Customer Reviews

On the Nature and Existence of God

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Gale's book is introduced as a critical response to the analytic arguments offered by Plantinga, Swinburne, Alston, and others. He begins by discussing several atheological arguments, which he uses to clarify the nature of God's attributes instead of refuting God's existence. He then proceeds to refute different versions of ontological, cosmological, religious-experience, and pragmatic arguments for God's existence. Technical, yet very witty. Recommended reading for anyone with an academic interest in the philosophy of religion. -- Jeffery Jay Lowde

I came across this one at a local book store in my neighborhood, and it was a very good find. I had never heard of this book, nor do I recall any other Atheist sites that list it, yet I rate it with Martin's Atheism: A Philosophical Justification as one of the better books on the subject. The author does not cover the basics anywhere near as thorough as Smith does, but the book is a nice introduction to Atheological arguments. Attempts are made to discredit the existence of God, and the very concept of some of His attributes (such as omnipotence, omniscience, et cetera). Most entertaining of all, Gale touches on the question of things God can and cannot create (such as four-sided triangles, et cetera). While these are questions that many theists have tried to wave off as absurd or even sophomoric, Gale does a great job of giving them a more sound quality

Gale casts a skeptical eye on the metaphysical issues surrounding philosophy of religion with keen perception and a good dose of blatant silliness. Issues explored include: the coherence of the Anselmian God of classical theism, Plantinga's much celebrated Free Will Defense, modal realism and theism, ontological arguments, modal cosmological arguments, religious experience, and prudential arguments for theistic belief. Gale doesn't just point out possible objections to theistic arguments, he explores their reasoning thoroughly; when he is finished, whether you agree with him or not, you understand the issues much better. A secondary, if still pressing, reason to read the book is Gale's sense of humor, which makes for odd (and engrossing) reading, with goofiness and sober logical analysis often side by side (quick example: in discussing the concept of a logically necessary God, Gale challenges Plantinga and others with an argument for the possibility of a world that is strongly inconsistent with God's existence; when Phil Quinn of Notre Dame responds with differing modal intuitions, Gale challenges him to a Modal Intuition Bowl, to be held between Pittsburgh and Notre Dame.) Fun, challenging, and enlightening reading.

Gale's book is introduced as a critical response to the analytic arguments offered by Plantinga, Swinburne, Alston, and others. He begins by discussing several atheological arguments, which he uses to clarify the nature of God's attributes instead of refuting God's existence. He then proceeds to refute different versions of ontological, cosmological, religious-experience, and pragmatic arguments for God's existence. Technical, yet very witty. Recommended reading for anyone with an academic interest in the philosophy of religion.

Richard Gale taught my philosophy of religion class at the University of Pittsburgh and used this book as one of the texts. He is an acute reasoner and this book reflects his ability to tear apart arguments that otherwise seem unassailable. A word to the wise who wish to read the book: Gale uses modal logic pretty extensively in parts so be forewarned if the subject gives you problems. --Matt Hunt

Some reviewer have had some problems with the more technical aspects of this book, but they are there precisely because Prof. Gale is dealing with the most subtle and sophisticated problems in the most subtle and sophisticated way. It is helpful, but not at all necessary, to have some familiarity with modal logic. Readers without the technical background will still be able to follow most of Prof. Gale's arguments.
The virtues of this book are numerous. When it comes to the issues of whether "God" is a self-consistent concept, whether the universe requires an explanation, whether the argument from evil is defeated by appeal to free will, and whether religious experience provides a rational basis for religious belief, there are simply no comparable treatments available. Gale's treatments are far and away the most comprehensive and sophisticated available. Gale also has an unfailing sense of humor and has no particular axe to grind.

Gale's book is introduced as a critical response to the analytic arguments offered by Plantinga, Swinburne, Alston, and others. He begins by discussing several atheological arguments, which he uses to clarify the nature of God's attributes instead of refuting God's existence. He then proceeds to refute different versions of ontological, cosmological, religious-experience, and pragmatic arguments for God's existence. Technical, yet very witty. Recommended reading for anyone with an academic interest in the philosophy of religion.

Richard Gale taught my philosophy of religion class at the University of Pittsburgh and used this book as one of the texts. He is an acute reasoner and this book reflects his ability to tear apart arguments that otherwise seem unassailable. A word to the wise who wish to read the book: Gale uses modal logic pretty extensively in parts so be forewarned if the subject gives you problems. --Matt Hunt