Francis X. Clooney
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195138542
- eISBN:
- 9780199834099
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195138546.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
Explores the nature of the demonstration of God's existence in representative theological writings from the Hindu and Christian traditions.
Explores the nature of the demonstration of God's existence in representative theological writings from the Hindu and Christian traditions.
Richard Messer
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198269717
- eISBN:
- 9780191683763
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198269717.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
The possibility of proving the existence of God has fascinated thinkers and believers throughout the centuries. For those like Richard Swinburne, such a project is both worthwhile and successful. For ...
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The possibility of proving the existence of God has fascinated thinkers and believers throughout the centuries. For those like Richard Swinburne, such a project is both worthwhile and successful. For others, like D. Z. Phillips, it is wholly inappropriate. Most critics have simply taken sides at this point; but this book argues a way forward, showing that the disparity between Swinburne and Phillips goes deeper — questioning the fundamental nature of God, the meaning of religious language, and the proper task of philosophy. The author of this book argues that behind each thinker's work, and their attitudes towards proving the existence of God, lies fundamental trust. A positive discussion of relativism leads to a fresh analysis of the arguments for God's existence, particularly the ontological argument: the author shows that these are worthwhile — although not for the traditional reasons.Less
The possibility of proving the existence of God has fascinated thinkers and believers throughout the centuries. For those like Richard Swinburne, such a project is both worthwhile and successful. For others, like D. Z. Phillips, it is wholly inappropriate. Most critics have simply taken sides at this point; but this book argues a way forward, showing that the disparity between Swinburne and Phillips goes deeper — questioning the fundamental nature of God, the meaning of religious language, and the proper task of philosophy. The author of this book argues that behind each thinker's work, and their attitudes towards proving the existence of God, lies fundamental trust. A positive discussion of relativism leads to a fresh analysis of the arguments for God's existence, particularly the ontological argument: the author shows that these are worthwhile — although not for the traditional reasons.
Francis X. Clooney
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195138542
- eISBN:
- 9780199834099
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195138546.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
Hindu God, Christian God, an exercise in comparative theology, proposes that theology today is an interreligious discipline and illustrates this with reference to Christianity and ...
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Hindu God, Christian God, an exercise in comparative theology, proposes that theology today is an interreligious discipline and illustrates this with reference to Christianity and Hinduism. Thinkers in many religious traditions share similar theological questions and problems in their quest to understand their faith, and so too use comparable methods for seeking right answers. However, much traditions emphasize their uniqueness and the necessity of faith, their thinkers usually teach, and often such teachings are recorded and become available as books that can be read and understood, and even translated. Religions are partially intelligible to outsiders; reasoning inquirers, in beginning to understand various beliefs and practices, cross even the most firmly fixed religious boundaries. In the process, they learn from the new tradition and also see their own tradition anew, by a comparative reading process. The best theology is therefore not only interreligious but also comparative, well versed in how different traditions have dealt with the same concerns.It is also dialogical, since authors must explain their ideas in ways that at least make sense to thinkers in the other traditions being discussed; they also need to be willing to learn from the critiques and responses of those other thinkers. Lastly, the discovery of common ground and shared concerns does not mean agreement; believers can still disagree and continue to hold views at odds with what others believe. Apologetics remains an issue. Hindu God, Christian God argues these points by bringing into conversation Christian theological beliefs – exemplified by the writings of Richard Swinburne, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Karl Rahner, and Karl Barth — and beliefs from some major Hindu traditions, including Nyaya [Logic], Vaisnavism [devotion to Visnu], and Saivism [devotion to Siva], as expressed in classic Sanskrit‐ and Tamil‐language texts. Issues discussed include Hindu and Christian views of God's nature; proofs for God's existence; the true religion; incarnation or divine embodiment; revelation as offering definitive knowledge of religious truth.Less
Hindu God, Christian God, an exercise in comparative theology, proposes that theology today is an interreligious discipline and illustrates this with reference to Christianity and Hinduism. Thinkers in many religious traditions share similar theological questions and problems in their quest to understand their faith, and so too use comparable methods for seeking right answers. However, much traditions emphasize their uniqueness and the necessity of faith, their thinkers usually teach, and often such teachings are recorded and become available as books that can be read and understood, and even translated. Religions are partially intelligible to outsiders; reasoning inquirers, in beginning to understand various beliefs and practices, cross even the most firmly fixed religious boundaries. In the process, they learn from the new tradition and also see their own tradition anew, by a comparative reading process. The best theology is therefore not only interreligious but also comparative, well versed in how different traditions have dealt with the same concerns.
