The Justification of Science and the Rationality of Religious Belief
Michael C. Banner(Author)
Clarendon Press
Published in April 1990
Book
Hardback
206 pages
978-0-19-824821-7 (ISBN)
Description
An examination of the nature of scientific theories and of religious belief. The author argues that, contrary to what is often supposed, religious belief can receive a defence as compelling as that given to the best scientific theories.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Oxford University Press
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
bibliography, index
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 138 mm
Weight
394 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-824821-7 (9780198248217)
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Schweitzer Classification
Content
Part 1 The justification of science: Kuhn's challenge to the rationality of science - the structure of scientific revolutions, Kuhn's retreat, Kuhnian science-rational or irrational?; in defence of rational realism - the argument for rational realism, Wittgenstein, Rorty, Davidson and the sense of truth, is realism the best explanation?. Part 2 The rationality of religious belief: does philosophy of religion rest on a mistake? - on justifying religion, the expressive theory and its defence, intellectualism-the theory of "primeval stupidity", assessing the argument for the expressive theory, expressive or intellectualist?, the expressive theory and the facts, the case of religion; faith and the religious adequacy of explanatory justification - an argument from the motive for faith, the nature of faith, religion and decisive adherence; theism and inferring to the best explanation - an objection from the nature of explanation, Darwin and inferring to the best explanation, explanatory power and an objection to ad hocness, the place of simplicity; the problem of evil and the philosophy of science - the possibility of evil, the plausibility of evil, anomalies, puzzles and the propriety of mystery.