PODCAST · society
Philosophy and Faith
by Daniel Jepsen
Welcome to Philosophy and Faith, where our goal is to help you navigate your intellectual and spiritual journey, especially in regards to topics like God, doubt, faith, meaning and purpose. Your hosts are Nathan Beasley and Daniel JepsenAnd together they discuss the big questions that humans have wrestled with for thousands of years.
Episodes
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Plato's Creation Myth and Christian Thought
In this episode, the Daniel and Nathan delve into Plato's creation myth and the concept of dualism, discussing how it has influenced both ancient and modern philosophical and theological thought. They explore the role of the Demiurge in shaping the physical world, contrasting it with Christian...
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Plato, Dualism and Christianity
We may be surprised to learn that our concepts of spirituality and the spirit realm (and even Heaven) are formed as much by Plato as by the Bible. In this episode, Nathan and Daniel dive into one of Plato's most significant philosophical ideas, and the idea that has deeply influenced Christian...
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Plato: Life and Influence (the History of Philosophy, part 12)
Plato's Influence on Western Thought and Christian Theology In this episode, Nathan and Daniel dive into the life and legacy of Plato, one of history’s most influential philosophers. They discuss why Plato's ideas have had a profound impact on Western thought and Christian theology, outline the...
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Understanding Socrates (The History of Philosophy, part 11)
Socrates, Plato, and the Legacy of Greek Philosophy In this episode, the Daniel and Nathan return after a brief hiatus to explore the life and philosophy of Socrates and his profound impact on his pupil Plato. They discuss the Socratic method of questioning, its influence on Western thought, and...
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The Sophists: Foundations of Skepticism and Relativism (The History of Philosophy, part 10)
Understanding Sophism: Background, Impact, and Critiques In this episode, the discussion focuses on the Sophists, their role in ancient philosophy, and their impact on subsequent thought. We delve into their characteristics, methodologies, and goals, exploring how they served as both a…
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Physics and God: Exploring the Fine-Tuning Argument with Elie Feder and Aaron Zimmer
Exploring the Fine-Tuning Argument with Physicists and Rabbis Elie Feder and Aaron Zimmer In this episode of Philosophy and Faith, the hosts welcome Rabbis Elie Feder and Aaron Zimmer, hosts of the podcast Physics to God, to discuss arguments for the existence of God, specifically focusing on the...
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The First Materialists (The History of Philosophy, part 9)
Exploring the Roots of Materialism: The Atomists In this episode, Daniel and Nathan delve into the philosophy of materialism by exploring the early atomists, Leucippus and Democritus. They discuss the historical context of these philosophers, their main ideas about atoms and the void, and how…
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Mind over Matter (The History of Philosophy, part 8)
In this episode, Daniel and Nathan dive into the lives and philosophies of Empedocles and Anaxagoras, who serve as stepping stones to understanding Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. They explore Empedocles' idea that all things are composed of four elements and two forces, love and strife.…
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The Beginning of Idealism (History of Philosophy, part 7)
Exploring Parmenides and the Origins of Idealism In this episode we delve into the philosophical contributions of Parmenides. We examine his impact on idealism, distinguishing between ordinary and philosophical uses of the term. The discussion covers Parmenides' ideas about the nature of reality,...
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Heraclitus, Legos and the Logos (The History of Philosophy part 6)
In this episode, Nathan and Daniel delve into the life and philosophy of Heraclitus, one of the most influential philosophers of the pre-Socratic era. Known as 'Heraclitus the Obscure' or 'The Riddler', Heraclitus is famous for his notion of the continuous change in the universe, encapsulated in...
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Pythagoras and the Invention of the Soul (The History of Philosophy, part 5)
The Philosophy of Pythagoras: From Music to Soul In this episode we discuss the teachings of Pythagoras, a major figure in ancient philosophy. The conversation covers his influence, particularly in mathematics, music, and his lasting impact on Western thought and Christian theology. Pythagoras's...
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Xenophanes Against The Gods (The History of Philosophy, part 4)
In this episode, we delve into the life and philosophy of Xenophanes, an early Greek thinker who significantly advanced philosophical thought. Beginning with a review of previous episodes' discussions on early Greek philosophy and the pre-Socratic thinkers like Thales, Anaximander, and…
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The Supposed Rationality of Greek Philosophy (The History of Philosophy, part 3)
In this episode, we delve into the early history of Greek philosophy, focusing on the Milesian school. The discussion covers Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes, examining their metaphysical inquiries about the fundamental nature of reality. We also discuss the broader implications of their...
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Thales and Early Greek Thought (The History of Philosophy, part 2)
Exploring the Foundations: The Role of Thales in the Birth of Greek Philosophy In this episode, we delve into the history and philosophy, focusing on Thales of Miletus, who is often considered the first philosopher. We review the importance of understanding historical and intellectual contexts…
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Before Philosophy (The History of Philosophy, part 1)
"We study history not to remember the past but to understand the present". That is the reason for this series. In this episode we discuss the intellectual seed-bed of the ancient world, especially that of Greece. We begin in Crete, whose Minoan civilization predated and heavily influenced the...
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The Moral Argument for God‘s Existence (with Dr. Justin Gash)
What does our notions of right and wrong tell us about the existence of God? In this episode Dr. Justin Gash of Franklin College joins us to tackle this fascinating question. We discuss the moral argument for God's existence, describe how it is usually countered, and then analyze those...
