Stephen Law is a philosopher with interests in metaphysics (especially essentialism), language (later Wittgenstein and Kripke), consciousness, religion, and rational vs irrational belief. He holds B.Phl and D.Phil from the University of Oxford, and was Head of Department and Reader in Philosophy at Heythrop College, University of London. He is the author of many accessible books on philosophy including books for children. Titles include The Philosophy Gym, The Complete Philosophy Files, The Great Philosophers, Believing Bullshit. He is also author of the OUP book Humanism: A Very Short Introduction and a book on how to raise good citizens called The War For Children’s Minds. He known for publicly advocating atheism, Humanism, philosophy and critical thinking, including on radio and TV.
Dr Stephen Law
Departmental Lecturer in Philosophy
Course Director of the Certificate of Higher Education
Stephen is a very visual thinker who makes use of visual aids, including PowerPoint. He encourages interaction and discussion in all his sessions.
Stephen has researched and published on:
- Philosophy of Mind, especially consciousness.
- Philosophy of Language, especially later Wittgenstein and Kripke, Essentialism and natural kind terms.
- Philosophy of Religion, especially the problem of evil and the evolutionary argument against naturalism.
- The Philosophy Gym: 25 Short Adventures in Thinking. Headline 2003.
- The Great Philosophers. Qercus 2007.
- Believing Bullshit. Prometheus 2011.
- Humanism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press 2011.
- ‘Skeptical Theism and Skepticism About The External World and Past, Philosophy supplement on Religious Epistemology (2017)
- ‘Wittgensteinian Accounts of Religious Belief: Non-cognitive, Juicer, and Atheist-Minus, European Journal of Philosophy (2017)
- ‘The X-Claim Argument Against Religious Belief’, Religious Studies (2017)
‘Natural Kinds of Substance’, Australasian Journal of Philosophy 94/2 (2016) - ‘The Pandora’s Box Objection to Skeptical Theism’, International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 78 (2015)
- ‘Skeptical Theism and a Lying God’, Religious Studies 51 (2014)
- ‘Naturalism, Evolution, and True Belief’, Analysis 72 (2012)
- ‘Miracles, Evidence, and the Existence of Jesus’, Faith and Philosophy 28 (2011)
- ‘Plantinga’s Belief-Cum-Desire Argument Refuted’, Religious Studies 47 (2011)
- ‘The Evil God Challenge’, Religious Studies 46 (2010)
- ‘Honderich and the Curse of Epiphenomenalism”, Journal of Consciousness Studies 13 (2006)
- ‘Systems of Measurement’, Ratio 18 (2005)
- ‘Five Private Language Arguments’, International Journal of Philosophical Studies 12, no 2 (2004)
- ‘Loar’s Defence of Physicalism’, Ratio 17, no 1, (2004)