"The treatments of opposing viewpoints are fair and well balanced. The writing style is superb: consistently economical, engaging, and clear."--Gary Rosenkrantz, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Summary
"The most comprehensive work of its kind, Reason and Religious Belief, now in its fourth edition, explores these and other perennial questions in the philosophy of religion. Drawing from the best in both classical and contemporary discussions, the authors examine religious experience, faith and reason, the divine attributes, arguments for and against the existence of God, divine action (in various forms of theism), Reformed epistemology, religious language, religious diversity, religion and science, and much more." "Retaining the engaging style and thorough coverage of previous editions, the fourth edition adds a critical new chapter on the ontological status of religion and the nature of religious claims. It also features revised treatments of omnipotence, miracles, and providence and updated suggestions for further reading. Reason and Religious Belief, Fourth Edition, is ideally suited for use with the authors' companion anthology, Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings, Third Edition (OUP, 2006)."--BOOK JACKET.
Table of Contents
Preface to the Fourth Edition Preface to the First Edition Introduction 1. Thinking about God: The Search for the Ultimate Defining Religion What is Philosophy of Religion? The God of Theism The Religious Ambiguity of Life Our Task 2. The Nature of Religion: What Are Religious Beliefs About? Non-realism Realism Wittgenstein Implications for Philosophy of Religion 3. Religious Experience: What Does It Mean to Encounter the Divine? Types of Religious Experience Religious Experience as Feeling Some Religious Experience as Perceptual Experience Religious Experience as Interpretation Based on Religious Beliefs Can Religious Experience Justify Religious Belief? The Principle of Credulity Diversity of Religious Experiences Is There a Common Core to Religious Experience? 4. Faith and Reason: How Are They Related? Can Reason Be Trusted? Strong Rationalism Fideism Critical Rationalism 5. The Divine Attributes: What is God Like? Perfect and Worthy of Worship Necessary and Self-Existent Personal and Free Creator All-Powerful, All-Knowing, and Perfectly Good God Eternal--Timeless or Everlasting 6. Theistic Arguments: Is There Evidence for God's Existence? Theistic Arguments as Proofs The Ontological Argument Contemporary Versions of the Ontological Argument The Cosmological Argument The Kalam Cosmological Argument An Atheistic Argument from the Big Bang The Atemporal Cosmological Argument The Analogical Teleological Argument The Anthropic Teleological Argument The Intelligent Design Teleological Argument The Moral Argument Cumulative Case Arguments and God The God of Religion and of Philosophy 7. Knowing God without Arguments: Does Theism Need a Basis? Evidentialism Critique of Evidentialism Plantinga on Properly Basic Beliefs Alston on Perceiving God Plantinga on Warrant and Knowledge 8. The Problem of Evil: The Case against God's Existence The Logical Problem of Evil The Evidential Problem of Evil Defense and Theodicy Themes in Theodicy Some Important Global Theodicies Horrendous Evils and the Assessment of Theism 9. Divine Action: How Does God Relate to the World? What Kind of Power Does God Exercise? What Kind of Freedom Has God Given? Does God Know What Would Have Happened? Does God Know the Actual Future? What If the Future Is Truly Open? 10. Miracles: Does God Intervene in Earthly Affairs? Miracles Defined Miracles as Historical Events Miracles as Unexplainable Events 11. Life after Death: Are There Reasons for Hope? Terminology Concepts of Life after Death Personal Identity and the Soul Immortality of the Soul Criticism of the Soul-Concept The Self as a Psychophysical Unity Re-creation and Spatio-Temporal Continuity A Posteriori Arguments for Life after Death A Priori Arguments for Life after Death Prospects 12. Religious Language: How Can We Speak Meaningfully of God? Human Language and the Infinite The Classical Theory of Analogy Verification and Falsification Issues The Functions of Religious Discourse
