Meaning and Mystery What It Means To Believe in God

by Holley, David M.

• ISBN13: 9781405193450
• ISBN10: 140519345X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-01-11
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

Meaning and Mystery offers a challenge to the way Philosophy has traditionally approached the issue of belief in God as a theoretical problem, proposing instead a form of reflection more appropriate to the practical nature of the issue. Makes use of abundant illustrative material, from both literature, such as Les Mis_rables, Edwin Abott's Flatland, Yann Martel's Life of Pi and Leo Tolstoy's A Confession, and popular culture, such as advertisements, the television series Joan of Arcadia and the film Stranger Than Fiction Uses imaginative scenarios to offer explanations of central concepts Incorporates theories on human thought and behavior in exploring the formation of religious belief Written in a style that is accessible to readers with little background knowledge of philosophy

Author Biography

David M. Holley is Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion at The University of Southern Mississippi. His previous book, Self-Interest and Beyond (1999), develops an account of the proper use and limits of self-interested thinking. His articles on topics in philosophy of religion, ethics, and moral psychology have appeared in numerous professional journals.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Introduction: Does Anyone Actually Believe in God?	p. 1
Life-Orienting Stories	p. 11
God of the Philosophers	p. 31
Reasons for Believing in God	p. 51
Resistance and Receptivity	p. 69
Belief As a Practical Issue	p. 90
Anthropomorphism and Mystery	p. 109
Naturalistic Stories	p. 129
Theistic and Naturalistic Morality	p. 151
Meaning and the Limits of Meaning	p. 173
Conviction, Doubt, and Humility	p. 192
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 214
Index	p. 222
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