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NEWS
Lobbying for tuition freeze
by Ashley Martin
(read)
Turn on to Street Cents
The S.C. crew visits Regina
by Jeanette Stewart
(read)
Rights extended to homosexuals
by Caitlin Davenport
(read)
Props from Maclean’s
by Jeanette Stewart
(read)
Behind the chalk
Li McLeod
by Cassie Hawrysh
(read)
Pious prof’s premise
by Cassie Hawrysh
(read)
FEATURES
Stay out of the hot tub!
Sex tips for the under-educated
by Chelsea Temple-Jones and Haley Sichello
(read)
SPORTS
Cougars gaining respect
by Chris Jaster
(read)
Eyes on Sports
Fan is short for fanatic
by Mike Storey
(read)
Get in touch with Dutch
by Josh Pagé
(read)
Cougars rebuilding confidence
by Greg Urbanoski
(read)
Fit as a Fiddle
The result of fad diets
by Julie Folk
(read)
Schweitzer shines for Cougars
by Sydney Dundas
(read)
ARTS
Jones returns as fantastic as ever
by Ashley Martin
(read)
Trew genius at the Owl
by Darcie Keith
(read)
The Beauty Train stops here
by Ashley Martin
(read)
Emily loves britcoms
Give British telly a chance
by Emily Elias
(read)
The O.C. DVD makes its debut
Rich suburbanites riot (emotionally)
by Kent Farago
(read)
Who is that Canadian guy?
by Michele Dawson
(read)
COMMENTARY
Editorial
This article has 22 words on Carolyn Parrish
by Steven Kiser
(read)
ABM’s are unavoidable
Commentary
by Matt Barton
(read)
Confessions of a Freshman
My best friend
by Amy O’Teri
(read)
A guide to stress-free exams
by Julie Folk
(read)
Freezing tuition is a bad idea
by Matt Barton
(read)
The Good Fight
Accumulation nation
by Justin Ludwig
(read)
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Pious prof’s premise
by Cassie Hawrysh
the Carillon
Proving the existence of angels
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After many years of research and much reflection, one of the University of Regina’s Philosophy department professors has finally compiled enough information to sit down and begin creating a book that looks at the debate surrounding the existence of angels.
Dating as far back as the fourth century, the controversy surrounding angels and their existence has been a steadfast topic for both religious and non-religious individuals alike. Dr. George Marshall has been struggling with this issue for as long as he can remember; he emphasized the difficulty in such a task.
“Thomas Aquinas offered five arguments in proving the existence of God, but twelve arguments when proving the existence of angels. This was not because he thought it was more important to prove that angels exist, but instead because he, as do I, believed that it is much more difficult to prove their existence.”
This past Friday, November 19, Marshall gave a lecture entitled “Problems in Proving the Existence of Angels” to help outline the points he is hoping to cover throughout his book. Rather than looking at all the proofs people have come up with and either rejecting or accepting them, Marshall found it much more intriguing to study all the arguments that critics have made over the years in opposing the view that angels do in fact exist.
He explained how he discovered that the arguments made by critics can be commonly divided into two categories: arguments that follow (they look at an argument and attack it) and pre-emptive arguments, which claim that, in principle, it is simply just not possible to prove the idea at all.
Additionally, Marshall showed these arguments are mainly based on individual theories, and vary somewhat.
“Take Thomas Hobbes for example,” Marshall said. “Hobbes claims you can’t prove the existence of angels because the idea of angels is a contradiction in terms. People who believe in angels believe in a spiritual or non-physical entity. When you claim something exists then you are assuming that it is a physical entity existing–but how can a non-physical being physically exist? Thus is the paradox.”
This lecture brought out close to 50 people from all sorts of demographics. It was a positive reinforcement to see both professors and students in attendance as Marshall gave his Reader’s Digest 30-minute version of his work in progress.
With a tremendous amount of information to try and cover in such a short time, Marshall seemed rushed, but he did manage to put some serious perspective on this issue.
“It’s as if to say you go out to the west coast in Vancouver Island and look out onto the Pacific Ocean, but because you don’t see all of the Pacific Ocean, you don’t actually see the Pacific Ocean. It seems just silly, but you know what? Comparing that with our issue of angels, that’s hard to refute!”
Ultimately, proving or disproving the existence of angels is creating a reputation for itself as a serious challenge in Dr. Marshall’s life, a challenge that he is passionate and determined to conquer.
The point he is trying to get across is not to have someone read his book and suddenly throw their hands in the air and proclaim, “I believe! I believe!” but to consider the findings on their own terms, because, in the end, it really all depends on what you truly believe and no book will ever have the absolute power to change that.
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