978- 3- 86838- 549- 6

Distributed in North and South America

by Transaction Books
ISBN 978-3-86838-549-6

Modality, Logical Probability,

and the Trinity
In Defence of a Weak Scepticism

editiones scholasticae

This book in the epistemology of religion

discusses a wide spectrum of sources in
analytic, scholastic and apologetic philosophy
and theology in order to argue nondeductively for the following thesis: Apart
from religious experience, it cannot be
evident (in a defined sense of psychological
impossibility) that the Trinity doctrine is
logically possible. Hence, this conclusion is
drawn deductively: Apart from religious
experience, it cannot be evident that
Christianity or the Trinity doctrine have nonminimal logical probability. As the author
points out, however, they still may be
justified, well - argued, plausibly logically
probable, and probable in other than the
logical sense. The book will be of interest to
philosophers of religion, analytic theologians,
and researchers in analytic scholasticism.

Vlastimil Vohnka Modality, Logical Probability, and the Trinity

Vlastimil Vohnka

Vlastimil Vohnka

Modality, Logical Probability,

and the Trinity
In Defence of a Weak Scepticism

editiones scholasticae

Bibliographic information published by Deutsche Nationalbibliothek

The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliographie;
detailed bibliographic data is available in the Internet at http://dnb.ddb.de
This book is an outcome of the research supported by the research grant
P401-11-0906 Chances of Realist Epistemology in the Face of Modern
Critique, awarded by the Czech Science Foundation (GAR).

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2014 editiones scholasticae

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ISBN 978-3-86838-549-6
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................1
I-1 Why Bother? ..................................................................................1
I-2 Outline ..............................................................................................6
I-3 Sources .............................................................................................7
II. CONCEPTS ...............................................................................................13
II-1 Evidentness ..................................................................................13
II-2 Logical Probability ....................................................................22
II-3 Propositions and Conceptual Content ..............................30
II-4 Logical Possibility ......................................................................32
II-5 Analyticity ....................................................................................36
II-6 The Trinity Doctrine ................................................................46
II-7 Christianity ..................................................................................57
II-8 Public Evidentness ....................................................................63
II-9 Psychological Impossibility ...................................................67
III. TWO ARGUMENTS CONCERNING THE TRINITY DOCTRINE
FROM WEAK MODAL SCEPTICISM................................................83
III-1 Argument I:
Logical Probability of the Entailed.....................................86
III-2 Argument II:
Logical Possibility of the Entailed ....................................101
III-3 The Arguments in Symbols .................................................105
,,, $, .........................................................................106
,,, $,, ........................................................................115

IV. A DEFENCE OF WEAK MODAL SCEPTICISM

ABOUT THE TRINITY DOCTRINE .................................................119
IV-1 The Logical Possibility of the Trinity Doctrine
Publicly Evident from its Truth?.......................................124
,9 17" ......................................................124
,9$3ULRUL" .......................................................................125
,96HOI(YLGHQWO\" ......................................................125
,9%\$UJXPHQW"6ZLQEXUQHV&DVHIURP3HUIHFW/RYH ..126
,9$3RVWHULRUL" ................................................................139
,96HOI(YLGHQWO\".......................................................139
,9%\$UJXPHQW"6ZLQEXUQHV&DVH$JDLQ ..................139
,9)7" ..............................................................143
,95HDVRQVRI5DPLHG1DWXUDO7KHRORJ\" ....................145
,9/HVOLHV&DVHIURP3XEOLF0RQXPHQWV" .....................150

IV-2 The Logical Possibility of the Trinity Doctrine

Publicly Evident Not from its Truth? ..............................156
,917" .....................................................156
,9$3ULRUL" ......................................................................157
,96HOI(YLGHQWO\"......................................................158
,9D0RGDO(SLVWHPRORJ\" .........................................158
,9E7KH6XSSRVLW7KHRU\" ........................................165
,9%\$UJXPHQW"........................................................172
,9D9DQ,QZDJHQV&DVH" .........................................172
,9E6ZLQEXUQHV&DVH"2QH/DVW7LPH .....................186
,9$3RVWHULRUL"0XQGDQH$QDORJLHV.............................189
,9)7" .............................................................196
,9)DLOXUHRI$UJXPHQWVWRWKH&RQWUDU\" ....................196
,93UREDELOLVWLF&RQUPDWLRQ" ......................................197
,97KH,QVX
FLHQF\RI7HVWLPRQ\ ................................201

IV-3 The Generalizing Step............................................................210

IV-4 Additional Note:
Evident from Religious Experience? ................................216
IV-5 The Modal Step .........................................................................220

V. TWO CONSTRAINTS ON LOGICAL PROBABILITY ..................231

V-1 Keyness Wavering ..................................................................231
V-2 Franklins Triangle Argument ...........................................233
9 %, ...................................................235
9 $%7$ ..............................237

V-3 Logical Omniscience ...............................................................241

VI. OTHER QUESTIONS ...........................................................................243
VI-1 Epistemic Justication ..........................................................244
VI-2 Fine Argument ..........................................................................247
VI-3 Other Probability .....................................................................254
9,.3 .......................................................254
9,+5& ........................................260
9,%& ........................................................267

VII. CONCLUSIONS ....................................................................................273

VII-1 Summing Up ............................................................................273
VII-2 So What?....................................................................................277
BIBLIOGRAPHY ..........................................................................................281
APPENDIX .....................................................................................................308
INDEX OF PERSONS ..................................................................................311
GENERAL INDEX.........................................................................................316