It is also dialogical, since authors must explain their ideas in ways that at least make sense to thinkers in the other traditions being discussed; they also need to be willing to learn from the critiques and responses of those other thinkers. Lastly, the discovery of common ground and shared concerns does not mean agreement; believers can still disagree and continue to hold views at odds with what others believe. Apologetics remains an issue.
Hindu God, Christian God argues these points by bringing into conversation Christian theological beliefs – exemplified by the writings of Richard Swinburne, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Karl Rahner, and Karl Barth — and beliefs from some major Hindu traditions, including Nyaya [Logic], Vaisnavism [devotion to Visnu], and Saivism [devotion to Siva], as expressed in classic Sanskrit‐ and Tamil‐language texts. Issues discussed include Hindu and Christian views of God's nature; proofs for God's existence; the true religion; incarnation or divine embodiment; revelation as offering definitive knowledge of religious truth.
Douglas M. Jesseph
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- July 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195177602
- eISBN:
- 9780199835553
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195177606.003.0012
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This chapter is divided into three sections. The first summarizes the three supposedly different arguments Berkeley used to show the existence of God and gives a brief overview of the interpretive ...
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This chapter is divided into three sections. The first summarizes the three supposedly different arguments Berkeley used to show the existence of God and gives a brief overview of the interpretive puzzles posed by this classification. The second section considers Berkeley's requirement that any proof of God's existence must show that God is immediately present in the world; this section also makes the case for seeing all three of Berkeley's arguments as instances of a common strategy of inference to the best explanation. The final section explores some difficulties that arise for this sort of argument, particularly in connection with Berkeley's account of causation and explanation.Less
This chapter is divided into three sections. The first summarizes the three supposedly different arguments Berkeley used to show the existence of God and gives a brief overview of the interpretive puzzles posed by this classification. The second section considers Berkeley's requirement that any proof of God's existence must show that God is immediately present in the world; this section also makes the case for seeing all three of Berkeley's arguments as instances of a common strategy of inference to the best explanation. The final section explores some difficulties that arise for this sort of argument, particularly in connection with Berkeley's account of causation and explanation.
Peter C. Hodgson
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199273614
- eISBN:
- 9780191602443
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199273618.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
God is the absolute truth and substance of all things, the universal in which everything subsists. As such God is also absolute subjectivity, or spirit. The concrete development of this idea of God ...
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God is the absolute truth and substance of all things, the universal in which everything subsists. As such God is also absolute subjectivity, or spirit. The concrete development of this idea of God yields the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. But Hegel first reflects on the concept of God in a more abstract philosophical sense, where he is at pains to distinguish an authentic panentheism (all things have their being in God) from a spurious pantheism (everything is God). The analysis then shifts from the being to the knowledge of God, of which, according to Hegel, there are four basic forms: immediate knowledge (faith), feeling, representation (Vorstellung), and thought. Each is valid, but each is also superseded by the next form. Thinking about God appears in the various religions as proofs of the existence of God (cosmological, teleological, ontological). If knowledge of God is the theoretical form of the religious relationship, the worship of God is the practical form—indeed the form in which the relationship is consummated by the participation of the believer in God through cultic acts such as devotion, sacrifice, and sacraments.Less
God is the absolute truth and substance of all things, the universal in which everything subsists. As such God is also absolute subjectivity, or spirit. The concrete development of this idea of God yields the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. But Hegel first reflects on the concept of God in a more abstract philosophical sense, where he is at pains to distinguish an authentic panentheism (all things have their being in God) from a spurious pantheism (everything is God). The analysis then shifts from the being to the knowledge of God, of which, according to Hegel, there are four basic forms: immediate knowledge (faith), feeling, representation (Vorstellung), and thought. Each is valid, but each is also superseded by the next form. Thinking about God appears in the various religions as proofs of the existence of God (cosmological, teleological, ontological). If knowledge of God is the theoretical form of the religious relationship, the worship of God is the practical form—indeed the form in which the relationship is consummated by the participation of the believer in God through cultic acts such as devotion, sacrifice, and sacraments.
