Richard Swinburne: Probability, Experience, and the Existence of God

Richard Swinburne: Probability, Experience, and the Existence of God

Richard Granville Swinburne (born 1934) is a British philosopher of religion and Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential defenders of theism in contemporary philosophy. Over a career spanning more than half a century, Swinburne has developed a comprehensive, systematic case for the existence of God, drawing on probability theory, the philosophy of science, and careful analysis of religious experience. His major work, The Existence of God (first edition 1979; second edition 2004), is a landmark in the philosophy of religion. For AQA A-Level Religious Studies (specification 7062), Swinburne is essential for understanding probabilistic arguments for God, the evidential value of religious experience, and responses to the problem of evil.

Swinburne’s Method: Cumulative Probability