Dr. Jacobs tackles your philosophical and theological questions in today's episode. He answers audience comments on topics ranging from how humans participate with external reality beyond mere mental images, examines nature human nature versus shared traits, delve into divine foreknowledge via Jeremiah, discuss the doctrine of double effect and the trolley problem, and investigates classical perspectives on free will. From metaphysical realism to patristic traditions, this discussion offers fresh insights into age-old questions.

Stay tuned for our upcoming series on the problem of evil later this month. 

All the links: 

X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPod

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QS

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcast

Substack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/

Website: https://www.nathanajacobs.com/

Academia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs

(00:01:55) The Most Important Question background 

(00:03:03) Is Darwinism just nominalism applied to biology? 

(00:26:39) How can materialism / utilitarianism co-exist with social engineering? 

(00:38:23) How does realism apply to adoption? 

(00:58:36) Participation vs. manifestation 

(01:12:37) How could God know us before we existed? 

(01:25:58) What is true freedom? 

(01:40:24) The trolley problem and the doctrine of double effect 

(01:44:49) Can realism and nominalism both be correct? 

(01:52:00) What makes human nature unique from other shared traits?