An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion

An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion is the standard account of the subject for students, philosophers, and general readers. This new, completely revised and updated edition places particular emphasis on matters which have recently become philosophically controversial. Brian Davies also provides a critical examination of the fundamental questions of religion and the ways in which they have been treated by such thinkers as Anselm, Aquinas, Descartes, Leibniz, Hume, Kant, Karl Barth, and Wittgenstein. Must a belief in God be based on argument or evidence in order to be a rational belief? Can one invoke the Free-Will Defence if one believes in God as maker and sustainer of the universe? Is it correct to think of God as a moral agent subject to duties and obligations? What is the significance of Darwin for the Argument from Design? How can one recognize God as an object of one's experience? The author debates all these problems and more, sometimes proposing provocative answers of his own, more often leaving readers to decide for themselves. This book should be of interest to students at 6th form, undergraduate, and postgraduate level, professional philosophers and theologians, general readers interested in philosophy, religion, and theology.