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Acknowledgments

The ideas presented in this project are refined versions of rough thoughts that I had put on the backburner for several years. So, when I had the opportunity to branch out from my previous research interests and begin work in the world of the multiverse and deism I was, admittedly, both excited and scared at the task ahead of me. Being able to step outside of my philosophical comfort zone and to undertake this kind of research is definitely not something that I would have been able to do without the great support system and opportunities that surrounded me.

I credit Dale Martelli for first introducing a fifteen-year-old me to philosophy at Vancouver Technical Secondary School, and in lighting that initial spark of inquiry that I will forever carry with me. Many thanks to my previous philosophy professors who all, collectively, helped to broaden my philosophical interests as a young student. I would also like to specifically thank Dr. Yujin Nagasawa and Dr. Klaas Kraay, as there is no doubt that I would not have been able to complete this project were it not for the mentorship that you were both able to provide. I could always count on you to provide me with the guidance that I needed and to point me in the right direction.

Many of the ideas contained in this project were presented or discussed at various conferences or workshops around the world. I would like to thank those conference and workshop organizers for allowing me to participate, as well as those who commented on and criticized my work, allowing me to make the necessary adjustments to my initial arguments. I would also like to thank the editorial board at Forum Philosophicum, as well as the reviewers, for their comments on and publication of essays that would go on to become chapter 6 in this project. The ideas expressed in this chapter are derived from two papers, entitled “A Deistic Discussion of Murphy and Tracy’s Accounts of God’s Limited Activity in the World” and “Epistemic Deism Revisited,” that I previously authored and that were first published in Forum Philosophicum volumes 18 and 20; Harper (2013) and Harper (2015). They are used with permission from Forum Philosophicum.

Finally, I would like to thank my friends and family for providing me with all of the support, whatever kind I needed, in the pursuit of completing this research project. Most importantly, my wife Marina, my daughter Emmeline, and my son Beau. Thank you all for your love, your encouragement, and for providing me with the space and time necessary to complete this project. I know it has not been easy but you have been there at all hours of the day or night to help me with whatever I needed, and my ability complete this was largely due to your continued strength and support. This is for you.