Philosophy, Religion, and Worldview

Alvin Plantinga’s “Advice to Christian Philosophers” begins with a triumphalist narrative that forms the backdrop for the advice to Christian philosophers. In this chapter Graham Oppy argues (a) that the triumphalist narrative is over-egged, and (b) that what is of value in the advice applies to all philosophers, Christian or otherwise. Oppy’s critique of the triumphalist narrative is based on demographic and other data that suggests that while (a) we have no reason to think that there is a higher percentage of Christians in academic philosophy now than there was in the late 1940s (and, indeed, we may even have good reason to think that there is a lower percentage of Christians in academic philosophy now than there was in the late 1940s), (b) we do have reason to think that there is a larger absolute number of Christians in academic philosophy now than there was in the late 1940s.