Theodore Drange is a prominent philosopher and atheist known for his contributions to the field of philosophy of religion. As a professor emeritus at West Virginia University, Drange has extensively written and debated on the subject matter of atheism, providing critical arguments and analysis to challenge the existence of God.
Born in 1934, Drange obtained his doctorate in philosophy from Indiana University and began his academic career. He is renowned for his incisive and rigorous approach to philosophical inquiry, particularly in relation to religious belief systems. Drange's work primarily focuses on constructing atheological arguments, which aim to demonstrate that the concept of God is logically incoherent or incompatible with certain facts about the world.
In his influential book, "Nonbelief & Evil: Two Arguments for the Nonexistence of God," Drange proposes two potent arguments against the existence of God. The first argument relates to the existence of nonresistant nonbelievers, individuals who do not believe in God due to insufficient evidence or intellectual doubts. According to Drange, if God were to exist and be perfectly loving and perfectly powerful, he would ensure that everyone receives sufficient evidence for belief. The existence of such nonresistant nonbelievers, then, contradicts the existence of God.
The second argument Drange posits is based on the existence of gratuitous evil, which refers to unnecessary or unwarranted suffering. Drange contends that the presence of such suffering in the world is incompatible with the existence of an all-powerful, all-knowing, and perfectly good God.
The work of Theodore Drange continues to be highly influential in the field of philosophy of religion and serves as a significant contribution to the ongoing debates about the existence of God and the nature of religious belief.
