1st Edition

Current Controversies in Philosophy of Religion

Edited By Paul Draper Copyright 2019
    204 Pages
    by CRC Press

    204 Pages
    by Routledge

    While orthodox religion by its very nature is conservative, philosophy at its best is inherently radical. It challenges authority, tradition, and the whole idea of "dogma." For this reason, philosophy of religion can be explosively controversial. It is bound to disturb those who peddle incontrovertible truth and fascinate those who seek spiritual truth and are willing to follow the argument wherever it leads. This volume is designed for such seekers. It brings together an international team of leading philosophers of religion to explore and debate radical new ideas about religion, God, and ultimate reality. Four related questions are addressed:







    • How might religion make progress?






    • Is life after death a real possibility?






    • Must a perfect God be motivated by our well-being?






    • What alternatives are there to traditional theism and materialist atheism?




    The book begins with a vision for the field of philosophy of religion and ends with a capstone chapter that touches on all of the topics debated in the other chapters. The addition of chapter overviews, annotated suggestions for further reading, and annotated guides to three additional controversies make it an ideal textbook in addition to being an important source for scholars and seekers of all kinds.

    Contents





     



    Notes on Contributors





    1 Philosophy of Religion: A Vision for the Field



    Paul Draper





    PART I: Future Progress in Religion





    2 The Future of Religion: How Might Religion Make Progress?



    J. L. Schellenberg





    3 On Making Religious Progress



    Robert McKim





    Suggestions for further reading





    PART II: Life After Death





    4 Is Hope for Another Life Rational?



    Mark Johnston





    5 Jewels in the Ontological Trash Heap: Mark Johnston's Metaphysics of Persons



    Dean Zimmerman





    Suggestions for further reading





    PART III: Divine Motivation and the Problem of Evil





    6 Is an Absolutely Perfect Being Morally Perfect?



    Mark C. Murphy





    7 The Practical Life of God



    Laura W. Ekstrom





    Suggestions for further reading





    PART IV: Alternative Concepts of God





    8 Alternatives to Benevolent Theism: Ananthropocentric Theism and Axiarchism



    Tim Mulgan





    9 Between Orthodox Theism and Materialist Atheism



    Fiona Ellis





    10 Panpsychotheism



    Paul Draper





    Suggestions for further reading





    Supplemental Guide to Further Controversies





    Index





     



     

    Biography

    Paul Draper is Professor of Philosophy at Purdue University, USA. He is the co-editor of Renewing Philosophy of Religion: Exploratory Essays (2017, with J. L. Schellenberg) and the editor of God or Blind Nature? Philosophers Debate the Evidence (2008). His articles on the problem of evil, fine-tuning, atheism and agnosticism, and confirmation theory have appeared in such journals as American Philosophical Quarterly, Faith and Philosophy, Noûs, Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, Religious Studies, and The Monist.