Tuesday, November 20, 2018
The Naturalness of Belief: New Essays on Theism’s Rationality
In 2018, Lexington Books published The Naturalness of Belief: New Essays on Theism’s Rationality, edited by Paul Copan and Charles Taliaferro. Paul Copan is professor and Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Charles Taliaferro is professor of philosophy at St. Olaf College.From the publisher's description of The Naturalness of Belief:
Despite its name, “naturalism” as a world-view turns out to be rather unnatural in its strict and more consistent form of materialism and determinism. This is why a number of naturalists opt for a broadened version that includes objective moral values, intrinsic human dignity, consciousness, beauty, personal agency, and the like. But in doing so, broad naturalism begins to look more like theism. As many strict naturalists recognize, broad naturalism must borrow from the metaphysical resources of a theistic world-view, in which such features are very natural, common sensical, and quite “at home” in a theistic framework.
The Naturalness of Belief begins with a naturalistic philosopher’s own perspective of naturalism and naturalness. The remaining chapters take a multifaceted approach in showing theism’s naturalness and greater explanatory power. They examine not only rational reasons for theism’s ability to account for consciousness, intentionality, beauty, human dignity, free will, rationality, and knowledge; they also look at common sensical, existential, psychological, and cultural reasons—in addition to the insights of the cognitive science of religion.Enjoy a presentation with Taliaferro fro the Centre for Philosophy of Religion annual conference on "Supernaturalism and Naturalism: Beyond the Divide," June 23, 2018, at Heythrop College University of London.
Labels: charles taliaferro, featured books, naturalism, philosophy of religion, The Naturalness of Belief (book), theism
