knowing What Time It Is

Posted on February 21, 2016 by N.S. Palmer

My latest blog post for The Jerusalem Post: Do you know what time it is? If I asked you that question, there are two logical answers and many non-logical answers. If you know what time it is, then the logical … Continue reading →

Posted in Epistemology, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Philosophy, The Jerusalem Post | Tagged Belief, Enlightenment philosophy, Epistemology, Ethics of Belief, Halacha, Jewish Philosophy, Moses Mendelssohn, Sociology of Belief, speech acts, Theory of meaning, Theory of truth | Leave a comment

Belief, Backward and Forward

Posted on January 2, 2016 by N.S. Palmer

My latest blog post for The Jerusalem Post: Judah Halevi was a poet. Saadia Gaon and Moses Maimonides were philosophers. On the surface, their approaches to religious belief seem almost completely different. But at a high level, they agreed almost completely … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Epistemology, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, The Jerusalem Post | Tagged Ethics of Belief, Halevi, Kuzari, Maimonides, Moses Mendelssohn, Saadia | 2 Comments

Costs, Benefits, and Beliefs

Posted on October 24, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

By N.S. Palmer I’m puzzled. No worries. It’s my normal state. I’m revising the draft of my book Belief, Truth, and Torah. I want to make it engage more fully with arguments from one of our professors at Hebrew College, … Continue reading →