Critiques of God

by ANGELES, PETER ADAM

• ISBN13: 9781573921237
• ISBN10: 1573921238
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 1997-03-01
• Publisher: Prometheus Books

Summary

This classic volume rejects the view that moral values and human purpose require divine sanction. Critiques of God is the only collection of essays to present, in a comprehensive way, the case against belief in God. The arguments for God's existence, the validity of mystical experience, and the importance of the God concept for the development of morality and meaning in life are critically evaluated by sixteen well-known philosophers and psychologists. Included are works by Kurt Baler, John Dewey, Paul Edwards, Antony Flew, Sigmund Freud, Erich Fromm, Sidney Hook, Walter Kauffmann, Corliss Lamont, Wallace I. Matson, H.J. McCloskey, Ernest Nagel, Kai Nielsen, Richard Robinson, Bertrand Russell, and Michael Scriven. Included are discussions of the meaning of the existence of God, the relationships between faith and mysticism, reason and science, fate, the problem of evil, ethics without God, and immortality.

Table of Contents

PREFACE	xi
I. INTRODUCTION AND A GENERAL CRITIQUE	3	(18)
PHILOSOPHICAL CONCEPTS OF ATHEISM	3	(18)
Ernest Nagel
II. THE GOD CONCEPT	21	(22)
MODERN KNOWLEDGE AND THE CONCEPT OF GOD	21	(22)
Sidney Hook
III. ARGUMENTS FOR GOD'S EXISTENCE	43	(52)
THE COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT	43	(16)
Paul Edwards
THE ARGUMENT FROM DESIGN	59	(36)
Wallace I. Matson
IV. FAITH AND REASON	95	(32)
GOD AND REASON	95	(20)
Michael Scriven
RELIGION AND REASON	115	(12)
Richard Robinson
V. MYSTICISM	127	(16)
THE CORE OF RELIGION	127	(16)
Walter Kaufmann
VI. RELIGION AND THE RELIGIOUS	143	(60)
THE FUTURE OF AN ILLUSION	143	(12)
Sigmund Freud
AN ANALYSIS OF SOME TYPES OF RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE	155	(28)
Erich Fromm
RELIGION VERSUS THE RELIGIOUS	183	(20)
John Dewey
VII. GOD AND THE EXISTENCE OF EVIL	203	(24)
GOD AND EVIL	203	(24)
H. J. McCloskey
VIII. GOD AND A FATED UNIVERSE	227	(14)
DIVINE OMNIPOTENCE AND HUMAN FREEDOM	227	(14)
Antony Flew
IX. ETHICS WITHOUT GOD	241	(20)
MORALITY AND THE WILL OF GOD	241	(20)
Kai Nielsen
X. GOD AND SURVIVAL OF THE PERSONALITY AFTER DEATH	261	(32)
THE ILLUSION OF IMMORTALITY	261	(32)
Corliss Lamont
XI. WHY DO THINGS EXIST?	293	(42)
THE MEANING OF LIFE	293	(42)
Kurt E. M. Baier
XII. SCIENCE AND THE RELIGIOUS IMPULSE	335	(34)
COSMIC PURPOSE	335	(16)
Bertrand Russell
MALICIOUS PHILOSOPHIES OF SCIENCE	351	(18)
Ernest Nagel
BIBLIOGRAPHY	369