Suppose we concede that if I had been born of Muslim parents in Morocco rather than Christian parents in Michigan, my beliefs would be quite different. [But] the same goes for the pluralist...If the pluralist had been born in [Morocco] he probably wouldn't be a pluralist. Does it follow that...his pluralist beliefs are produced in him by an unreliable belief-producing process?
There is superficial conflict but deep concord between science and theistic religion, but superficial concord and deep conflict between science and naturalism
Interpretation
What this quote means
Science and theistic religion may appear to conflict on the surface, but fundamentally align, whereas science and naturalism superficially agree yet deeply clash.
Alvin Plantinga's quote emphasizes the nuanced relationship between science and different belief systems. He suggests that while there may be apparent disagreements between science and theistic religion, at a deeper level, they can coexist harmoniously in their pursuit of understanding. In contrast, the relationship between science and naturalism may seem aligned at the surface, but profound philosophical conflicts arise when considering their fundamental views of reality and existence.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about the compatibility of faith and science.
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Asking who won a given war, someone has said, is like asking who won the San Francisco earthquake. That in war there is no victory but only varying degrees of defeat is a proposition that has gained increasing acceptance in the twentieth century.
We have become dangerously comfortable- believers ooze with wealth and let their addictions to comfort and security numb the radical urgency of the gospel.
Mom said, "His spirit is there," and that made me really angry. I told her, "Dad didn't have a spirit! He had cells!" "His memory is there." "His memory is here," I said, pointing at my head. "Dad had a spirit," she said, like she was rewinding a bit in our conversation. I told her, "He had cells, and now they're on rooftops, and in the river, and in the lungs of millions of people around New York, who breathe him every time they speak!