Brian Leftow
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195138092
- eISBN:
- 9780199835348
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195138090.003.0005
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter presents and critically discusses the main historical variants of the “ontological argument,” a form of a priori argument for the existence of God pioneered by Anselm of Canterbury. I ...
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This chapter presents and critically discusses the main historical variants of the “ontological argument,” a form of a priori argument for the existence of God pioneered by Anselm of Canterbury. I assess the contributions of Anselm, Descartes, Leibniz, and Gödel, and criticisms by Gaunilo, Kant, and Oppy among others.Less
This chapter presents and critically discusses the main historical variants of the “ontological argument,” a form of a priori argument for the existence of God pioneered by Anselm of Canterbury. I assess the contributions of Anselm, Descartes, Leibniz, and Gödel, and criticisms by Gaunilo, Kant, and Oppy among others.
DAVID R. LAW
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198263364
- eISBN:
- 9780191682506
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198263364.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter examines Søren Kierkegaard's doctrine of God. It discusses Kierkegaard's definition of the term God and his treatment of the arguments for the existence of God. It analyses how human ...
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This chapter examines Søren Kierkegaard's doctrine of God. It discusses Kierkegaard's definition of the term God and his treatment of the arguments for the existence of God. It analyses how human beings acquire knowledge of God and highlights the apophaticism implicit in Kierkegaard's thoughts. This chapter concludes that Kierkegaard believed that all arguments for the existence of God are inadequate and invalid. This is because God is transcendent of both the world and man's reasoning faculties and as such arguments for the existence of God would only be viable if man is above God and able to treat him as an object.Less
This chapter examines Søren Kierkegaard's doctrine of God. It discusses Kierkegaard's definition of the term God and his treatment of the arguments for the existence of God. It analyses how human beings acquire knowledge of God and highlights the apophaticism implicit in Kierkegaard's thoughts. This chapter concludes that Kierkegaard believed that all arguments for the existence of God are inadequate and invalid. This is because God is transcendent of both the world and man's reasoning faculties and as such arguments for the existence of God would only be viable if man is above God and able to treat him as an object.
Thomas C. Vinci
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195113297
- eISBN:
- 9780199833825
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195113292.003.0004
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
There are two main formulations of a key causal principle in the Cartesian a priori philosophical system: one, present in Meditation III, says that the cause of the representational content ...
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There are two main formulations of a key causal principle in the Cartesian a priori philosophical system: one, present in Meditation III, says that the cause of the representational content (”objective reality”) of an idea must be situated at the same or higher level in ontology than the level at which the object represented is situated (the ”levels formulation”), the other, present in the axioms section of the Second Replies, says that the cause must contain ( formally or eminently) the same property (”reality”) as is represented by the idea (the ”same‐property” formulation). This central chapter defends four main contentions. (1) The same‐property formulation is basic in Descartes's system. (2) The notion of causality in the basic causal principle does not represent a spatio temporally extended natural process but a form of intentional explanation. (3) When point (2) is combined with the interpretation of the rule of truth offered in Ch. 2, the rule of truth and the basic causal principle prove to be equivalent. Finally, (4) in light of (3), there is one main pattern of inference in Cartesian epistemology taking the rule of truth/causal principle as its major premise and underlying all of Descartes arguments from my ideas to the existence of things outside my ideas, including the proof of my own existence (the cogito), the proof of the existence of God in Meditations III and V and the proof of the existence of the external world in Meditation VI and the Principles of Philosophy II,1.Less
There are two main formulations of a key causal principle in the Cartesian a priori philosophical system: one, present in Meditation III, says that the cause of the representational content (”objective reality”) of an idea must be situated at the same or higher level in ontology than the level at which the object represented is situated (the ”levels formulation”), the other, present in the axioms section of the Second Replies, says that the cause must contain ( formally or eminently) the same property (”reality”) as is represented by the idea (the ”same‐property” formulation). This central chapter defends four main contentions. (1) The same‐property formulation is basic in Descartes's system. (2) The notion of causality in the basic causal principle does not represent a spatio temporally extended natural process but a form of intentional explanation. (3) When point (2) is combined with the interpretation of the rule of truth offered in Ch. 2, the rule of truth and the basic causal principle prove to be equivalent. Finally, (4) in light of (3), there is one main pattern of inference in Cartesian epistemology taking the rule of truth/causal principle as its major premise and underlying all of Descartes arguments from my ideas to the existence of things outside my ideas, including the proof of my own existence (the cogito), the proof of the existence of God in Meditations III and V and the proof of the existence of the external world in Meditation VI and the Principles of Philosophy II,1.
