Global Philosophy of Religion A Short Introduction

by Runzo, Joseph

• ISBN13: 9781851682355
• ISBN10: 185168235X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-03-26
• Publisher: Oneworld Publications

Summary

Does the existence of God matter? Does science leave anything for religion toxplain? How are religion and ethics connected, if at all?;In thisntroduction, Joseph Runzo addresses the fundamental questions of life toresent a global perspective on the philosophy of religion. Comparing andontrasting the philosophical insights offered by the different worldeligions, and examining their application today, this comprehensive bookovers everything from the arguments for and against the existence of God tohe problem of suffering and the possibilities of life after death.;Balancingcholarship with a jargon-free approach, Runzo makes even the most profoundrguments accessible to readers of all levels. Authoritative, yet readable,his contemporary study encourages readers to arrive at their own informednd global understanding of the great religious ideas of humankind.

Author Biography

Joseph Runzo is Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Chapman University, California and Life Fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge University. The recipient of five National Fellowships and Awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities, he has published widely in the fields of religious pluralism, ethics and philosophy

Table of Contents

List of figures, tables and boxes	xi
Acknowledgments	xii
Introduction	1	(1)
The problem of religious commitment	2	(2)
Religious epistemology	4	(1)
The World Religions	5	(1)
The relation of scientific to philosophical approaches to religion	6	(2)
Against global theology or a global philosophy of religion	8	(1)
The way of knowledge versus the way of love	9	(4)
Religion And Philosophy	13	(16)
What is religion?	13	(8)
What is Philosophy?	21	(2)
Doing philosophy and using philosophy	23	(1)
Are philosophy and religion enemies?	24	(2)
Why religion needs philosophy	26	(3)
Worldviews And Religion	29	(15)
The problem of religious plurality	30	(1)
Can different worldviews be compared?	31	(3)
Exclusivism and Antipathy	34	(1)
Subjectivism and Pluralism	35	(2)
Inclusivism and Henofideism	37	(4)
A road map of world religiosity	41	(3)
Religious Metaphysics Without God	44	(16)
The material world versus the Transcendent	45	(1)
Buddhism and metaphysics	46	(7)
Theological realism versus religious non-realism	53	(4)
The advantages of non-theism	57	(3)
Religious Metaphysics With God	60	(19)
God and monotheism	60	(1)
Hindu theistic Vedanta	61	(4)
Hindu henotheism	65	(3)
YHWH, the Trinity, and Allah	68	(2)
An ontological argument for God's existence	70	(6)
The advantages of theism	76	(3)
A Posteriori Arguments For God's Existence	79	(15)
The nature of proofs	80	(1)
Cosmological arguments	81	(4)
Teleological arguments	85	(7)
The value of theistic ``proofs'' and cumulative arguments	92	(2)
Evil: An Argument Against Monotheism	94	(16)
The problem of evil	94	(1)
The strong formulation of the problem of evil	95	(3)
The weak formulation of the problem of evil	98	(1)
Theodicies and the free will defense	99	(4)
The Augustinian theodicy and hell	103	(2)
Soul-making theodicies	105	(2)
The best possible world	107	(3)
Embodiment, Gender, And Good	110	(14)
Incarnation and embodiment	111	(1)
Feminine divine metaphors	112	(3)
The problem of reference and representation	115	(1)
Sexual metaphors	115	(3)
Symbols, sexuality, and God	118	(6)
Life After Death	124	(19)
The religious importance of life after death	124	(1)
The problem of death	125	(1)
Conceptions of the self	126	(7)
Buddhist reincarnation	133	(3)
The evolving soul	136	(4)
Will you be there?	140	(3)
Religious Experience	143	(16)
Religious experience and scriptural authority	143	(3)
Justification and religious knowledge	146	(2)
Ineffability and mystical experiences	148	(2)
The problem of privacy	150	(2)
Kant's attempted solution	152	(4)
Historicity, pluralism, and faith	156	(3)
Using Science To Argue Against Religion	159	(13)
Does physics explain everything?	160	(2)
What does evolutionary biology tell us about religion?	162	(3)
Is religion just a cultural phenomenon?	165	(2)
Is religion just a psychological phenomenon?	167	(2)
The compatibility of science and religion	169	(3)
Morality, Ethics, And Religion	172	(20)
Morality and ethics	172	(2)
Secular ethics	174	(4)
Moral duty and religion	178	(5)
Are morality and religion logically connected?	183	(4)
The moral point of view and the religious point of view	187	(5)
Prudential Arguments For Religious Belief	192	(12)
Pascal's Wager	193	(4)
Religion as a live option	197	(1)
Karma and samsara	197	(3)
Is religion cost-effective?	200	(4)
Faith And Justified Believers	204	(12)
Evidentialism and religious belief	205	(2)
Why religious beliefs are properly basic	207	(3)
Faith commitments, worldviews, and conversion	210	(2)
Religion as a genuine option	212	(4)
Love And The Meaning Of Life	216	(16)
Values and the religious dimension of meaning	217	(3)
Science and religion revisited	220	(2)
Seraphic love	222	(1)
Six characteristics of eros	223	(3)
The argument from love	226	(3)
Faith, love, and religion	229	(3)
Glossary	232	(15)
Notes	247	(12)
Index	259