As expected, a philosophy class has made me think. In the beginning of the class, Shannon asked us not to accept all the arguments we heard, but at least consider them. Listening and considering are skills philosophers must have – how can we destroy someone else’s argument without understanding it? The first time I took this course (back when Greg taught it), I was on my way to Uruguay to serve my LDS mission. My beliefs were clear, and I was not shaken. The second time I took the course was when I had just returned from Uruguay. Again, I was sure of my beliefs and was not shaken. This time, however, I think I was more open to arguments and more willing to consider. Although I cannot claim to be an atheist, I certainly observe myself moving closer to agnosticism. Throughout the class, I found myself considering different points of view – even arguing against the theism I was raised in. And now, as I wrote this final paper, my own skepticism kind of hit me in the face. I was expecting to argue for the existence of God, but instead argued for agnosticism in not having sufficient justifications for evil to either prove or disprove the existence of God. I think that I’m an agnostic that took Pascal’s wager – right now I really don’t know if there is a God.
But just in case there is, I’m going to be a good boy and do my best to find out.