The Tension between Nativism and Naturalism in the Linguistic Theories of Noam Chomsky and Jerry Fodor, Together with an Inference to the Best Explanation for Theistic Non-naturalism
Subsequent Statement of Responsibility
Welty, Greg
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.
2020
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
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257
DISSERTATION (THESIS) NOTE
Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree
Ph.D.
Body granting the degree
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Text preceding or following the note
2020
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
The overall claim of this dissertation is that nativism and naturalism are incompatible. Further, given the strength of the nativist arguments against their empirical counterparts, the way is open for an inductive argument for the existence of God. The particular species of nativism currently occupying the role of a dominant research program is linguistic nativism, the view that a grammar or a mental language is innately housed in the human mind. Thus, the argument will focus on showing that the capacity of human beings to acquire natural languages provides evidence for the failure of naturalism and, in so doing, opens the way for a theistic research program.