Sceptical theists can endorse the fine-tuning argument

Abstract Standard presentations of the fine-tuning argument for theism require that we have a priori insight, on the basis of moral considerations, into what God is likely to do. Standard versions of the sceptical theist response to the evidential problem of evil deny that we have such insight (at least to any significant extent). These facts call into question whether sceptical theists can consistently endorse the fine-tuning argument. In this paper, I present a version of the fine-tuning argument that sceptical theists may consistently endorse, as it does not rely on our ability to make a priori judgements concerning divine intentions.

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Publication Details

Journal
Religious Studies
Published
2026-01-07
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0034412525101406
Primary Topic
Theology and Philosophy of Evil
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Sceptical theists can endorse the fine-tuning argument

Kenneth Boyce
Religious Studies
Theology and Philosophy of Evil
article

Sceptical theists can endorse the fine-tuning argument

Kenneth Boyce
article en

Abstract

Abstract Standard presentations of the fine-tuning argument for theism require that we have a priori insight, on the basis of moral considerations, into what God is likely to do. Standard versions of the sceptical theist response to the evidential problem of evil deny that we have such insight (at least to any significant extent). These facts call into question whether sceptical theists can consistently endorse the fine-tuning argument. In this paper, I present a version of the fine-tuning argument that sceptical theists may consistently endorse, as it does not rely on our ability to make a priori judgements concerning divine intentions.

Religious Studies
University of Missouri (US)
Peace, Justice and strong institutions
Openalex Percentile: Top 94%
Theology and Philosophy of Evil
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