Logic and Theism
Arguments for and against Beliefs in God
Published on 9. April 2009
Book
Paperback/Softback
676 pages
978-0-521-10866-9 (ISBN)
Description
This is a wide-ranging 2004 book about arguments for and against beliefs in God. The arguments for the belief are analysed in the first six chapters and include ontological arguments from Anselm to Goedel, the cosmological arguments of Aquinas and Leibniz, and arguments from evidence for design and miracles. The next two chapters consider arguments against belief. The last chapter examines Pascalian arguments for and against belief in God. There are discussions of Cantorian problems for omniscience, of challenges to divine omnipotence, and of the compatibility of everlasting complete knowledge of the world with free-will. There are appendices that present formal proofs in a system for quantified modal logic, a theory of possible worlds, notes on Cantorian set theory, and remarks concerning non-standard hyperreal numbers. This book will be a valuable resource for philosophers of religion and theologians and will interest logicians and mathematicians as well.
Reviews / Votes
'... filled with new, interesting, and insightful observations and analyses ... a book everyone interested in philosophy of religion will want - and need - to read.' Graham Oppy, Monash University 'I'm often asked to recommend books on philosophy of religion from a skeptical point of view, and Mackie's The Miracle of Theism has been the only thing I could wholeheartedly endorse. Sobel's book would give me a second option. It's the best thing of its kind since Mackie's book, and in many respects, it's better than The Miracle of Theism.' Robert C. Koons, University of Texas, Austin 'This book is a rich resource for those interested in the traditional arguments for and against belief in God's existence ... the book is valuable not so much for the author's own conclusions in each chapter, as it is for the rich resource it constitutes ... the author has done a great service by assembling different versions of arguments for and against God's existence, by discussing the arguments intelligently and critically ... I suspect that many philosophers of religion, both theists and sceptics, will be responding to the particular arguments of this book for some time to come.' Ars DisputandiMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
3 Line drawings, unspecified
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 40 mm
Weight
1080 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-521-10866-9 (9780521108669)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
05/2006
1st Edition
Cambridge University Press
€55.99
Available for download
Book
11/2003
Cambridge University Press
€113.90
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
Content
Part I. Divinity: 1. 'GOD' and 'god', and God; Part II. Arguments for the Existence of God: 2. Classical ontological arguments; 3. Modern modal ontological arguments; 4. Kurt Goedel's ontologischer beweis; 5. First causes: the second way; 6. Ultimate reasons: Proofs of a contingentia mundi; 7. Look 'round'; 8. Clouds of witnesses - on 'of miracles'; Part III. On Parts of the Common Conception of Traditional Theology: 9. Romancing the stone; 10. God knows (go figure); Part IV. Arguments against the Existence of God: 11. Atheologies, demonstrative and empirical; 12. The logical problem of evil; Part V. Practical Arguments for and against Theistic Beliefs: 13. Pascalian wagers.