Contemporary Perspectives on Religious Epistemology (Paperback)

by R. Douglas Geivett (Author), Brendan Sweetman (Author) "At the beginning of Book X of his last work The Laws, Plato turns his attention from violent and outrageous actions in general to the..." (more)
Key Phrases: beings with finite power, phenomenal quale, phenomenal qualia, New York, Notre Dame, Religious Studies (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"The book will prove its value by allowing both the serious student of philosophy and the novice to closely compare competing epistemic views. The format chosen by the editors has not stacked the deck towards one viewpoint. Therefore teachers from any background may profitably use the text....Apart from philosophy of religion courses, the book is also useful for classes in epistemology, theism, and a host of others. The editors have read widely and chosen well."--Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

"[A]n excellent volume....Scholars and students who seek guidance into recent work on the rationality of belief in God now have the volume they need. The high quality of the essays will repay careful analysis on this profound issue. It will make an excellent text for philosophy of religion courses, and will also serve well as corollary reading in systematic theology or religion courses."--Bibliotheca Sacra

"Quite sophisticated--better suited to upper level course."--Regina Hobaugh, Holy Family College

"A book of this kind is needed....Should be a good market at the graduate and upper-class undergraduate level."--John Hick, Claremont Graduate School

"An excellent, fascinating and accessible series of recent essays. The selection and organization of the readings is almost flawless."--Stephen T. Davis, Claremont McKenna College

"Appropriate for introductory courses in philosophy of religion as well as for more advanced courses focusing more specifically on epistemology of religion."--Richard Purtill, Western Washington University

"With something old and much that is recent, this collection successfully covers the contemporary state of philosophical analysis."--Shalom Carmy, Yeshiva University

"An excellent and well-balanced collection of provocative essays for students and scholars."--Bruce R. Marino, Valley Forge Christian College

"Important collection of seminal texts on such problems as Atheism, Wittgensteinian Fideism, Nahal Theology, etc. Most appropriate for background reading in preparation for class discussion. Excellent choice of texts."--Edgar C. Polome, University of Texas at Austin

"A good and provocative collection of recent thought concerning religious belief and related issues."--Kelly Nicholson, Westminster College

Product Description
This unique textbook--the first to offer balanced, comprehensive coverage of all major perspectives on the rational justification of religious belief--includes twenty-four key papers by some of the world's leading philosophers of religion. Arranged in six sections, each representing a major approach to religious epistemology, the book begins with papers by noted atheists, setting the stage for the main theistic responses--Wittgensteinian Fideism, Reformed epistemology, natural theology, prudential accounts of religious beliefs, and rational belief based in religious experience--in each case offering a representative sample of papers by leading exponents, a critical paper, and a substantial bibliography. A comprehensive introductory essay and ample cross-references help students to contrast and evaluate the different approaches, while the overall arrangement encourages them to assess the full range of philosophical positions on the issue.

Carefully selected to provide both a comprehensive overview of current work and a series of modern perspectives on many classic sources--Swinburne's detailed discussion of Hume's critique of the design argument, for example, as well as an entire section evaluating and extending Pascal's famous Wager--the essays also provide a uniquely readable survey that will be useful in a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses in philosophy of religion and epistemology.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (February 4, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019507324X
• ISBN-13: 978-0195073249
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #718,862 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Solid Collection of Scholars, November 23, 2000

By	T. B. Vick "Learn 2 Discern" (The Lone Star State) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This collection is a who's who of scholars who are dealing with the philosophical study of epistemology (the study of knowledge). The book is divided into 6 (VI) different sections which include Atheism (Antony Flew, Michael Martin, William L. Rowe, etc), Wittgensteinian Fideism (Norman Malcolm, Kai Nielsen, etc), Reformed Epistemology (Alvin Plantinga, Nicholas Wolterstorff, etc), Natural Theology (William Lane Craig, Richard Swinburne, etc), Prudential Accounts of Religious Belief (Thomas Morris, James Cargile, etc), and Rational Belief and Religious Experience (William P. Alston, John Hick, etc). Each section has a different popular philosopher discussing a particular issue that relates to epistemology. While the book itself claims to be somewhat of an introductory text, a new student to the issues at hand may get bogged down in the lingo. However, many of the articles are written in a fairly easy to read style. If you are willing to sit down and digest the contents then this book is a great text to read, but if you are wanting a more "popular" and/or easy text to read then you might hold off on this one until you get more used to the issues at hand. Either way, this book is a great tool for now or later in your current studies.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of religious epistemology, March 21, 2000

By	S. Guha (Redmond, Washington United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a very useful collection of papers by noted analytic philosophers, all concerned with the epistemology of religion. The introduction sets up the basic structure of the book, which is divided into six sections, each named after one of the major contemporary approaches to religious epistemology: atheism, natural theology, Wittgensteinian fideism, reformed epistemology, approaches based on religious experience, and prudential accounts of religious belief. I especially recommend the following: "Atheological Apologetics", "The Argument from Evil and some Varieties of Atheism" (W. Rowe), "Colors, Flavors, and God" (R. M. Adams), "The Argument from Design" (R. Swinburne), "The Groundlessness of Belief" (N. Malcolm), Plantinga's paper, and "You Bet Your Life" (Lycan & Schlesinger).