Author Archives: Dave Winstead

By Got Questions Plato’s famous question concerning the nature of goodness asks whether a thing is good because God says it is good, or does God say it’s good because it is good. This is known as Euthyphro’s Dilemma (named after the character Euthyphro in Plato’s ’socratic dialogue’ on the subject of goodness). The problemContinue reading “4/24/2024 What Is Euthyphro’s Dilemma?”

By Got Questions The term “ethical relativism” encompasses a number of different beliefs, but they all agree that there are no universal, permanent criteria to determine what may or may not be an ethical act. God granted no divine command, and human nature displays no common law. Consequences have no bearing because each person orContinue reading “4/23/2024 What Is Ethical Relativism?”

By Got Questions Escapism is the attempt to set aside negative thoughts or feelings by pursuing a diversion from reality. This often takes the form of fantasy, where one imagines or dreams of a different world. Escapism can also be expressed in material ways. This might include the use of food, sex, drugs, or sports.Continue reading “4/22/2024 What Is Escapism?”

By Got Questions Epistemology deals with the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge. It addresses the questions, “What is knowledge?” “How is knowledge acquired?” “What do people know?” “How do we know what we know?” “Why do we know what we know?” Epistemology is typically divided into two categories. TheContinue reading “4/21/2024 What Is Epistemology?”

If you cannot attend your usual home church this coming Sunday, please use this Worship Service Plan to conduct and enjoy a service on your own. This Worship Service Plan is useful for anyone anywhere, whether individuals, shut-ins, your family gathered in the den, a nursing facility of sick & elderly, you and your neighbors sitting in the backyard, or any group of believers who share a need to gather and praise and worship The Lord God.

By Got Questions Epicureanism was a Greek philosophy started by Epicurus (341—270 BC). It was still going strong in New Testament times when Paul visited Athens on his second missionary journey. One of the groups that debated with Paul on the streets of Athens was Epicurean (Acts 17:18); later, this group brought Paul to the Areopagus forContinue reading “4/20/2024 What Is Epicureanism?”

By Got Questions Doxastic voluntarism, in short, is the idea that people willingly choose what they believe to be true. While the Bible indicates that each person is responsible for his or her own beliefs, it also suggests that some of what we believe is dependent on the work of God. Both of these doctrinesContinue reading “4/18/2024 What Is Doxastic Voluntarism?”

By Got Questions The phrase dialectical materialism rarely comes up in conversation; however, it is related to more-commonly discussed concepts such as Marxism, communism, and socialism. According to dialectical materialism, human ideas are purely the result of physical interactions, most especially those related to economics, and are constantly in a process of change. Initial ideas generate contradictions or struggles, whichContinue reading “4/17/2024 What Is Dialectical Materialism?”

By Got Questions Deontology or deontological ethics is the study of moral duty and is one of the major categories of normative ethics. It teaches that ethical behavior starts with an established, defined duty. An act, then, is ethical if it adheres to duty. There is some discussion, however, as to who dictates duty and whetherContinue reading “4/16/2024 What Is Deontological Ethics / Deontology?”

By Got Questions Everyone lives in a particular culture. Within that culture there are certain things that are simply “understood” without being stated, and there are other things that may be stated and believed without being questioned. When a person moves into a different culture (or reads literature from a different culture), it is inevitableContinue reading “4/15/2024 What Is Cultural Translation?”