Consciousness and the existence of God : a theistic argument PDF
Preview Consciousness and the existence of God : a theistic argument
Consciousness and the Existence of God In Consciousness and the Existence of God, J.P. Moreland argues that the existenceoffinite,irreducibleconsciousness(oritsregular,law-likecorrelation withphysicalstates)providesevidencefortheexistenceofGod.Moreover,he analyzesandcriticizesthetoprepresentativeofrivalapproachestoexplaining the origin of consciousness, including John Searle’s contingent correlation, Timothy O’Connor’s emergent necessitation, Colin McGinn’s mysterian ‘‘naturalism,’’ David Skrbina’s panpsychism and Philip Clayton’s pluralistic emergentist monism. Moreland concludes that these approaches should be rejected in favor of what he calls ‘‘the Argument from Consciousness.’’ J.P. Moreland is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Biola University. He has published over 60 articles in journals that include Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, American Philosophical Quarterly, Australasian Journal of Philosophy and Metaphilosophy. He has authored, edited or con- tributed to thirty-five books including Universals (McGill-Queen’s), Nat- uralism:ACriticalAnalysis(Routledge)andDoesGodExist?(Prometheus). Routledge Studies in the Philosophy of Religion Peter Byrne, Marcel Sarot, and Mark Wynn 1 God and Goodness A natural theological perspective Mark Wynn 2 Divinity and Maximal Greatness Daniel Hill 3 Providence, Evil, and the Openness of God William Hasker 4 Consciousness and the Existence of God A theistic argument J.P. Moreland Consciousness and the Existence of God A theistic argument J.P. Moreland Firstpublished2008 byRoutledge 270MadisonAve,NewYork,NY10016 Simultaneously published in the UK byRoutledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2008. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” # 2008 Taylor & Francis All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now knownorhereafterinvented,includingphotocopyingandrecording,orin anyinformationstorageorretrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwriting fromthepublishers. LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData Moreland,JamesPorter,1948– ConsciousnessandtheexistenceofGod:atheisticargument/ByJ.P. Moreland. p.cm.–(Routledgestudiesinthephilosophyofreligion) Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. 1.Consciousness.2.Naturalism.3.Theism.I.Title. B808.9.M672008 2120.1–dc22 2007037875 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 0-203-92933-0(cid:13)(cid:10) Master e-book ISBN ISBN 978-0-415 -96240-7 (hbk) ISBN 978-0-203-92933-9 (ebk) J.P.Moreland’s intriguingand well-informed book argues forcefullyforthe view that a theistic explanation of human consciousness is the only viable alternative to an implausibly strong form of reductive physicalism in the philosophy of mind. It deserves close attention from philosophical naturalists and theists alike, and is written in an engaging and accessible manner that makes it suitable material for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in the philosophy of mind, metaphysics, and philosophical theology. E.J. Lowe, Durham University In Consciousness and the Existence of God, J.P. Moreland develops a ground breaking, rigorous, systematic case against naturalism and for theism in light of the evident reality of consciousness. His engagement with contemporary naturalism is vigorous, thorough, and fair. This is essential reading for those with interests in metaphysics and epistemology in general, and philosophy of mind and philosophy of religion in particular. Charles Taliaferro, St. Olaf College To William Lane Craig Ui´ko& jai Rtrsqasix´sg& jasa sgm o’do´m Contents Preface x 1 The epistemic backdrop for locating consciousness in a naturalist ontology 1 2 The argument from consciousness 28 3 John Searle and contingent correlation 53 4 Timothy O’Connor and emergent necessitation 70 5 Colin McGinn and mysterian ‘‘naturalism’’ 95 6 David Skrbina and panpsychism 114 7 Philip Clayton and pluralistic emergentist monism 135 8 Science and strong physicalism 156 9 AC, dualism and the fear of God 175 Notes 195 Bibliography 221 Indexes 230
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