Quite right Richard! We're coming to the concert - let's forget the drinks (those of us who want them can have them privately before 8.30).

See you at the performance.

Baz

Perhaps mild qualitative intoxication is the best way to field the occasional nuttiness of the schedule?
Mucho solidarity Richard. 

Yes, I googled around a bit and found out that he hasn't actually conceded all that much. I must say, when I was doing God arguments in Phil of Religion I was always a bit bothered by the easy step from 'God exists' to 'the Christian/Jewish/Muslim/whatever God exists'. That seems to be the point AF is making now, and I'm surprised more philosophers (including the earlier Flew) haven't jumped on that.

On the other hand, I do think his 'conversion', however small, is a bit of a cop-out, because it still doesn't address the possibility of that 'whereof we cannot speak', the 'beyond rational discourse' that rational discourse can't say no to. Flew was more of a grand-teacher than a teacher, although I did get very drunk with him a couple of times at an impressionable age (and I was a shy but angry young man at the time - a volatile combination - and probably gave him a very hard time and was rather rude), but even back then, when I thought agnosticism was an impossible position, I had big reservations about logical positivism. I haven't actually thought much until now about how my current beliefs relate to those of 10 years ago, and I'm a bit surprised suddenly to realise they haven't changed all that much. I'm still suspicious of the tidiness of a philosophy that wants to say what can and what can't be talked about meaningfully, though from what I remember of Flew in person he was considerably more pragmatic and open than a summary of his position might make him sound. And I've never completely let go of that 'no true Scotsman' fallacy, even if some of what it implied to AF has been something to argue against in my head rather than agree with.

He certainly wouldn't accept THE ontological argument (as in Anselm) but, as far as I can see anyway, he does seem to be accepting some sort of argument (which has distant echoes of Aquinas!!) that we are forced into deductions of certain 'necessary pre-conditions' from (scientifically) observable features of the world. I haven't read the new introduction to 'God and Philosophy' in which he sets all this out though so mustn't put words into his mouth.

Oh dear, yet another one for the 'to do' list.

I don't see why you'd call them necessary preconditions? If you can find the interview with Gary Habermas in which AF 'came out' he does talk about Aquinas though (a bit), and Aristotle (a lot): Habermas asks him if Ayer and co would think he's betrayed their cause and he says something like 'well, I don't think they were really familiar with what Aristotle had said' (viz. this stuff about God just being a first cause and not having to possess any of the attributes, particularly the moral attributes, traditionally conferred on him by most religious outlooks). He also praises Spinoza for not leaping to assumptions about God's additional qualities, though I can't really comment because - to my very great shame - I know next to no Spinoza ('to do' lists, like you say: bad, isn't it!).

I was mugged five minutes away from my house as I walked back from the bus stop. I had just walked my girlfriend to the bus and idly wondered if she was going to be ok walking through town on her own. Muggings are not very common in this neck of the wood (which is a little distance to the north-east of Durham) and the police and local people were incredibly shocked.

Which all goes to show that you can be in the poshest part of the world and still get mugged. It all comes down to being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Richard,  you know me, I was coming to drink, not to hear yer plinky-plonk ( )...will you be up for even a quickie expensive/crap lager pre-Berlin packing...?

Dearest A, if I knew the area I would suggest an establishment where we could meet...however, I don't and was waiting for others with 'the Gen' to make suggestions. Never mind the mugging, I'll drink anywhere...!