Michael Lou Martin facts for kids

Michael Lou Martin (born February 3, 1932, died May 27, 2015) was an American thinker called a philosopher. He taught at Boston University for many years. Martin mostly studied the philosophy of religion, which means he thought deeply about beliefs and faith. He also explored the ideas behind science, law, and social science. Before his academic career, he served in the US Marine Corps during the Korean War.

About Michael Martin's Life

His Education and Teaching Career

Michael Martin finished his first degree in Business Administration in 1956 at Arizona State University. He then earned a master's degree in philosophy from the University of Arizona in 1958. In 1962, he received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Harvard University.

He started teaching as an assistant professor at the University of Colorado in 1962. A few years later, in 1965, he moved to Boston University. He spent his entire career there and became a Professor of Philosophy Emeritus. Michael Martin passed away on May 27, 2015, when he was 83 years old.

He wrote or edited many books, including Atheism: A Philosophical Justification (1989) and The Case Against Christianity (1991). He also wrote Atheism, Morality, and Meaning (2002) and The Impossibility of God (2003). He was on the editorial board for the philosophy magazine Philo. He also wrote many articles and reviews for other journals.

Martin's Views on Atheism

In his book Atheism: A Philosophical Justification, Michael Martin noticed that there wasn't much discussion from an atheistic point of view in modern philosophy of religion. He felt it was his job to offer strong arguments for not believing in God.

He wrote:

The aim of this book is not to make atheism a popular belief or even to overcome its invisibility. My object is not utopian. It is merely to provide good reasons for being an atheist. … My object is to show that atheism is a rational position and that belief in God is not. I am quite aware that atheistic beliefs are not always based on reason. My claim is that they should be.

Martin used ideas from another philosopher, Antony Flew. These ideas were called negative and positive atheism. This helped him explain different ways people might not believe in God.

Public Debates and Discussions

Michael Martin often took part in written and online debates with other philosophers who held Christian beliefs.

• In 1991, Martin and Keith Parsons wrote arguments against Douglas Jones's ideas. This was part of a debate called Is Non-Christian Thought Justifiable?. It was first published in Antithesis magazine.
• On November 26, 1994, Martin decided not to participate in a debate with Christian thinker Greg Bahnsen. The debate was planned at Rhodes College. Martin did not want to be part of something that would raise money for a religious group. Bahnsen later gave a lecture called "The Debate that Never Was."
• He also had an online debate with Christian philosopher John M. Frame. This happened through a series of articles and responses. It was about Martin's 1996 article, "The Transcendental Argument for the Nonexistence of God."
• In 1997, he debated another Christian philosopher, Phil Fernandes, online. Their discussion about the existence of God was later published as a book in 2000. It was titled: Theism vs. Atheism: The Internet Debate.

Books by Michael Martin

Michael Martin wrote many academic books about philosophy. Here are some of his notable works:

• The Myth of an Afterlife: The Case against Life After Death (2015)
• The Cambridge Companion to Atheism (Editor, 2006)
• The Improbability of God (Editor, 2006)
• The Impossibility of God (Editor, 2003)
• Atheism, Morality and Meaning (2002)
• Theism vs. Atheism: The Internet Debate (with Phil Fernandes, 2000)
• The Case Against Christianity (1991)
• Atheism: A Philosophical Justification (1989)

Fiction and Plays

Michael Martin also wrote creative works that explored philosophical ideas.

• In 1996, he published The Big Domino in the Sky: And Other Atheistic Tales. This book is a collection of short stories. Each story presents different philosophical arguments in an interesting way.
• In 2011, Martin self-published a novel called Murder In Lecture Hall B. This story is about a murder that happens in a classroom. The main character is a philosophy professor who studies religions and atheism.
• He also wrote eight short plays. These plays had moral or philosophical themes. You can find them on his website.

See also

• Atheist's Wager
• American philosophy
• List of American philosophers
• List of atheist philosophers