The Philosophy of Religion

ISBN-13: 9781405100885 / Angielski / Miękka / 2010 / 176 str.

Edward Wierenga

Opis

Philosophy of Religion is an engaging introduction to the main tenets of this fascinating subject, written clearly and with detailed enough explanation to be accessible to those new to the field, whilst providing original and challenging ideas to more experienced students.

• The ideal introduction to this fascinating subject, providing a clear and engaging entry point to the field
• The book lucidly introduces the main issues in philosophy of religion and develops a rigorous yet accessible approach to evaluating positions on these issues
• No previous exposure to philosophy is assumed, and more technical topics are introduced and explained before they are employed
• Original ideas and new approaches to concepts within the book ensure that it is also relevant to those already familiar with the subject

Spis treści

Preface viii

1 Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion 1

2 The Cosmological Argument for God s Existence 10

3 The Ontological Argument 22

4 The Argument from Design 36

5 The Problem of Evil 50

6 Omnipotence 79

7 Omniscience, Foreknowledge, and Free Will 93

8 Divine Freedom and Moral Perfection 107

9 Miracles 119

10 The Evidentialist Objection: Clifford and James 131

11 The Evidentialist Objection and Foundationalism 143

References 159

Index 166

O autorze

Edward Wierenga is Professor of Religion and of Philosophy at the University of Rochester. He is the author of The Nature of God (1989), and over 30 articles in the philosophy of religion. His research has focused on the divine attributes and other topics in philosophical theology.

Blurb

Thinking philosophically about the nature of religion raises a variety of major questions: What is God? Is it possible to prove that God exists? Does philosophical inquiry contradict religious belief? Or are there ways of understanding divine attributes, such as perfect knowledge, power, goodness, and freedom, that are both coherent and not subject to decisive objection?

These and other fundamental questions are critically examined in Wierenga s Philosophy of Religion, a thorough and thought–provoking introduction to the study of philosophy and religious belief. This distinctive book covers a range of core topics in the philosophy of religion, and develops a rigorous, yet accessible approach to evaluating various canonical positions and contemporary treatments of the issues.

An ideal text for those new to the field, Philosophy of Religion deftly guides readers through the stable of standard philosophical and theological concepts including necessity and possibility, knowledge and belief before Wierenga uses them in application to argue original and challenging points. Replete with examples and profoundly analytical, Philosophy of Religion offers a concise overview of topics old and new in this indispensable and appealing resource.