Philosophy Of Religion: Guide And Anthology, A

Philosophy of Religion: A Guide and Anthology provides a comprehensive, authoritative, and accessible overview of the philosophy of religion. Under the careful editorship of Brian Davies, the book contains a selection of the best classical and contemporary writings on the philosophy of religion together with substantial commentary, introductory material, discussion questions, and detailed guides to further reading. The editorial material sets the extracts in context and guides the reader through them. Taken as a whole, the book offers the ideal, self-contained introduction to the questions which have most preoccupied Western philosophers when thinking about religion. The selection is both very comprehensive and very generous. 65 sizeable extracts map out the full range of topics most commonly encountered in courses on the philosophy of religion. Part I looks at the relation between philosophy and religious belief; Parts II-IV consider the existence and nature of God; Part V addresses the 'problem of evil'; and Parts VI and VII are devoted to the relationship between morality and religion and to the question of life after death. Review: 'Comprehensive, representative, good guidance and advice', Dr Andrew Dawson, Chester College 'The selection of articles is exceptionally good for an introductory course in the subject. The questions are also useful for discussion in class and writing projects', Dr Victoria S Harrison, Birkbeck College Table of Contents: Preface; General Introduction; Advice on Reading; PART I. PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS BELIEF; Introduction; 1. Faith and Reason in Harmony; 2. The Ethics of Belief; 3. The Presumption of Atheism; 4. Religious Belief as 'Properly Basic'; 5. Evidence and Religious Belief; 6. Grammar and Religious Belief; 7. The Groundlessness of Religious Belief; Questions for Discussion; Advice on Further Reading; PART II. THE PROBLEM OF GOD-TALK; Introduction; 8. How Believers Find God-Talk Puzzling; 9. God-Talk is Evidently Nonsense; 10. God-Talk is Not Evidently Nonsense; 11. 'Death by a Thousand Qualifications'; 12. One Way of Understanding God-Talk; Questions for Discussion; Advice on Reading; PART III. ARGUMENTS FOR GOD'S EXISTENCE; Introduction; Advice on Reading; COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENTS; Introduction; 13. A Concise Cosmological Argument from the Eleventh Century; 14. A Thirteenth Century Cosmological Argument; 15. A Fourteenth-Century Cosmological Argument; 16. A Seventeenth-Century Cosmological Argument; 17. A Modern Cosmological Argument; 18. Objections to Cosmological Arguments; 19. More Objections to Cosmological Arguments; 20. Why is a Cause Always Necessary?; 21. 'Whatever Has a Beginning of Existence Must Have a Cause'; 22. Can there be an Endless Regress of Causes?; Questions for Discussion; Advice on Further Reading; 23. INTRODUCTION; Introduction; 29. Anselm Argues That God Cannot Be Thought Not To Exist; 30. Gaunilo Argues that Anselm is Wrong; 31. Anselm Replies to Gaunilo; 32. Descartes Defends An Ontological Argument; 33. Descartes Replies to Critics; 34. A Classic Repudiation of Ontological Arguments; 35. A Contemporary Defence of Ontological Arguments; Questions for Discussion; Advice on Reading; GOD AND HUMAN EXPERIENCE; Introduction; 36. Why 'Knowing God by Experience' is a Notion Open to Question; 37. Can We Know God by Experience?; 38. Why Should There Not Be Experience of God?; Questions for Discussion; Advice on Reading; PART IV. WHAT IS GOD?; Introduction; Advice on Further Reading; OMNIPOTENT; Introduction; 39. A Modern Discussion of Divine Omnipotence; 40. Why Think of God as Omnipotent?; 41. Miracles and Laws of Nature; 42. Why We Should Disbelieve in Miracles; Questions for Discussion; Advice on Reading; KNOWING; Introduction; 43. Why Ascribe Knowledge to God?; 44. Omniscience and Human Freedom: a Classic Discussion; 45. Problems for the Notion of Divine Omniscience; Questions for Discussion; Advice on Further Reading; ETERNAL; Introduction; 46. Why Call God 'Eternal'?; 47. God is 'Everlasting', not 'Eternal'; 48. A Modern Defence of Divine Eternity; Questions for Discussion; Advice on Reading; SIMPLE; Introduction; 50. A Classic Defence of Divine Simplicity; 51. Problems with Divine Simplicity; 52. A Modern Defence of Divine Simplicity; Questions for Discussion; Advice on Further Reading; PART V. THE PROBLEM OF EVIL; Introduction; 53. Evil Shows that there is no God; 54. What is Evil?; 55. Evil Does Not Show That There Is No God; 56. God, Evil, and Divine Responsibility; 57. God and Human Freedom; Questions for Discussion; Advice on Reading; PART VI. MORALITY AND RELIGION; Introduction; 58. God as a 'Postulate' of Sound Moral Thinking; 59. Why Morality Implies the Existence of God; 60. Moral Thinking as Awareness of God; 61. Morality does not Imply the Existence of God; Questions for Discussion; Advice on Further Reading; PART VII. PEOPLE AND LIFE AFTER DEATH; Introduction; 62. Philosophy and Life After Death: The Questions and the Options; 63. Life After Death: An Ancient Greek View; 64. Belief in Life After Death Comes from Emotion, not Reason; 65. What Must be True of Me If I Survive My Death?; Questions for Discussion; Advice on Further Reading; Index