Nonbelief & Evil: Two Arguments for the Nonexistence of God [Hardcover]

Theodore M. Drange (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1998

Can God's non-existence be established by good, clear, objective evidence? It all depends on what is meant by 'God'. This book expands the frontiers of philosophy by exploring this nest of issues in more detail than ever before, while presenting a strong case for atheism. The two major arguments in support of non-existence, the more established Argument from Evil and the recent Argument from Non-belief, are explored individually and in parallel development while defending both against the strongest objections. Included are examinations of the free-will problem, the possibility of an afterlife, arguments by theists, and positive atheism. Drange also discusses specific concepts of the duty e.g. of evangelical and liberal Christianity, and orthodox Judaism to demonstrate how theological and theological arguments depend upon the conception of God one accepts.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Drange (philosophy, West Virginia Univ.) mounts a focused attack on belief in the existence of God based on the careful delineation of two arguments. Part 1 of the book sets forth the definitions of terms basic to the arguments that follow. The eight chapters of Part 2 are devoted entirely to refuting "The God of Evangelical Christianity," while in Part 3 only a chapter a piece is allotted to orthodox Judaism, liberal Christianity, and broad theistic belief. Drange sets out to refute the seven defenses against the Argument from Evil and the five defenses against the Argument from Nonbelief; his "overall aim is to show that each of the 12 defenses [of belief in God] is refuted by at least one good objection." Drange's goal is to provide material of interest to a "dichotomy of readers": evangelical Christians vs. everyone else and professional philosophers vs. lay readers. Within limits, he is successful. The arguments are clear and accessible but rigorous enough to interest scholars. Recommended for philosophy of religion collections.AEugene O. Bowser, Univ. of Northern Colorado, Greeley
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 340 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (August 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573922285
• ISBN-13: 978-1573922289
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,457,160 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent contribution to atheist philosophy of religion, August 22, 1998

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[e-mail] (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nonbelief & Evil: Two Arguments for the Nonexistence of God (Hardcover)

_Nonbelief and Evil_ is a fascinating, thorough, and (in my opinion) persuasive presentation of two arguments for the non-existence of God: nonbelief and evil. Drange presents his own unique formulation of the Argument from Evil, along with rebuttals to virtually every theistic defense against the argument from evil, including Alvin Plantinga's Free Will Defense, John Hick's Soul-Making Theodicy, the Unknown Purpose Defense, and much more. And the Argument from Nonbelief -- the argument that the mere existence of nonbelievers constitutes evidence for the non-existence of God -- is an original argument by Drange. I think the book will serve as a major contribution to the philosophy of religion. _Nonbelief and Evil_ also includes some interesting appendices on related issues including the argument from the Bible, the concept of an afterlife, and the fine-tuning argument. I enthusiastically endorse Drange's book.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Drange presents an incredibly forceful attack on theism., November 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Nonbelief & Evil: Two Arguments for the Nonexistence of God (Hardcover)

Drange's book, with more clarity and meticulous attention to detail than perhaps any other on the subject, demolishes traditional beliefs with two simple arguments. The existence of nonbelief (in God) and evil (premature death and suffering), as Drange persuasively demonstrates, may very well constitute an insurmountable challenge to theists, especially evangelical Christians. Both arguments severely undermine the basis of Western theology, exposing the flagrant fallacies and inconsistencies thereof in clear, straightforward language. In each chapter, Drange swiftly obliterates a common theistic defense against the arguments, first focusing primarily on the dilemmas faced by evangelical Christians and then considering other concepts of a deity, namely those of Orthodox Judaism and God in general. No matter what theodicy is brought forward, Drange amply demonstrates why it fails, ultimately concluding that it's exceedingly unlikely that there exists a god of the sort in which people typically believe. He assigns scores to both arguments as applied to the various concepts of God, thereby assessing the overall strength of each and the probability of their conclusions' truth. In so doing, Drange renders it obvious that most Western concepts of God are irreparably flawed, asserting that evangelical Christians in particular are utterly irrational in clinging to their beliefs. In the final pages of the book, Drange explains why he belives ANB (the Argument from Nonbelief) to be the more forceful of the two, a contention which, while perhaps rather controversial, certainly has its merits. I unreservedly and enthusiastically recommend that everyone read this book, particularly those who are confident that their theism is tenable but who may have failed to duly explore opposing arguments.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent! ANB is an atheistic steamroller of an argument, December 24, 2002

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M. Allen (Ohio, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nonbelief & Evil: Two Arguments for the Nonexistence of God (Hardcover)

TEN stars.

This book is outstanding. Drange formulates evidential arguments against god ideas based upon the existance of evil and nonbelief. The conclusion of these arguments is that god probably does not exist. One can conclude that there is very good reason not to believe in god. The atheist therefore is justified saying both "I don't believe in god", but also the stronger, "I believe (with good reason) that god (as defined in this sense) does not exist", not as a declaration of atheistic faith but as a conclusion of rational and solid and comprehensive argument.

These arguments, particularly the nonbelief argument, are aimed squarely and effectively at evangelical concepts of god. Drange uses Biblical support to show that god wants everyone to be saved and "come to know the truth" by the time they physically die, and yet we observe that even after 2000 years only 33% of humanity is Christian (and by the way, that number is dropping). The Argument from Non-belief establishes a necessary (to the Biblical literalist) characteristic of god, and then shows how that necessary attribute is incompatible with widespread nonbelief.

If god is omnipotent, he is capable of giving us unambiguous evidence (and has done so in the past, if biblical miracles are any indication). The theist might respond that god has a higher desire, the desire we maintain free will, and unambiguous evidence would necessarily violate our free will. Drange responds saying that evidence doesn't violate free will, it enhances it. We have a desire and a will not merely to believe, but to believe that which is TRUE, about a topic which (if true) is maximally important, our everlasting existance (or even infinite torture). If god is real and gives us evidence, he allows us not only to make a choice, but an informed and correct choice. The Bible says not only that god wants us all saved, but that we should also come to a knowledge of "the truth".

Drange does not stop there. He continues to address defenses to his argument, one by one and chapter by chapter, until the reader is left with the feeling that all rational objection has been exhausted. Very, very persuasive.

I went to the Godless Americans March on Washington and discussed the nonbelief argument with one of the Christian counter-protesters there. The premises of ANB are so conservative and basic that it was trivial to get the (poor unsuspecting) fellow to agree that they represented an accurate and fair depiction of his evangelical idea of god. (God wants belief, god is omnipotent, god is rational, etc.) But once one agrees to the (easy) premises, the argument rolls forward, hitting and flattening objection like a two mile wide steamroller. Now, results in conversation with a man on the street will probably vary from those with a professional Christian philosopher. But I have yet to see a solid refutation of ANB.

Belief in a Christian evangelical idea of god in a world of nonbelief or different belief or even varied and ambiguous belief makes very little sense, and it is extremely difficult to escape that conclusion after carefully reading this book.