Episode 41 - Animal Suffering and Theology with Phil Halper

Episode 41 – Show NotesIt is a delight for us to have a long chat with our friend ‘SkydivePhil’ - Phil Halper. He’s best known for his YouTube channel and has twice been on Unbelievable discussing cosmology and also, for his first appearance, animal suffering. Phil is a vegetarian and sees how the issue of animal suffering is a much more powerful argument against theism than is generally realised. It is that subject that we were keen to discuss, especially because Phil and some of his contacts have just published an important paper on the topic. The paper is not so much philosophy/theology but focuses most on the science of animal pain and suffering, asking the question of the degree to which animals suffer as we do when they experience pain. The conclusions from this are vast, but we stick in this episode to how it informs arguments against theism based on what we now know of animal suffering. SkydivePhil’s Youtube channel is herehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtOgKmAM4MeFu-jd-HB3_cg The best link for Phil’s paper is here, it is free to read for its first three months https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09515089.2021.1914829?src=&journalCode=cphp20 Within the SkydivePhil channel, we suggest you look under “Animal videos” and especially Phil’s discussion with Randal Rauser:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoRm8Rg4Lh0 Phil’s appearances on Unbelievable…..On Animal Suffering, with Michael Murray:https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable/Episodes/Unbelievable-Animal-suffering-and-God-Michael-Murray-vs-Phil-HarperOn Big Bang:https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable/Episodes/Unbelievable-Has-the-Big-Bang-gone-bust-Phil-Harper-Jeff-ZweerinkOn Multiverse:https://www.premierchristianradio.com/Shows/Saturday/Unbelievable/Episodes/Unbelievable-Who-s-afraid-of-the-Multiverse-Jeff-Zweerink-Skydive-Phil For Sethien cosmology see here (OT God is evil, despite creating the world. Gospel of Judas etc)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sethianism The material that eventually led Phil into becoming vegetarian was from the philosopher Robert Nozick , it can be found here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchy,_State,_and_Utopia#Moral_constraints_and_the_state Doubts Aloud Links:Please leave us a review on iTunes and we will respond to any question asked there with the review. Or give feedback and ask questions using : [email protected] Join the Facebook Group discussions:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1023280847835278/ Meet us all in person (after Covid19) at the monthly “Unbelievable Christian and Skeptic Discussion Group” in central London, see: https://www.meetup.com/Unbelievable-Christian-and-Skeptic-Discussion-Group-London