Reason And Religion

Combines philosophical investigations concerning the truth of religious convictions with empirical research on the origins and functions of religious beliefs. This book focuses on two core questions: (1) How probable is it that any particular god exists? (2) How should we account for the occurrence of religious beliefs in human societies?

"This book is the first to take account of the clarification in Hegel interpretation, and on these documents in particular, made possible by the entirely new critical edition. . . . Jaeschke is able to give fresh interpretations and new insights into long standing controversies in the field."--Robert R. Williams, Hiram College, Ohio

In the views of most believers and critics, religion is essentially connected to the existence of a supernatural deity. If supernaturalism is not reasonable, the argument goes, religion cannot be reasonable—or if supernaturalism is reasonable, religion must be as well. Are faith and reason, religion and science, doomed to a constant struggle for the heart of humanity? Steven M. Cahn believes that they are not, that even if God exists, religion may not be justified and that even if religion is justified, belief in God may not be. In Religion Within Reason, Cahn argues that the common understanding of the relationship between religion and supernaturalism is flawed and that while supernaturalism is not reasonable, religious commitment may well be. Writing not as a theist but as one who finds much to admire in a religious life, he examines faith and reason, miracles, heaven and hell, religious diversity, and the problem of evil, using a variety of examples taken from religious thought, literature, and popular culture. Lucidly written in a nonpolemical spirit, Religion Within Reason offers an exciting new approach to the reconciliation of science and religion.

Expanding on his 1976 study of the bearing of Christian faith on the practice of scholarship, Wolterstorff has added a substantial new section on the role of faith in the decisions scholars make about their choice of subject matter.

Philosophy matters. This is the message of this highly original inquiry into the relationship between science and religion. It is only when we examine the intellectual presuppositions on which science and religion are based, with regard to such fundamentals as truth, objectivity, and realism, that we perceive the link between these two enterprises which are essential to any characterization of man. The book offers a lucid and enlightening account of the main movements in the philosophy of science in the twentieth century, and then proceeds to demonstrate their consequences for philosophy of religion. After examining the wide and all-pervasive influence of positivism, and its offspring relativism, in both science and theology, he suggests that the attempt to provide an alternative, made by Karl Popper, offers the most satisfactory way forward in man’s twofold enquiry in terms of his relationship with God and with the world.

Don't buy just another philosophy of religion textbook, get the best. GOD, REASON, AND RELIGION walks you through unusual examples and new ideas on the way to explain the core issues of the philosophy of religion. Plus it's got the study tools you need and easy to follow explanations so you'll be ready for the test as well.

Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason is a key element of the system of philosophy which Kant introduced with his Critique of Pure Reason, and a work of major importance in the history of Western religious thought. It represents a great philosopher's attempt to spell out the form and content of a type of religion that would be grounded in moral reason and would meet the needs of ethical life. It includes sharply critical and boldly constructive discussions on topics not often treated by philosophers, including such traditional theological concepts as original sin and the salvation or 'justification' of a sinner, and the idea of the proper role of a church. This volume presents it and three short essays that illuminate it in new translations by Allen Wood and George di Giovanni, with an introduction by Robert Merrihew Adams that locates it in its historical and philosophical context.

First Published in 1992. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.