The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Philosophy of Religion

498 Pages·2015·3.05 MB·english

by  Graham Oppy

THE ROUTLEDGE HANDBOOK
OF CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHY
OF RELIGION
Philosophy of religion has experienced a renaissance in recent times, paralleling the resurgence
in public debate about the place and value of religion in contemporary Western societies. The
Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Philosophy of Religion is an outstanding reference source to
thekeytopics,problemsanddebatesinthisexcitingsubject.Comprisingoverthirtychaptersby
a team of international contributors, the Handbook is divided into seven parts:
(cid:1) theoretical orientations
(cid:1) conceptions of divinity
(cid:1) epistemology of religious belief
(cid:1) metaphysics and religious language
(cid:1) religion and politics
(cid:1) religion and ethics
(cid:1) religion and scientific scrutiny.
Within these sections central issues, debates and problems are examined, including: religious
experience, religion and superstition, realism and anti-realism, scientific interpretation of reli-
gioustexts, feministapproaches toreligion,religioninthepublicsquare,tolerance,religionand
meta-ethics,religionandcognitivescience,andthemeaningoflife.Together,theyofferreaders
an informed understanding of the current state of play in the liveliest areas of contemporary
philosophy of religion.
The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Philosophy of Religion is essential reading for students
and researchers of philosophy of religion from across the Humanities and Social Sciences.
Graham Oppy is Professor of Philosophy at Monash University, Australia. He is co-editor of
themultivolumeworkTheHistoryofWesternPhilosophyofReligion,andauthorofOntologicalArgu-
ments and Belief in God, Arguing about Gods, Philosophical Perspectives on Infinity, The Best Argument
againstGod,ReinventingPhilosophyofReligion,DescribingGods:AnInvestigationofDivineAttributes,
and co-author of Reading Philosophy of Religion.
Routledge Handbooks in Philosophy
Routledge Handbooks in Philosophy are state-of-the-art surveys of emerging, newly refreshed, and
important fields in philosophy, providing accessible yet thorough assessments of key problems,
themes, thinkers, and recent developments in research.
All chapters for each volume are specially commissioned, and written by leading scholars in
the field. Carefully edited and organized, Routledge Handbooks in Philosophy provide indis-
pensable reference tools for students and researchers seeking a comprehensive overview of new
and exciting topics in philosophy. They are also valuable teaching resources as accompaniments
to textbooks, anthologies, and research-oriented publications.
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THE ROUTLEDGE
HANDBOOK OF
CONTEMPORARY
PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION
Edited by
Graham Oppy
AddAddAddAdd AAAdddddAdAddddAdd
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Firstpublished2015
byRoutledge
2ParkSquare,MiltonPark,Abingdon,Oxon,OX144RN
andbyRoutledge
711ThirdAve.,NewYork,NY.10017
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©2015GrahamOppy,editorialandselectionmatter;individualchapters,thecontributors
TherightofGrahamOppytobeidentifiedastheauthoroftheeditorialmaterial,andofthe
contributorsfortheirindividualchapters,hasbeenassertedinaccordancewithsections77and
78oftheCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988.
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereprintedorreproducedorutilisedinanyform
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pagescm.--(Routledgehandbooksinphilosophy)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-1-84465-831-2(hardback)--ISBN978-1-315-71941-2(e-book)1.Religion--
Philosophy.I.Oppy,GrahamRobert,editor.
BL51.R59872015
210--dc23
2014037370
ISBN:978-1-844-65831-2(hbk)
ISBN:978-1-315-71941-2(ebk)
TypesetinBembo
byTaylor&FrancisBooks
CONTENTS
Notes on Contributors x
Introduction 1
PARTI
Theoretical orientations 5
1 Feminist approaches to religion 7
Beverley Clack
2 Phenomenological approaches to religion 20
John Panteleimon Manoussakis
3 Postmodern approaches to religion 32
N.N. Trakakis
4 New Atheist approaches to religion 51
Trent Dougherty and Logan Paul Gage
5 Wittgensteinian approaches to religion 63
Genia Schönbaumsfeld
6 Fundamentalist approaches to religion 74
Harriet A. Harris
PARTII
Conceptions of divinity 91
7 Cosmology, divinity and self-cultivation in Chinese thought 93
Karyn L. Lai
vii
Contents
8 Islamic conceptions of divinity 114
Imran Aijaz
9 Hindu models of divinity 127
Monima Chadha
10 Christian conceptions of God 138
John Bishop
PARTIII
Epistemology of religious belief 153
11 Religious experience 155
Jerome Gellman
12 Religious faith 167
Mark Wynn
13 Religious disagreement 180
Bryan Frances
14 Religion and superstition 192
Edward Feser
PARTIV
Metaphysics and religious language 203
15 Realism and anti-realism 205
Michael Scott
16 Analogy, metaphor, and literal language 219
Roger M. White
17 The scientific interpretation of religious texts 232
David Bartholomew
18 Metaphysics and religion 244
Kevin Hart
PARTV
Religion and politics 255
19 Religious pluralism 257
Victoria S. Harrison
viii
Contents
20 Religion in the public square 270
Marci A. Hamilton
21 Religious tolerance 279
Mehdi Aminrazavi
22 Religious violence 288
Daniel J. McKaughan
PARTVI
Religion and ethics 303
23 Religion and meta-ethics 305
Michael Smith
24 Religion and normative ethics 316
David S. Oderberg
25 Religion and the meaning of life 329
Neil Levy
26 Religion and suffering 340
Michael P. Levine
27 Religion and flourishing 356
Christopher Toner
PARTVII
Religion and scientific scrutiny 371
28 Religion and reason 373
Robert C. Koons
29 Cognitive foundations of religion 389
Todd Tremlin
30 Religion and science 402
Sahotra Sarkar
31 Religion and metaphysical naturalism 416
Neil A. Manson
Bibliography 434
Index 466
ix