Antony Flew, English philosopher and academic (d. 2010)

Antony Garrard Newton Flew (11 February 1923 – 8 April 2010) was a prominent British philosopher whose extensive career was largely dedicated to the philosophy of religion. Renowned for his rigorous analytical approach and evidentialist methodology, Flew's intellectual journey was characterized by a lifelong commitment to following evidence wherever it led, a principle that famously guided his dramatic shift in belief later in life. He held teaching positions at prestigious institutions including the universities of Oxford, Aberdeen, Keele, and Reading in the United Kingdom, as well as York University in Toronto, Canada, profoundly influencing generations of students and scholars.

A Distinguished Atheist: The Presumption of Atheism

For the majority of his distinguished career, Antony Flew was celebrated as one of the most vocal and articulate proponents of atheism. His philosophical framework was rooted in the "presumption of atheism," a methodological stance asserting that, in the absence of compelling evidence for God's existence, the default position should be non-belief. This does not claim that God does not exist, but rather places the burden of proof squarely on those who assert the existence of a divine being. This argument gained significant traction in philosophical discourse, likening the approach to the legal principle of "innocent until proven guilty" – one is not obligated to disprove God's existence, but rather, the claim of existence requires substantiation.

Flew's atheistic arguments extended to several core theological concepts. He was a vocal critic of the idea of life after death, challenging its coherence and evidential basis. He also rigorously scrutinized the "free will defense" as a response to the problem of evil, which attempts to reconcile the existence of an all-good, all-powerful God with the presence of suffering and malevolence in the world by attributing evil to human free will. Furthermore, Flew questioned the very meaningfulness of the concept of God, often arguing that religious propositions lacked empirical verifiability or logical consistency. His unwavering secular stance led him to be one of the signatories of the Humanist Manifesto III in 2003, a document outlining contemporary humanism and its commitment to secular ethics and reason.

A Paradigm Shift: Embracing Deism

In a move that profoundly shocked his colleagues and fellow atheists, Antony Flew publicly announced in 2004 that he had changed his position regarding the existence of God. He declared his belief in the existence of an Intelligent Creator of the universe. This dramatic intellectual shift was not a conversion to a specific organized religion, but rather an allegiance to Deism. Deism posits a God who created the universe and set it in motion according to natural laws but does not intervene in its affairs thereafter, unlike the interventionist God often found in Abrahamic religions. Flew explicitly stated that this conversion was not to Christianity, Islam, or any other traditional faith, but rather to a belief in an Aristotelian God – a concept of a "Prime Mover" or "Unmoved Mover" that serves as the ultimate cause of motion and change in the cosmos, yet remains detached from personal interaction.

Flew maintained that this profound change of heart was entirely consistent with his lifelong commitment to follow the evidence, asserting that the latest scientific discoveries, particularly in cosmology and intelligent design, now pointed towards the necessity of a divine intelligence behind the universe's intricate order and existence. For Flew, the evidence had finally led him away from atheism towards a reasoned belief in a deistic God.

The Controversial Publication: "There is a God"

In 2007, Antony Flew, in collaboration with Roy Abraham Varghese, published the book "There is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind." This work aimed to meticulously detail the philosophical and scientific reasoning behind Flew's conversion to Deism. However, the book and the circumstances surrounding Flew's late-life change in belief became subjects of significant controversy. An article in The New York Times Magazine alleged that Flew's intellectual faculties had declined due to senility, suggesting that the book was primarily the work of Varghese and did not fully represent Flew's independent thought.

Flew himself vehemently denied these claims, asserting that the book genuinely represented his considered views and the culmination of his intellectual journey. While acknowledging that, due to his advanced age and health, Varghese had undertaken most of the actual writing and editorial work, Flew consistently affirmed his authorship of the underlying ideas and arguments presented in the book. This debate underscored the intense scrutiny and emotional weight attached to such a prominent philosopher's change of mind on a fundamental issue like the existence of God.

Beyond Theology: Other Philosophical Contributions

Antony Flew's contributions to philosophy extended beyond the realm of religion. He is widely credited with developing and popularizing the "no true Scotsman" fallacy. This informal fallacy is a rhetorical device where one attempts to protect a generalization from counterexamples by changing the definition of the group in question post-hoc. For example, if someone states, "No Scotsman puts sugar on his porridge," and is then presented with a Scotsman who does, they might respond, "Ah, but no *true* Scotsman puts sugar on his porridge," thereby shifting the goalposts rather than conceding the generalization was flawed. This fallacy highlights how people can cling to preconceived notions by redefining terms to exclude contradictory evidence.

Flew also engaged in significant philosophical debates on other complex topics, notably debating the concept of retrocausality with the influential analytic philosopher Michael Dummett. Retrocausality is the hypothetical phenomenon where a future event can influence past events, or an effect can precede its cause, a concept that challenges conventional understandings of time and causality.

Frequently Asked Questions About Antony Flew

What was Antony Flew's initial philosophical stance?

For the majority of his career, Antony Flew was a staunch advocate for atheism, adopting a methodological position known as the "presumption of atheism," which argued that belief in God requires evidence.

What is the "presumption of atheism"?

The "presumption of atheism" is Flew's argument that one should presuppose atheism until compelling evidence suggesting the existence of a God surfaces. It places the burden of proof on those asserting God's existence, rather than on atheists to disprove it.

Why did Antony Flew change his views on God's existence?

Flew stated that his change in position was driven by his lifelong commitment to follow the evidence. He came to believe that recent scientific discoveries, particularly in cosmology and the fine-tuning of the universe, provided sufficient evidence to infer the existence of an Intelligent Creator.

What kind of God did Flew come to believe in?

Antony Flew converted to a belief in Deism, specifically an "Aristotelian God." This refers to a non-interventionist creator God, a "Prime Mover" or "Unmoved Mover" responsible for setting the universe in motion, but not actively involved in its day-to-day affairs or personal revelation, as typically understood in traditional Abrahamic religions.

What is the "no true Scotsman fallacy"?

The "no true Scotsman fallacy," developed by Flew, is an informal fallacy used to defend a generalization by redefining the terms to exclude a counterexample. If a claim about a group is challenged by an individual who fits the group but contradicts the claim, the proponent might argue that the individual is not a "true" member of that group.