| Michael Martin | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Michael Martin |
| Born | February 3, 1932 |
| Era | 21st-century philosophy |
| Region | Western Philosophy |
| School | Analytic philosophy |
| Main interests | Philosophy of the Social Sciences, Philosophy of Law, Philosophy of Religion |
| Notable ideas | Weak atheism |
Michael L. Martin (born 3 February 1932) is an analytic philosopher and professor emeritus at Boston University.[1] He completed his Ph.D. from Harvard University.
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 articles defending atheism and various arguments against the existence of God in exhaustive detail (among them, the Transcendental argument for the non-existence of God). Martin, in his 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, jestingly, 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 atheistic beliefs are not always based on reason. My claim is that they should be. — Atheism: A Philosophical Justification, 24
Martin is a pluralist naturalist, as opposed to a physicalistic naturalist. He believes in non-physical abstract objects, as to explain the Principles of Logic and objective morality.[2]
Martin serves on the academic advisory board of the Secular Student Alliance [3] and the editorial board of Philo.[4]
Published books[]
- Probability, Confirmation and Simplicity (New York: Odyssey Press, 1966) with M. Foster
- Concepts of Science Education: A Philosophical Analysis (Chicago: Scott-Foresman, 1972) ISBN 0-8191-4479-7
- Social Science and Philosophical Analysis: Essays on The Philosophy of The Social Sciences (Washington, D.C.: University Press of America, 1978)
- The Legal Philosophy of H.L.A. Hart: A Critical Appraisal (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1987) ISBN 0-87722-471-4
- Atheism: A Philosophical Justification (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1989, republished 1992) ISBN 0-87722-943-0
- The Case Against Christianity (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1991) ISBN 1-56639-081-8
- Readings in the Philosophy of Social Science (Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1994) with L. McIntyre; ISBN 0-262-13296-6
- The Big Domino in The Sky and Other Atheistic Tales (Buffalo: Prometheus Books, 1996) ISBN 1-57392-111-4
- Legal Realism: American and Scandinavian (New York: Peter Lang, 1997) ISBN 0-8204-3462-9
- Atheism, Morality, and Meaning (Amherst, NY: Prometheus, 2002) ISBN 1-57392-987-5
- The Impossibility of God (Amherst, NY: Prometheus, 2003) with R. Monnier; ISBN 1-59102-120-0
- The Improbability of God (Amherst, NY: Prometheus, 2006) with R. Monnier; ISBN 1-59102-381-5
See also[]
- American philosophy
- List of American philosophers
References[]
- ↑ "Michael Martin". Boston University. http://www.bu.edu/philo/faculty/martin.html. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
"Michael Martin". Secular Web Kiosk and Bookstore. http://www.secweb.org/index.aspx?action=viewAuthor&id=38. Retrieved 2007-05-25. - ↑ December 1997 Feedback
- ↑ Academic Advisory Board List | Secular Student Alliance
- ↑ http://www.philoonline.org/about.htm
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
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