Ethics Of Belief Essays In Tribute To D Z Phillips

Eugene Thomas Long Originally published in the International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, Volume 63, Nos 1–3. DOI: 10. 1007/s11153-007-9155-4 © Springer Science+Business Media B. V. 2007 This volume is presented as a tribute to the life and work of D. Z. Phillips. Six of the articles were originally presented at the annual conference on the philosophy of religion organized by Phillips and held at Claremont Graduate University, February 9–10, 2007. Unfortunately, Phillipsdidnotlivetoparticipateintheconferenceitself. HediedunexpectedlyJuly25,2006 in the library of his beloved University of Wales, Swansea. Previously published volumes of essays,basedonconferencesorganizedbyPhillipsinClaremont,includedachapterentitled, “Voices in Discussion,” in which Phillips provided his own reactions to the discussions wr- ten almost immediately after the conference. Sadly, this volume appears without the addition of his voice. Born in Morriston, near Swansea, Phillips was a Welsh speaker, a strong supporter of Welsh speaking schools and the author of many works in philosophy and literature in Welsh and English. Known widely as the leading representative of the movement in the philo- phy of religion called Wittgensteinianism, Phillips spent much of his effort challenging the tendency of philosophers to elevate one kind of discourse to the point where it becomes the norm by which other forms of discourse are to be judged.

Religion is relevant to all of us, whether we are believers or not. This book concerns two interrelated topics. First, how probable is God's existence? Should we not conclude that all divinities are human inventions? Second, what are the mental and social functions of endorsing religious beliefs? The answers to these questions are interdependent. If a religious belief were true, the fact that humans hold it might be explained by describing how its truth was discovered. If all religious beliefs are false, a different explanation is required. In this provocative book Herman Philipse combines philosophical investigations concerning the truth of religious convictions with empirical research on the origins and functions of religious beliefs. Numerous topics are discussed, such as the historical genesis of monotheisms out of polytheisms, how to explain Saul's conversion to Jesus, and whether any apologetic strategy of Christian philosophers is convincing. Universal atheism is the final conclusion.

The Bible resounds with affirmations of the faithfulness and trustworthiness of God. But might God also exhibit faith and trust? Standing in the tradition of theologians such as John Sanders, who argued that God is one who risks, Wm. Curtis Holtzen contends that God is not merely trustworthy or faithful, but that God is also one who trusts and has faith. According to Holtzen, because God is a being of relational love and exists in relationship with humans, who can freely choose to follow God, then God is a God who trusts. Such an argument might challenge our notion of who God is, yet Holtzen argues that understanding the relationship between divine trust and human faith can give us a fuller, truer picture of who God is and who we are.

This book is concerned with the presentation and analysis of certain dogmatic issues such as christology, ecclesiology, pastoral work, anthropology, faith and bioethics among many others-all meant to illustrate how Christian thoughts stands between traditionalism and radicalism. It is both a dogmatic study and a historical overview of the topic.

What could Wittgenstein's work contribute to the rapidly growing literature on life's meaning? This book not only examines Wittgenstein's scattered remarks about value and 'sense of life' but also argues that his philosophy and 'way of seeing' has far reaching implications for the ways theorists approach an ancient question: 'How shall one live?'.

To understand reality in terms of what is possible has methodological implications which a contemplative philosophy makes explicit. The goal is no longer to determine how things are or must be but rather to provide an overview of how they could be and the diversity with which they already appear. The function of philosophy is not the discovery of a single answer but rather a careful description of the diversity and the heterogeneity of possible answers in different contexts and practices. This approach, inspired by Wittgenstein, was applied to the philosophy of religion by Dewi Z. Phillips (1934-2006) in particular. This volume explores his contemplative philosophy of religion in an intense and lively discussion, showing how the description of religious faith and the access to its practice and language change unexpectedly and provocatively in this way of thinking.

Does our available evidence show that some particular religion is correct? It seems unlikely, given the great diversity of religious - and non-religious - views of the world. But if no religious beliefs can be shown true on the evidence, can it be right to make a religious commitment? Should people make 'leaps of faith'? Or would we all be better off avoiding commitments that outrun our evidence? And, if leaps of faith can be acceptable, how do we tell the difference between goodand bad ones - between sound religion and dogmatic ideology or fundamentalist fanaticism? Believing by Faith offers answers to these questions, inspired by a famous attempt to justify faith made by William James in 1896. In doing so, it engages critically with much recent discussion in the philosophyof religion, and, especially, the epistemology of religious belief.