Michael Martin (philosopher)
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Michael Martin (born 3 February 1932) is an analytic philosopher at Boston University as professor emeritus.
Martin has concerned himself largely with philosophy of religion, though the philosophies of science, law, and sport have not escaped his attention. On the former, Martin has published a number of books and copious articles defending atheism and various arguments against the existence of god in exhaustive detail. Martin, in his introduction to Atheism: a Philosophical Justification, cites a general absence of an atheistic response to contemporary work in philosophy of religion, and accepts the responsibility of a rigorous defense of nonbelief as, ironically, his cross to bear:
- The aim of this book is not to make atheism a popular belief or even to overcome its invisibility. My object is not utopian. It is merely to provide good reasons for being an atheist. ... My object is to show that atheism is a rational position and that belief in God is not. I am quite aware that theistic beliefs are not always based on reason. My claim is that they should be. — Atheism: A Philosophical Justification, 24
In opposition to the Transcendental argument for the existence of God, Martin formulated the Transcendental argument for the non-existence of God.
Martin is a pluralist naturalist, as opposed to a physicalistic naturalist. He believes in non-physical abstract objects, as to explain logical necessity. [1]
[edit] Published books
- Atheism, Morality, and Meaning (Amherst, NY: Prometheus, 2002)
- Legal Realism: American and Scandinavian (New York: Peter Lang, 1996)
- The Big Domino in The Sky and Other Atheistic Tales (Buffalo: Prometheus Books, 1996)
- Readings in the Philosophy of Social Science (Cambridge:The MIT Press, 1994) with L. McIntyre.
- The Case Against Christianity (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1991)
- Atheism: A Philosophical Justification (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1990)
- The Legal Philosophy of H.L.A. Hart: A Critical Appraisal (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1987)
- Social Science and Philosophical Analysis: Essays on The Philosophy of The Social Sciences (Washington, D.C.: University Press Of America), 1978
- Concepts of Science Education: A Philosophical Analysis (Chicago: Scott-Foresman,1972)
- Probability, Confirmation and Simplicity (New York: Odyssey Press, 1966) with M. Foster
[edit] External links
- Martin's page from infidels.org, which contains a number of his critiques of theism
- Martin's homepage at Boston University
- Philosophy of Religion biography
- Responses to Atheist Philosopher, Michael Martin
