Paul Draper

Paul Robert Draper (born 1957) is an American philosopher, widely recognized for his contributions to the philosophy of religion. His academic journey includes studying at the University of California, Irvine, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1985 with a thesis on the evidential problem of evil. Draper taught at Florida International University from 1987 to 2006 before moving to Purdue University. His research focuses on the problem of evil, particularly the argument that natural selection's brutality poses a challenge to theistic beliefs. He has also been involved in significant philosophical debates, including a notable debate with William Lane Craig in 1997. Draper's influential paper, "Pain and Pleasure: An Evidential Problem for Theists," published in 1989, proposed that the "hypothesis of indifference" better explains suffering than theism, framing it as an evidentiary problem. He is also credited with coining the term "skeptical theism." Draper served as editor of the academic journal *Philo* from 2007 to 2012 and is a co-editor for the philosophy of religion topics in the *Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy*.