Dr. James Orr, Associate Professor of Philosophy of Religion at the Faculty of Divinity of the University of Cambridge, joins the flâneur and the philosopher for a wide-ranging discussion of the philosophy of nature and Christian involvement in politics. We first discuss Dr. Orr’s interesting path from the practice of law to a professorship in the philosophy of religion.
Following an introduction to Dr. Orr’s career, the conversation divides into two parts: A discussion of the philosophy of nature, the object of much of Dr. Orr’s academic work, and a discussion of his Christian involvement in political discourse. Through both parts of the conversation, the question of whether the natural realm can be understood, at a first pass, without God remains central.
Concerning the philosophy of nature, Dr. Orr has argued for a Neo-Aristotelian account of nature, on which the various substances that make up the natural realm possess natures and causal powers. This is contrast to the popular secular Neo-Humean view, which says that what appear to be natural laws are merely coincidental regularities. But it also contrasts with a popular Christian occasionalist view, on which created things have no causal power but are mere puppets, whose strings God pulls.
However, in the political sphere, Dr. Orr argues that the philosophy of liberalism, in both its modern and classical varieties, has run out. The project of a neutral state governing the common life of communities with competing metaphysics, religions, and conceptions of the good, has failed. The divides between worldviews and communities are too deep to be bridged by purportedly neutral and fair procedures, apart from any cultural or metaphysical backing. Accordingly, Christian involvement in politics must be forthrightly Christian, even while allowing for and requiring charity toward those with whom we disagree.
Enjoy this interesting conversation with a leading Christian philosopher.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or watch on YouTube.
Dr. James Orr is Associate Professor of Philosophy of Religion at the Faculty of Divinity of the University of Cambridge. He is also a chairman of the Edmund Burke Foundation, which heads up the National Conservatism conference, on the board of directors of the Roger Scruton Legacy Foundation (Scruton is my favorite philosopher), and a fellow of the Trinity Forum Europe, an Christian ministry to graduate students and university faculty.
He argued for conservatism against (classical) liberalism in written and filmed debates on Triggernometry. I recommend his “What Is Conservatism?”
Theological Epistemology Course
If you are interested in the questions we discussed in this podcast, especially the discussion of how nature points to God, you will have an interest in my new online course “Theological Epistemology,” offered through a paid subscription to this Substack.
Links to the first three lectures are available below, as well as the course syllabus. In addition, you may access one lecture as a freebie, since Substack allows free access to one paywalled post.
1. What Is Theological Epistemology? An Introduction
2. Bertrand Russell Refutes Cornelius Van Til
3. The Epistemology of Arguments for God, Ancient and Medieval
And coming soon…
Can We Make Sense of Nature and Politics without God?