Common Ground

Dawson Bethrick of "Incinerating Presuppositionalism" has completed a series of articles examining areas which are shared in common between believers and non-believers. His thesis is that "'common ground' is a tightrope that presuppositionalists are compelled to navigate as a result of various contradictions within the Christian religion's view of man and the antithesis it employs to divide men against each other."

This series examines seven different questions:

1. What do believers and unbelievers, if they share anything at all, have in common?
2. How is this common ground to be evaluated?
3. What is shared/unshared metaphysically?
4. What is shared/unshared epistemologically?
5. What is shared/unshared ethically?
6. In what ways can believers and unbelievers cooperate with one another intellectually/socially/politically?
7. What consequences do those matters that divide Christian and non-Christian have for how Christians are to do philosophy?

It's a fascinating series, albeit one which may not be palatable to the average believer. However, the other day as I was talking with Derek Sansone at lunch, it occurred to me that, despite the fact that such an overwhelming majority of people (at least, in this country) consider themselves believers, there is a profound amount of cooperation between them and non-believers, in many areas of practical existence. Is it possible that this common ground, for all practical purposes, has already been granted?