Here are key quotes by Richard Swinburne, the prominent British philosopher of religion, especially known for defending theism through analytic philosophy and probability-based arguments.
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Core Thematic Quotes – Richard Swinburne
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On God and Simplicity:
“The simplest hypothesis is that there is a God.”
— The Existence of God (1979)
“God is the simplest kind of person there could be; a person with infinite power, knowledge and freedom.”
— Is There a God? (1996)
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On Science and Theism:
“Science explains the pattern of the world, but theism explains why there is a world with a pattern at all.”
— The Existence of God
“Science explains particular phenomena, but it cannot explain why there is anything at all — theism can.”
— Faith and Reason (1981)
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On the Mind–Body Problem:
“We have strong grounds for believing that minds are distinct from physical bodies.”
— The Evolution of the Soul (1986)
“If I am nothing more than my body, how could I survive death? But if I am a soul, it makes sense.”
— Mind, Brain, and Free Will (2013)
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On Probability and Belief in God:
“Theism is more probable than not, when judged by the standards we use to judge any other theory.”
— The Existence of God
“A cumulative case, built from many strands of evidence — cosmological, teleological, moral — makes theism probable.”
— The Coherence of Theism (1977)
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On Faith and Free Will:
“God allows evil because it gives humans the opportunity to grow in moral responsibility.”
— Providence and the Problem of Evil (1998)
“Faith is not blind. It is a rational response to evidence that is not conclusive but still strong.”
— Faith and Reason
🗝️ Bonus Quote (on Religion & Experience):
“Religious experience is the most immediate and overwhelming kind of evidence a person can have.”
— The Existence of God
Would you like:
- A poster-style graphic of these quotes?
- A summary of his argument for God’s existence in bullet points?
- Or a comparison with other philosophers like Plantinga, Dawkins, or Dennett?
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