Why I Am Not a Christian

The Latin term for “let it be done,” fiat originally stems from Mary consenting to carry God’s child. In addition, it signifies Jesus’s obedience to God. In the context of “Why I Am Not a Christian,” it refers to God’s will. If one were to say that someone rules by fiat, this might not be considered a compliment but rather a comment on how controlling, demanding, or even tyrannical one’s rule might be. It’s hard to ignore that definition in the context of Russell’s lecture. However, he’s directly referencing God’s fiat as God’s will—that is, what God wishes to be done shall be done.

The argument of natural law states that the observable governing laws and order of the universe are proof of a higher being, God, having created them. Russell holds that this is one of the easily disproved and flawed arguments within the Church’s attempts to prove the existence of God. Russell acknowledges that the natural laws we have observed seem orderly upon deeper understanding; he uses the example of Isaac Newton’s study of the movement of planets to explain this. However, he also states that many things seem natural but are really human conventions, like measurements. Although an inch is an inch anywhere in the universe, it’s because humans stated what an inch should be, not because an inch naturally appeared through the will of God.

People who believe in the Western philosophy of Rationalism are rationalists. Rationalism is the belief or view that reason is the chief source and test of all knowledge. Those who believe in Rationalism hold that even reality has an inherently logical structure. Rationalists tend to reject others’ perspectives and ways of interpreting how the world works because of their emphasis on logic and reason. Russell is often quoted and is held in great renown by modern rationalists for his philosophical arguments and his ability to use logic to disprove arguments that contradict the rationalist perspective.