Praise for the Book
Philosophy of Religion provides an accessible introduction to several traditional as well as contemporary debates in the philosophy of religion, especially as developed in Europe, North America, and English-speaking countries around the world. The chapters provide overviews of traditional and non-traditional theistic arguments, surveys of atheistic and skeptical approaches to the truth claims of theism, and explorations of epistemological problems brought on by cognitive science for the justifiability of theistic beliefs. The book concludes with a final chapter that challenges the exclusively Christian theistic conception of religion seen in much recent and contemporary approaches to the field as well as in the preceding chapters.
Aided by a substantial introductory chapter tracing the history of Western philosophy and religion, alongside reflection on cross-cultural study of philosophy and religion, the book features the contours of an emerging shift—or divide—in the field of philosophy of religion, as some scholars pursue traditional approaches (Chapters 2-5) while others (Chapter 6) seek to redirect scholarship to better address philosophical problems arising from human diversity with respect to different forms of religiosity.
The book would be a helpful text for undergraduate philosophy of religion courses that are designed to feature the Western, theistic/atheistic metaphysical and epistemic debates as well as for courses that aim to cover that material while also exploring questions about the adequacy of a theistic model of “religion in general” for pursuing globally engaged philosophy of religion.
— Thomas D. Carroll, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (Peer Reviewer)
In a relatively short volume, this textbook manages to cover a huge amount of philosophical ground in both timescales and content. The book seeks to both portray the traditional issues raised in Western (monotheistic) philosophy of religion, such as arguments for the existence of God and responses to the problem of evil, while also providing a clear and well-argued critique of this approach to philosophy of religion in the concluding chapter. As the Editor notes in the Introduction, this juxtaposition is intended to enable the reader to not only understand traditional approaches to philosophy of religion but also to consider for themselves their response to the criticisms of what is often seen as the dominant Western paradigm.
The chapters are designed to allow for bite-size reading with regular “questions to consider” throughout, prompting one to engage critically with the content of the book rather than passively accepting the authority of the authors—a crucial skill for all philosophy students to develop. Key terminology is highlighted with definitions throughout and alongside the questions makes this an accessible but robust introduction to philosophy of religion.
A breadth of authors are highlighted within the texts and further readings, adding more diverse voices to the philosophy of religion conversation. This volume provides an excellent, accessible introduction for the novice philosopher and the resources to support those who wish to delve more deeply into the topics covered.
— Finley Lawson, PhD Candidate & Research Fellow, Canterbury Christ Church University, UK (Peer Reviewer)