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Mathematics and God (with Dr. Justin Gash)
Today we have our first guest: Dr. Justin Gash of Franklin College. Justin is a professor in the math department, and also assistant Dean of the college. He occasionally teaches a class on Reasonable Faith, as well as guiding independent studies of that material. Our conversation is about his own...
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What the Universe says about God's Existence
Can we prove God's existence by the fact or features of the universe? To tackle this issue we will discuss: The difference between proofs and signs The meaning of the cosmological argument, and its various forms The meaning of the argument from design (also known as the teleological argument) The...
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Why Did God Create the Universe, part 2
If love is the meaning of creation, then how exactly does that play out in our individual lives? What is MY purpose? What will my future life be like? That is what we tackle in this episode.
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Why did God Create the Universe, part 1
The great philosopher Martin Heidegger said the most fundamental question in philosophy is this: Why is there something rather than nothing? Christianity, unlike naturalism, gives an answer to the question, and it is both satisfying and stimulating.
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God, Time and Eternity
A discussion about the nature of time and of God's eternity, especially about whether God's eternity means simply everlasting duration or atemporality. We also discuss theoretical physics, prayer, and Bruce Almighty.
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God and the Universe
This episode focuses on the relationship between God and the universe. More specifically we will address: The problem of evil Why naturalism makes the problem of evil worse Why the church has sometimes come across as anti-sex Theism vs. naturalism and eastern thought on this question Is the...
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Knowing God, part 2: Knowing the Unknowable God
How can we know the God who transcends human categories and ways of knowing? Some thinkers have said that we can only have "negative" knowledge about God: that the only thing we can say of Him is that He is not like the things of this world. But is it possible to go beyond that, and, if so, how?...
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Knowing God, part 1
How can we know God? He's not a part of this universe of time, space, with its forms of causation, movement, or even being. So how is it possible to know Him? That is what this episode deals with. Note: we did have some technical problems with the audio on this one, so parts of it are a bit…
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Beauty
In this episode we dive into aesthetics, the study of beauty and art. WE have a few digressions here, including one about Van Gogh and another about micro-bears on the moon. Yeah. But we also talk about: Defining beauty Why Plato didn't appreciate art, and why Aristotle did The radiance of the…
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Our Purpose and Destiny (according to the Four Great Worldviews)
Why are we here, and what happens to us after we die? This episode answers those questions through the lens of the four great worldviews (theism, naturalism, paganism, and eastern thought). A resource mentioned in this episode: The Universe Next Door, by James Sire.
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Ethics part 2: Paganism and Eastern Thought
Are some things always right or wrong, or is ethics relative? What makes something right or wrong? Last episode we saw how theism and naturalism try to answer those questions. This week paganism and eastern thought get their say.
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Ethics part 1: Theism and Naturalism
Are some things always right and wrong? If so, why? Where does the standard of morality come from? Theism and naturalism give distinctly different answer to that important questions, as we will discuss.
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Is Naturalism self-defeating?
Is naturalism (the worldview that that there is no God, and that the physical universe is all that exists) actually a self-defeating idea? That is, is it making a truth claim which undermines the ability to make truth claims? Let's discuss.
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The Ways of Knowing (Epistemology according to the Four Great Worldviews)
Can we actually know the truth? And if so, how? This episode explores how the four great worldviews answer those questions.
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Dealing with Doubt
How do we deal with our intellectual doubts? In this episode, Daniel gives four practical ways to deal with doubts, based upon his 30 years as a pastor, and on his own life.
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Faith, Doubt and Certainty
This episode covers the topics of faith, doubt, reason and certainty. It reminds us that "faith" is more about trust than belief, and that you can have faith and still doubt. It also reminds us that faith is not opposed to reason, and that, indeed, faith without reason is irrational, and not true...
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Human Uniqueness and Value (according to the four great worldviews)
Do we humans have a purpose? Is that purpose given to us, or do we seek to make one for ourselves? Are humans uniquely valuable? More valuable than gorillas and gophers? If so, why? This episode discusses how each of the four great world views would answer those questions.
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The Four Great Worldviews
The history of the world is dominated by four great worldviews -- four families of ideas about the universe and reality. They are theism, atheism, pantheism, and polytheism. In this episode these four worldviews are explained with the help of two illustrations. This will form the foundation for...
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Defining Philosophy and Faith
Our first episodes explores the questions: What is philosophy? How do Philosophy and faith fit together? Do non-religious philosophy still utilize faith? How can you decide between competing worldviews.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Welcome to Philosophy and Faith, where our goal is to help you navigate your intellectual and spiritual journey, especially in regards to topics like God, doubt, faith, meaning and purpose. Your hosts are Nathan Beasley and Daniel JepsenAnd together they discuss the big questions that humans have wrestled with for thousands of years.
HOSTED BY
Daniel Jepsen
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Philosophy and Faith have?
Philosophy and Faith currently has 35 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Philosophy and Faith about?
Welcome to Philosophy and Faith, where our goal is to help you navigate your intellectual and spiritual journey, especially in regards to topics like God, doubt, faith, meaning and purpose. Your hosts are Nathan Beasley and Daniel JepsenAnd together they discuss the big questions that humans have...
How often does Philosophy and Faith release new episodes?
Philosophy and Faith has 35 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Philosophy and Faith?
You can listen to Philosophy and Faith on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Philosophy and Faith?
Philosophy and Faith is created and hosted by Daniel Jepsen.
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