Richard Messer
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198269717
- eISBN:
- 9780191683763
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198269717.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
This introductory chapter explains the coverage of this book, which is about the need or the possibility of rationally proving the existence of God. It reveals a relativity of attitudes towards the ...
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This introductory chapter explains the coverage of this book, which is about the need or the possibility of rationally proving the existence of God. It reveals a relativity of attitudes towards the Proofs engendered by a relativity of attitudes towards central philosophical and theological issues. The differing views on philosophical faiths involve one school having faith in philosophy as rational justification and another having faith in philosophy as grammatical clarification. This book explores the relativity of fundamental philosophical and theological presuppositions and the interaction between the two conflicting philosophical schools.Less
This introductory chapter explains the coverage of this book, which is about the need or the possibility of rationally proving the existence of God. It reveals a relativity of attitudes towards the Proofs engendered by a relativity of attitudes towards central philosophical and theological issues. The differing views on philosophical faiths involve one school having faith in philosophy as rational justification and another having faith in philosophy as grammatical clarification. This book explores the relativity of fundamental philosophical and theological presuppositions and the interaction between the two conflicting philosophical schools.
Richard Messer
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198269717
- eISBN:
- 9780191683763
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198269717.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter examines the proper role of philosophy on the issue of the existence of God and the traditional philosophical acceptance and rejection of the principle of rationality. This principle ...
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This chapter examines the proper role of philosophy on the issue of the existence of God and the traditional philosophical acceptance and rejection of the principle of rationality. This principle proposes that the issue of the existence of God is susceptible to philosophical justification or refutation and that reason can be usefully applied to discussion of God's existence. This chapter shows that the Wittgensteinian school of philosophy stands in a long tradition of rejection of the principle of rationality and discusses the appropriateness of the Proofs.Less
This chapter examines the proper role of philosophy on the issue of the existence of God and the traditional philosophical acceptance and rejection of the principle of rationality. This principle proposes that the issue of the existence of God is susceptible to philosophical justification or refutation and that reason can be usefully applied to discussion of God's existence. This chapter shows that the Wittgensteinian school of philosophy stands in a long tradition of rejection of the principle of rationality and discusses the appropriateness of the Proofs.
Michael C. Banner
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198240198
- eISBN:
- 9780191680113
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198240198.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Science
This chapter discusses the character of a theistic answer to the problem of evil. The discussion focuses on two of this problem's features. The first feature of this problem is that it presents the ...
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This chapter discusses the character of a theistic answer to the problem of evil. The discussion focuses on two of this problem's features. The first feature of this problem is that it presents the most pressing and persuasive objection to belief in the existence of God. The second feature is that it illustrates the claim that reflection on science is encouraging to particular and traditional modes of its defence instead of being destructive.Less
This chapter discusses the character of a theistic answer to the problem of evil. The discussion focuses on two of this problem's features. The first feature of this problem is that it presents the most pressing and persuasive objection to belief in the existence of God. The second feature is that it illustrates the claim that reflection on science is encouraging to particular and traditional modes of its defence instead of being destructive.
William Lane Craig
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198263838
- eISBN:
- 9780191682650
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198263838.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion, Theology
This chapter presents an essay which evaluates the history of the argument about the finitude of the past and the existence of God in Christian, Islamic, and Jewish thought. It argues in defense of ...
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This chapter presents an essay which evaluates the history of the argument about the finitude of the past and the existence of God in Christian, Islamic, and Jewish thought. It argues in defense of this argument in light of contemporary developments in science and philosophy, and updates relevant aspects of observational and theoretical cosmology. This chapter also discusses Zeno's paradoxes, Immanuel Kant's first antimony concerning time, God's relationship to time, and the thermodynamic confirmation of the beginning of the universe.Less
This chapter presents an essay which evaluates the history of the argument about the finitude of the past and the existence of God in Christian, Islamic, and Jewish thought. It argues in defense of this argument in light of contemporary developments in science and philosophy, and updates relevant aspects of observational and theoretical cosmology. This chapter also discusses Zeno's paradoxes, Immanuel Kant's first antimony concerning time, God's relationship to time, and the thermodynamic confirmation of the beginning of the universe.
