Is faith in God reasonable? : debates in philosophy, science, and rhetoric PDF
Preview Is faith in God reasonable? : debates in philosophy, science, and rhetoric
Is Faith in God Reasonable? “ Is Faith in God Reasonable? brings top thinkers from a variety of disciplines to engage the central question of the age. The interaction is rigorous but the contributors maintain a professional and generous tone. The book provides a model of how disagreement about fundamental issues can and should be handled. This is a great entry into a deeper engagement with the question of God’s existence.” — Greg Ganssle, Rivendell Institute, Yale University The question of whether faith in God is reasonable is of renewed interest in today’s academy. In light of this interest, as well as the rise of militant reli- gion and terrorism and the emergent reaction by neo-atheism, this volume considers this important question from the views of contemporary scientists, philosophers, and in a more novel fashion, rhetoricians. It comprises a pub- lic debate between William Lane Craig, supporting the position that faith in God is reasonable, and Alex Rosenberg, arguing against that position. Scholars in the aforementioned fi elds then respond to the debate, represent- ing both theistic and atheistic positions. The book concludes with rejoinders from Craig and Rosenberg. Corey Miller is Adjunct Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Religions at Indiana University-Kokomo. His PhD is from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland (2014). He is published in International Philosophical Quar- terly, Philosophia Christi, and A merican Catholic Philosophical Quarterly. Research interests include philosophy of religion, ethics, comparative reli- gions, and ancient/medieval philosophy. Paul Gould is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Christian Apologetics at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is editor of three other books including Beyond the Control of God? Six Views on the Problem of God and Abstract Objects (2014) and has published articles in journals such as S ophia, Axiomathes, Metaphysica, Faith and Philosophy, Philoso- phia Christi, and Philo. His research interests include philosophy of religion, metaphysics, and philosophical theology. Routledge Studies in the Philosophy of Religion 1 God and Goodness 6 Theism and Explanation A Natural Theological Perspective Gregory W. Dawes Mark Wynn 7 Metaphysics and God 2 Divinity and Maximal Greatness Essays in Honor of Eleonore Daniel Hill Stump Edited by Kevin Timpe 3 Providence, Evil, and the Openness of God 8 Divine Intervention William Hasker Metaphysical and Epistemological Puzzles 4 Consciousness and the Evan Fales Existence of God A Theistic Argument 9 Is Faith in God Reasonable? J. P. Moreland Debates in Philosophy, Science, and Rhetoric 5 The Metaphysics of Perfect Beings Edited by Corey Miller and Paul Michael J. Almeida Gould Is Faith in God Reasonable? Debates in Philosophy, Science, and Rhetoric Edited by Corey Miller and Paul Gould First published 2014 by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 and by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2014 Taylor & Francis The right of the editors to be identified as the author of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Is faith in God reasonable? : debates in philosophy, science, and rhetoric / edited by Corey Miller and Paul Gould. — 1 [edition]. pages cm. — (Routledge studies in the philosophy of religion ; 9) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Faith. 2. Faith and reason. 3. Faith and reason— Christianity. I. Miller, Corey, 1972– editor of compilation. BT771.3.I8 2014 212—dc23 2013049583 ISBN: 978-0-415-70940-8 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-88554-4 (ebk) Typeset in Sabon by Apex CoVantage, LLC To Melinda, Parker, Sadie, and Dacey —Corey Miller To Ethel, I could not do what I do without your love and support. —Paul Gould This page intentionally left blank Contents List of Figures ix PART I Introduction and Debate 1 Introduction: Faith, Reason, and God 3 COREY MILLER AND PAUL GOULD 2 The Debate: Is Faith in God Reasonable? 13 WILLIAM LANE CRAIG VS. ALEX ROSENBERG PART II Respondents 3 God and the Rational Basis for Science 43 ROBERT KAITA 4 Faith in Anything Is Unreasonable 55 VICTOR J. STENGER 5 God without Argument 69 PAUL K. MOSER 6 Some Philosophical Aspects of the Craig-Rosenberg Debate 84 THEODORE M. DRANGE 7 There Are Serious Reasons for Belief in the Existence of God 97 TIMOTHY MCGREW 8 Not Reasonable but Not Unreasonable 112 MICHAEL RUSE viii Contents 9 Rhetoric as Hermeneutic Key: The Reasonableness of Faith in God 122 MARTIN J. MEDHURST 10 Faith, Not Reason, Underwrites the Belief in God 136 CLARKE ROUNTREE PART III Rejoinders 11 Reply to Our Respondents: An Eminently Reasonable Faith 153 WILLIAM LANE CRAIG 12 Replies to Critics: Very Brief, Very Selective, Rather Snarky 166 ALEX ROSENBERG Contributors 171 Index 175 Figures 4.1 A spacetime diagram showing worldlines of particles emerging from the origin of our universe. They can be extended in the negative time direction, allowing for an eternal multiverse. 58 4.2 Quantum tunneling through a barrier. 59 4.3 Our universe appears by quantum tunneling from the prior one, from our point of view. 60
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