Why Do We Need Philosophy? Our guest this week and next on Apologetics Profile is Christian philosopher and author Dr. Paul Gould, who routinely gets asked this question.

Dr. Gould believes that "philosophy is simply too important to give up on. Philosophy continues to play a vital role in our lives and in contemporary discussions on almost everything." And he is "not convinced that philosophy needs to be so difficult. Sure, there are a lot of philosophical issues that are difficult, but there are also a lot of issues that aren't that difficult."1 It is Dr. Gould's passion to make philosophy lucid, understandable, and Christ-centered. 

Dr. Gould addresses these and many other important philosophical topics in a very easy-to-understand, down-to-earth conversation with Watchman staff apologist Daniel Ray. He unpacks the relevance of philosophy for everyone, especially Christians.


Now more than ever, truth seems to be in short supply. Bad philosophy is making the rounds, taking people captive, causing division, doubt and confusion, as we saw in our previous two episodes on Street Epistemology. Paul helps us to rediscover that in Christ Himself "are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3). We must strive to counter bad philosophy "and empty deception according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ" (Col. 2:8). 


Philosophy is simply a Greek word meaning "the love of wisdom" (philo-sophia). The Bible has much to say about loving and embracing wisdom (Job 28; Proverbs 8; Colossians 2; 1 Corinthians 1; John 1). Dr. Gould helps us to understand how the best sort of philosophy is centered upon the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. 


So come and listen to Dr. Gould's very inspirational and practical advice about building and utilizing sound philosophy, all to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).

Additional Resources

Philosophy: A Christian Introduction, by James K. Dew and Paul M. Gould: http://bit.ly/PhilosophyIntro

How Do We Know?: An Introduction to Epistemology, by James K. Dew and Mark W. Foreman: http://bit.ly/EpistemologyIntro.

Four Views on Christianity and Philosophy, by Paul M. Gould and Richard Brian Davis (Editors): http://bit.ly/4ViewsBook

The Story of the Cosmos: How the Heavens Declare the Glory of God, by Daniel Ray and Paul M. Gould (Editors): www.watchman.org/CosmosBook

Dr. Paul M. Gould is the Associate Professor of Philosophy of Religion and Director of the M.A. Philosophy of Religion program at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Dr. Gould is the author or editor of ten scholarly and popular-level books including Cultural Apologetics, Philosophy: A Christian Introduction (Zondervan, 2019) and The Story of the Cosmos (Harvest House, 2019). He has been a visiting scholar at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School’s Henry Center, working on the intersection of science and faith, and is the founder and president of the Two Tasks Institute. He is a widely sought after speaker in apologetics and philosophy. He speaks regularly at universities, churches, and ministries around the country, including Summit Ministries, the C.S. Lewis Institute, and the Evangelical Philosophical Society’s annual apologetics conference. You can find out more about Dr. Gould and his work at www.paul-gould.com and www.twotasksinstitute.org.  He is married to Ethel and has four children.

Daniel Ray, Staff Apologist at Watchman Fellowship, is a speaker, writer, and podcast producer with the ministry. He holds a BS in Interdisciplinary Studies from Austin Peay State University and an MA in Cultural Apologetics from Houston Baptist University. He is coeditor and cowriter of The Story of the Cosmos, How the Heavens Declare the Glory of God. For more information: www.watchman.org/staff/DanielRayBio.pdf.

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1 James K. Dew and Paul M. Gould, Philosophy A Christian Introduction (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2019), vii.

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