Richard Swinburne
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198240709
- eISBN:
- 9780191598586
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198240708.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion
Investigates whether the claim that there is a God can be spelt out in a coherent way. Part 1 analyses how we can show some claim to be coherent or incoherent. God is supposed to be a personal being, ...
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Investigates whether the claim that there is a God can be spelt out in a coherent way. Part 1 analyses how we can show some claim to be coherent or incoherent. God is supposed to be a personal being, omnipresent, perfectly free and creator of the universe, omnipotent, omniscient, perfectly good, a source of moral obligation, and eternal. Part 2 analyses how these divine properties can be understood in a coherent and mutually consistent way. Part 3 considers divine necessity and claims that God's existence necessarily must be understood as this being the ultimate brute fact on which all else depends, but his having the divine properties necessarily must be understood as his having these properties being logically necessary for his existence. The final chapter argues that, if a God of the kind analysed in earlier chapters exists, he is worthy of worship.Less
Investigates whether the claim that there is a God can be spelt out in a coherent way. Part 1 analyses how we can show some claim to be coherent or incoherent. God is supposed to be a personal being, omnipresent, perfectly free and creator of the universe, omnipotent, omniscient, perfectly good, a source of moral obligation, and eternal. Part 2 analyses how these divine properties can be understood in a coherent and mutually consistent way. Part 3 considers divine necessity and claims that God's existence necessarily must be understood as this being the ultimate brute fact on which all else depends, but his having the divine properties necessarily must be understood as his having these properties being logically necessary for his existence. The final chapter argues that, if a God of the kind analysed in earlier chapters exists, he is worthy of worship.
Richard Messer
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198269717
- eISBN:
- 9780191683763
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198269717.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter examines the criticism of cognitive philosophers of religion on the views of D. Z. Phillips about the need to rationally prove the existence of God. Cognitive philosophers accused ...
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This chapter examines the criticism of cognitive philosophers of religion on the views of D. Z. Phillips about the need to rationally prove the existence of God. Cognitive philosophers accused Phillips of being a non-cognitivist, a revisionist, an atheist, and of cutting off belief in God from any genuine criticism by denying the application of the rationality principle to the analysis of God's existence. This chapter discusses Phillips' responses to these criticisms and argues that the disagreement between traditional philosophy of religion and Phillips' Wittgensteinianism is so great that no solution appears possible.Less
This chapter examines the criticism of cognitive philosophers of religion on the views of D. Z. Phillips about the need to rationally prove the existence of God. Cognitive philosophers accused Phillips of being a non-cognitivist, a revisionist, an atheist, and of cutting off belief in God from any genuine criticism by denying the application of the rationality principle to the analysis of God's existence. This chapter discusses Phillips' responses to these criticisms and argues that the disagreement between traditional philosophy of religion and Phillips' Wittgensteinianism is so great that no solution appears possible.
Linda Zagzebski
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195138092
- eISBN:
- 9780199835348
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195138090.003.0015
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion
Almost all religions contain a code of morality, and in spite of the factthat there are moral codes and philosophies that do not rely upon anyreligion, it has been traditionally argued that there are ...
