Richard Swinburne, the esteemed English philosopher and Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford, delivered a lecture titled “The Existence of God” at the Institute for Advanced Studies (INS) at the University of Montenegro on 28 May of this year. This event provided a significant opportunity for scholars and students to engage with one of the leading figures in the philosophy of religion and the broader philosophical community.

Swinburne’s lecture focused on examining the theistic hypothesis concerning the existence of God as an omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, and perfectly good creator of the universe. Analyzing this issue through the lens of probability theory and employing methods of natural theology, Swinburne argued that the laws of probability support the plausibility of the theistic hypothesis. The lecture was followed by a dynamic discussion, during which Swinburne addressed a wide range of topics within metaphysics, probabilistics, epistemology, and hermeneutics.

In addition to his lecture, Professor Swinburne conducted a follow-up seminar at the University of Montenegro on “The Problem of Evil,” where Montenegrin students and academics had the chance to engage with him in a more direct conversation.

His lecture and seminar were organized as part of the project “Beyond the Anticlerical Paradigm: Rethinking Secularism in Contemporary Montenegro,” supported by a grant from the University of Oxford.