- Lived:
- Born 1932, Ann Arbor, Michigan · Wayne State, Calvin College, Notre Dame
- Tradition:
- American analytic philosophy; philosophy of religion; reformed epistemology
- The Big Idea:
- Belief in God does not need to be proved from evidence to be rational — it can be "properly basic," a starting point like memory or trust in other minds — and the standard arguments against God's existence are weaker than almost everyone assumed.
- If you remember one thing:
- In 1950 you could hardly say "God exists" in an analytic philosophy department without embarrassment; largely because of Plantinga, by 2000 you could say it, defend it with modal logic, and get tenure.