Naturalism, Theism and Objective Knowledge

This essay proposes that various forms of relativism and naturalism are self-refuting. The rational defense of any worldview requires the prior acceptance of the existence of other rational minds, mental causation and free will, an objective language, and objective logical and rational standards, A worldview is self-refuting if its defense necessarily presumes entities that are explicitly denied by the worldview. In contrast, theism provides the epistemic and metaphysical basis to fully account for our diverse knowledge. Liberal arts education is in a crisis due to the fragmentation of knowledge and loss of purpose caused by the combined action of pragmatic deconstruction and scientific reductionism Only by regaining a full appreciation of the depth and comprehension of the Christian worldview can we recapture the cohesive unity in diversity of a genuine liberal arts education.