On the Moral and Spiritual Contours of the Philosophical Life: Extending Plantinga’s Advice to Christian Philosophers

Originally presented at the 2017 National Annual Evangelical Philosophical Society Meeting Reception (Providence, Rhode Island), this paper reflects on one particular aspect of Alvin Plantinga’s now seminal 1983 address “Advice to Christian Philosophers.”

In this paper, Ross Inman calls for the Christian philosophical community to exhibit more intellectual courage. He considers what he takes to be the proper moral and spiritual seedbed required to yield the fruit of intellectual courage called for by Plantinga. In particular, he explores several intellectual character traits that can hinder (intellectual vainglory, cowardice) as well as aid (intellectual humility) the cultivation of intellectual courage in the Christian philosophical community.

The full-text of this paper is available for FREE by clicking here.

For more on the virtues and doing philosophy, see the EPS web series on “Being Good: Sketches of Christian Virtues for Everyday Life.”