[FOM] Concerning proof, truth, and certainty in mathematics

[Monroe Eskew]

On Mon, Aug 2, 2010 at 10:18 AM, Vaughan Pratt <pratt at cs.stanford.edu> wrote:
> The mathematician's gut instinct is to dismiss theology as lacking the
> precision of argument needed for reliable mathematics.  But this is
> almost surely based on encounters with the amateur theologians
> encountered in the pulpit, on blogs, etc.  To judge theology that way
> instead of analyzing the reasoning in the proceedings of a modern
> theological conference is like judging our understanding of global
> warming from Conservapedia's take on it instead of say the ninth edition
> of Donald C. Ahren's "Meteorology Today."

Vaughan,

Are there writings that one might call "formal theology"?  Are there
theological theorems and open problems?  I once read an essay by a
Catholic Cardinal that was much more philosophically careful and
sophisticated than typical religious talk, but I have never seen
something like you describe--theology which differs from mathematics
only in subject matter.

Best,
Monroe