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Almost all religions contain a code of morality, and in spite of the factthat there are moral codes and philosophies that do not rely upon anyreligion, it has been traditionally argued that there are at least threeimportant ways in which morality needs religion: (1) the goal of the morallife is unreachable without religious practice, (2) religion is necessary toprovide moral motivation, and (3) religion provides morality with itsfoundation and justification. These three ways in which morality may needreligion are independent, but I argue that there are conceptual connectionsamong the standard arguments for them. I identify reasons for resistance tothe idea that morality needs religion and then turn to arguments for each ofthe three ways in which morality may need religion. All three are related toclassic forms of the moral argument for the existence of God. I conclude bycomparing classic Divine Command Theory with my Divine Motivation Theory andargue that the latter has advantages over the former in the way it providesa theological foundation for ethics.Less
Almost all religions contain a code of morality, and in spite of the factthat there are moral codes and philosophies that do not rely upon anyreligion, it has been traditionally argued that there are at least threeimportant ways in which morality needs religion: (1) the goal of the morallife is unreachable without religious practice, (2) religion is necessary toprovide moral motivation, and (3) religion provides morality with itsfoundation and justification. These three ways in which morality may needreligion are independent, but I argue that there are conceptual connectionsamong the standard arguments for them. I identify reasons for resistance tothe idea that morality needs religion and then turn to arguments for each ofthe three ways in which morality may need religion. All three are related toclassic forms of the moral argument for the existence of God. I conclude bycomparing classic Divine Command Theory with my Divine Motivation Theory andargue that the latter has advantages over the former in the way it providesa theological foundation for ethics.
Herman Philipse
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199697533
- eISBN:
- 9780191738470
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199697533.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, Metaphysics/Epistemology
This book is a critical examination of the philosophical strategies for defending religious belief. The main strategies may be presented as conforming to the end nodes of a decision tree for a ...
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This book is a critical examination of the philosophical strategies for defending religious belief. The main strategies may be presented as conforming to the end nodes of a decision tree for a believer. The faithful can interpret a credal statement (e.g. ‘God exists’) either as a factual claim, or otherwise. If it is a factual claim, they can either be warranted to endorse it without evidence, etc., or not. Finally, should religious belief require evidential support, then ought that support be assessed by the same criteria that we use in evaluating evidence in science, or not? Each of these options has been defended by prominent analytic philosophers of religion. In Part I, Herman Philipse assesses the tenability of each of these strategies and argues that the most promising option for believers who want to be justified in accepting their creed in our scientific age is the Bayesian cumulative case strategy developed by Richard Swinburne. Parts II and III are devoted to an in-depth analysis of this case for theism. Using a ‘strategy of subsidiary arguments’, Philipse concludes (1) that theism cannot be stated meaningfully; (2) that if theism were meaningful, it would have no predictive power concerning existing evidence, so that Bayesian arguments cannot get started; and (3) that if the Bayesian cumulative case strategy did work, one should conclude that atheism is more probable than theism. According to a referee, the book is ‘full of careful, rigorous reasoning – much of it original’.Less
This book is a critical examination of the philosophical strategies for defending religious belief. The main strategies may be presented as conforming to the end nodes of a decision tree for a believer. The faithful can interpret a credal statement (e.g. ‘God exists’) either as a factual claim, or otherwise. If it is a factual claim, they can either be warranted to endorse it without evidence, etc., or not. Finally, should religious belief require evidential support, then ought that support be assessed by the same criteria that we use in evaluating evidence in science, or not? Each of these options has been defended by prominent analytic philosophers of religion. In Part I, Herman Philipse assesses the tenability of each of these strategies and argues that the most promising option for believers who want to be justified in accepting their creed in our scientific age is the Bayesian cumulative case strategy developed by Richard Swinburne. Parts II and III are devoted to an in-depth analysis of this case for theism. Using a ‘strategy of subsidiary arguments’, Philipse concludes (1) that theism cannot be stated meaningfully; (2) that if theism were meaningful, it would have no predictive power concerning existing evidence, so that Bayesian arguments cannot get started; and (3) that if the Bayesian cumulative case strategy did work, one should conclude that atheism is more probable than theism. According to a referee, the book is ‘full of careful, rigorous reasoning – much of it original’.
Alexander R. Pruss and Richard M. Gale
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195138092
- eISBN:
- 9780199835348
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195138090.003.0006
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion
The cosmological and teleological argument both start with some contingent feature of the actual world and argue that the best or only explanation of that feature is that it was produced by an ...
