The God of Philosophy

by Roy Jackson

For centuries philosophers have argued about the existence and nature of God. Do we need God to explain the origins of the universe? Can there be morality without a divine source of goodness? How can God exist when there is so much evil and suffering in the world? All these questions and many more are brought to life with clarity and style in The God of Philosophy. The arguments for and against God's existence are weighed up, along with discussion of the meaning of religious language, the concept of God and the possibility of life after death. This new edition brings the debate right up to date by exploring the philosophical arguments of the new atheists such as Richard Dawkins, as well as considering what the latest discoveries in science can tell us about why many believe in the existence of the divine.

Genres: Philosophy, Religion

192 pages, Hardcover

First published November 12, 2001

About the author

I am a Reader in the Philosophy of Religion, teaching courses on Islam, Nietzsche, Greek philosophy, and philosophy of religion. I am particularly interested in the interaction between western philosophy and the religious claims made by Islam, which align with my view that philosophy and religion are intertwined.


Awards

University Teaching Fellowship

Awarded research grant for Learning for Sustainable Futures (LFSF) in Education
Erasmus exchange with University of Cordoba

Membership of professional bodies
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA)

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA)

Member of the Council for the British Association for Islamic Studies (BRAIS)

British Association for the Study of Religion (BASR)

Reviews

[Einzige · Rating 3 out of 5]

Right of the bat its probably one of the more neutral and least smug books on topic famed for smugness you will find which is special. This is a solid entry level book for people questioning the existence for God and not all too familiar with the area or philosophy behind it. So whilst its plain an neutral language true to its title make for a good introductory text its not going to be the book that will give you a conclusive answer on any of the arguments. Still its a good enough starting point and points to sources to explore to tackle what are surprisingly difficult and nuanced questions. If thats what you are after this is definitely a 4.

Oh and for those who care it doesnt directly deal with the transcendental argument.

[Richard Newton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good, but rather gentle, guide through the philosophy of religion. Like most such books it is very orientated towards the classic monotheistic religions. It makes a very valiant attempt to be unbiased towards either side of the arguments, but simply to explain the main arguments for and against religion. I was not quite sure who it is aimed at - if you are looking for a wide, moderately deep overview then this will suit you. It assumes almost no philosophical knowledge and introduces a wide range of philosophical ideas to support the arguments. However, to do this, these have to be introduced with such brevity that they miss some important details. If you are looking for a serious introduction to the philosophy of religion this may be too shallow and something like Davies Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion may be a better choice. If you are looking for a good intelligent guide that can be read without too much effort it will be a good choice.

[Neama · Rating 5 out of 5]

One hell of a successful attempt to create a fine, yet an unbiased philosophical piece of writing.