Alvin Plantinga
A philosopher who mounted a rigorous, logical defense of religious belief, reshaping debates about God and reason in modern thought.
Born 1932 (age 94)·American Christian philosopher·Birthday: November 15·The Silent Generation
Biography
Born in Michigan in 1932, Alvin Plantinga carved a path through the often secular world of analytic philosophy while holding fast to his Christian convictions. His academic career, which included long tenures at Calvin University and the University of Notre Dame, was marked by a bold project: to demonstrate that belief in God could be intellectually respectable. Plantinga didn't just argue; he built sophisticated philosophical systems. His 'free will defense' tackled the ancient problem of evil with formal logic, while his work in epistemology argued that belief in God could be a properly basic belief, requiring no external justification. He challenged a generation of thinkers to reconsider the foundations of knowledge and faith, earning a reputation as a formidable mind who refused to let religious belief be marginalized in serious philosophical discourse.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Alvin was born in 1932, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alvin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1932
#1 Movie
Grand Hotel
Best Picture
Grand Hotel
Alvin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1932Born
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1937Started school
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1945Became a teenager
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1948Could drive
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1950Could vote
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1953Turned 21
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1962Turned 30
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1972Turned 40
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1982Turned 50
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1992Turned 60
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 70
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 80
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2026Age 94 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Developed the 'free will defense', a highly influential logical argument addressing the problem of evil.
- Pioneered 'Reformed epistemology', arguing that belief in God can be rational without evidence.
- Served as the John A. O'Brien Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame.
- Delivered the prestigious Gifford Lectures in 1987, published as 'Warrant: The Current Debate' and 'Warrant and Proper Function'.
- Served as President of the American Philosophical Association, Central Division, in 1981.
Did You Know?
He is an avid birdwatcher and has a species of Haitian lizard, *Anolis plantinga*, named in his honor.
Plantinga comes from a family of academics; his father was a professor of psychology and his brother was a theologian.
He was awarded the Templeton Prize in 2017 for his contributions to affirming life's spiritual dimension.
“It is no part of epistemology, as I see it, to tell us what we may or may not believe in basic way; its job is rather to investigate the structure of our noetic furnishings.”
