EPS Blog

At least in the EPS, Scott Smith embodies one of the finest representations of what it means to be a gentleman and a scholar. Even more, his devotion to Jesus is to be imitated.

With gratitude, I am pleased to announce that Scott be joining us as a contributor to the EPS blog. His first post is already available to read, and it offers a helpful, initial acquaintance with some of his recent work.

Read: "Ontology of Knowledge: An Introductory Inquiry."

Scott Smith has served in the EPS in a variety of ways. Perhaps most notably he is the Treasurer of the EPS and a member of the EPS Executive Committee. He has also been a frequent contributor to Philosophia Christi, including most recently, his Summer 2011 article: "Finitude, Falleness, and Immediacy."

In January, Ashgate will be releasing his stimulating book, Naturalism and Our Knowledge of Reality, which you can also learn more about by reading his blog post here.

Of his forthcoming book, E.J. Lowe says:

Whether or not one agrees with all of the far-reaching conclusions of this interesting and enjoyable book, it cannot be denied that it raises deep and probing questions concerning the ability of any purely naturalistic system of ontology to account adequately for the intentionality of mental states and the very possibility of our knowledge of the natural world. All self-proclaimed naturalists, as well as their opponents, would do well to reflect on its arguments.

Scott is a diligent analyzer of both the nature and consequence of ideas.

Dallas Willard notes:

Scott Smith brings out the fact that knowledge of reality, including knowledge of knowledge, cannot be accounted for within an ontology that only admits entities from the physical world. This means that such an ontology--call it "Naturalism"--itself is not knowable. Yet it fights desperately to be the only authority on knowledge and to have the right to dictate social and governmental policy. Smith relentlessly and cogently argues that Naturalism does not have the conceptual resources to defend its position: that, indeed, it undercuts itself. The issues here are not only of abstract philosophical interest, but are also vitally related to the direction of human life. This book should be widely read for the light it casts on many current cultural quandries. 

Stay tuned at the EPS blog for more coverage of Naturalism and Our Knowledge of Reality. In the meantime, we welcome your comments on Scott Smith's latest blog post.

Labels: dallas willard, e.j. lowe, epistemology, Naturalism and our Knowledge of Reality (book), r. scott smith