This article is about a philosophical argument. For the "gap" interpretation of the biblical creation account, see Gap creationism.
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"God of the gaps" is a theological concept that emerged in the 19th century and revolves around the idea that gaps in scientific understanding are regarded as indications of the existence of God.[1][2] This perspective has its origins in the observation that some individuals, often with religious inclinations, point to areas where science falls short in explaining natural phenomena as opportunities to insert the presence of a divine creator. The term itself was coined in response to this tendency. This theological view suggests that God fills in the gaps left by scientific knowledge, and that these gaps represent moments of divine intervention or influence.
This concept has been met with criticism and debate from various quarters. Detractors argue that this perspective is problematic as it seems to rely on gaps in human understanding and ignorance to make its case for the existence of God. As scientific knowledge continues to advance, these gaps tend to shrink, potentially weakening the argument for God's existence. Critics contend that such an approach can undermine religious beliefs by suggesting that God only operates in the unexplained areas of our understanding, leaving little room for divine involvement in a comprehensive and coherent worldview.
The "God of the gaps" perspective has been criticized for its association with logical fallacies, specifically the argument from ignorance fallacy. This fallacy asserts that just because something is not currently explained by science, it must be attributed to a supernatural cause. This type of reasoning is seen as inherently flawed and does not provide a robust foundation for religious faith. In this context, some theologians and scientists have proposed that a more satisfactory approach is to view evidence of God's actions within the natural processes themselves, rather than relying on the gaps in scientific understanding to validate religious beliefs.
^Henry Drummond (1904). The Ascent of Man. p. 333.
^See, for example, "Teleological Arguments for God's Existence" in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
on gaps in human understanding and ignorance to make its case for the existence ofGod. As scientific knowledge continues to advance, these gaps tend...
psychology of religion Godofthegaps Morality without religion Pascal's Wager New Atheism Spectrum of theistic probability Dawkins, Richard (2006). TheGod Delusion...
belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or...
The existence ofGod is a subject of debate in theology and the philosophy of religion. A wide variety of arguments for and against the existence of God...
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the lack of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is simply the absence of belief that any deities...
spectrum of theistic probability—the likelihood that each assigns to the statement "God exists". Before the 18th century, the existence ofGod was so accepted...
says the same. Epistemological, or agnostic, atheism argues that people cannot know a God or determine the existence of a God. The foundation of epistemological...
Terry Pratchett God of thegaps – Theological argument Homunculus argument – Informal fallacy Kurma – Tortoise form ofthe Hindu god Vishnu Matryoshka doll –...
silence criticism. Harris has debated with many prominent figures on the topics ofGod or religion, including William Lane Craig, Jordan Peterson, Rick Warren...
cognitive scientist. His research centered on the philosophy of mind, the philosophy of science, and the philosophy of biology, particularly as those fields relate...
explicitly reject the existence ofGod but also do not believe it is an important part of their Jewishness, has a long tradition in the United States. A...
Because of flexibility in the term god, it is possible that a person could be a positive/strong atheist in terms of certain conceptions ofGod, while remaining...
co-founder ofthe Reason Project.[citation needed] Dawkins, the author ofTheGod Delusion, and director of a Channel 4 television documentary titled The Root...
Conceptions ofGod in classical theist, monotheist, pantheist, and panentheist traditions – or ofthe supreme deity in henotheistic religions – can extend...
characterized as a God-of-the-gaps argument, which has the following form: There is a gap in scientific knowledge. Thegap is filled with acts ofGod (or intelligent...
revelations Nonbelief Poor design Godofthegaps Incompatible-properties argument Omnipotence paradox Problem of evil Problem of Hell Theological noncognitivism...
Vegas at The Rio. Jillette serves as the act's orator and raconteur. Jillette has published eight books, including the New York Times Bestseller, God, No!:...
there is an omniperfect God—one that necessarily has the perfection of Goodness—then no one will be damned." The problem of hell derives from four key...
with 'Godofthegaps' reasoning?". Archived from the original on 24 October 2007. Retrieved 26 June 2009. "TalkOrigins Archive: Exploring the Creation/Evolution...
God, based on their actions and beliefs during life. In contrast, in systems of reincarnation, such as those in the Indian religions, the nature of the...
(philosophy of mind) God of thegaps Hallucination (artificial intelligence) History of artificial intelligence Moravec's paradox Moving the goalposts Haenlein...
Reflections on the Presence ofGod. Cambridge, UK: James Clarke & Co. ISBN 9780227900086. Aveling, Francis (1909). "Essence and Existence". The Catholic Encyclopedia...
NoGod blog". Archived from the original on May 13, 2008. History ofthe Organization; American Atheists; 2018 "Dave Silverman, President-elect « No God...
The evil God challenge is a philosophical thought experiment. The challenge is to explain why an all-good God is more likely than an all-evil God. Those...
laws – indicate the intervention ofthe supernatural. See GodoftheGaps. One example of this argument is the Christological argument: the claim that historical...
theism. Other possible resolutions to the paradox hinge on the definition of omnipotence applied and the nature ofGod regarding this application and whether...
(Essays of Theodicy on the Goodness ofGod, the Freedom of Man and the Origin of Evil), more commonly known simply as the Theodicy. The claim that the actual...
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