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The cosmological and teleological argument both start with some contingent feature of the actual world and argue that the best or only explanation of that feature is that it was produced by an intelligent and powerful supernatural being. The cosmological argument starts with a general feature, such as the existence of contingent being or the presence of motion and uses some version of the Principle of Sufficient Reason (PSR) to conclude that this feature must have an explanation. The debate then focuses on two points: first, whether the PSR in question is true, and second, whether the explanation must involve God or at least some God-like being. The teleological argument begins with a general feature of the cosmos judged to have value, such as the existence of intelligent life or the presence of order in the universe, and argues, usually inductively but sometimes deductively, that this feature is to be explained by the agency of a powerful supernatural being. Here, the debate tends to focus on whether there are alternate naturalistic explanations, such as Darwinian evolution.Less
The cosmological and teleological argument both start with some contingent feature of the actual world and argue that the best or only explanation of that feature is that it was produced by an intelligent and powerful supernatural being. The cosmological argument starts with a general feature, such as the existence of contingent being or the presence of motion and uses some version of the Principle of Sufficient Reason (PSR) to conclude that this feature must have an explanation. The debate then focuses on two points: first, whether the PSR in question is true, and second, whether the explanation must involve God or at least some God-like being. The teleological argument begins with a general feature of the cosmos judged to have value, such as the existence of intelligent life or the presence of order in the universe, and argues, usually inductively but sometimes deductively, that this feature is to be explained by the agency of a powerful supernatural being. Here, the debate tends to focus on whether there are alternate naturalistic explanations, such as Darwinian evolution.
William Lane Craig
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198263838
- eISBN:
- 9780191682650
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198263838.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion, Theology
This chapter criticizes Quentin Smith's cosmological argument for God's non-existence. It analyses the elements of Smith's Big Bang cosmological argument for the non-existence of God and offers a ...
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This chapter criticizes Quentin Smith's cosmological argument for God's non-existence. It analyses the elements of Smith's Big Bang cosmological argument for the non-existence of God and offers a counter-argument for each of them. It explains that the ontological status of the Big Bang singularity is a metaphysical question and that Smith made incorrect assumptions. Another incorrect assumption made by Smith is that animate beings that exist are those that exist in the physical universe. It explains that, according to Christian theism, the physical universe does not exhaust the created order.Less
This chapter criticizes Quentin Smith's cosmological argument for God's non-existence. It analyses the elements of Smith's Big Bang cosmological argument for the non-existence of God and offers a counter-argument for each of them. It explains that the ontological status of the Big Bang singularity is a metaphysical question and that Smith made incorrect assumptions. Another incorrect assumption made by Smith is that animate beings that exist are those that exist in the physical universe. It explains that, according to Christian theism, the physical universe does not exhaust the created order.
Jonathan Bennett
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- July 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195177602
- eISBN:
- 9780199835553
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195177606.003.0011
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
Margaret Wilson and the author of this book share an interest in and enthusiasm for the tenth chapter in Locke's Essay 4, entitled “Of Our Knowledge of the Existence of a GOD”. This chapter expounds ...
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Margaret Wilson and the author of this book share an interest in and enthusiasm for the tenth chapter in Locke's Essay 4, entitled “Of Our Knowledge of the Existence of a GOD”. This chapter expounds on this deep, subtle, intricate, flawed chapter. It attempts to clarify what happens in those nineteen sections, which is referred to by their numbers alone.Less
Margaret Wilson and the author of this book share an interest in and enthusiasm for the tenth chapter in Locke's Essay 4, entitled “Of Our Knowledge of the Existence of a GOD”. This chapter expounds on this deep, subtle, intricate, flawed chapter. It attempts to clarify what happens in those nineteen sections, which is referred to by their numbers alone.
Quentin Smith
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198263838
- eISBN:
- 9780191682650
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198263838.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion, Theology
This chapter argues in defence of the cosmological argument about God's non-existence. It proposes a coherent and plausible Big Bang cosmology that is better justified and is capable of standing up ...
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This chapter argues in defence of the cosmological argument about God's non-existence. It proposes a coherent and plausible Big Bang cosmology that is better justified and is capable of standing up to the challenge of the theistic interpretation. It explains that the objective of the argument is to further establish that Big Bang cosmology is actually inconsistent with theism, and argues that if Big Bang cosmology is true, then God does not exist.Less
This chapter argues in defence of the cosmological argument about God's non-existence. It proposes a coherent and plausible Big Bang cosmology that is better justified and is capable of standing up to the challenge of the theistic interpretation. It explains that the objective of the argument is to further establish that Big Bang cosmology is actually inconsistent with theism, and argues that if Big Bang cosmology is true, then God does not exist.
