In Praise of Heteronomy: Making Room for Revelation [Hardcover]

Recognizing the essential heteronomy of postmodern philosophy of religion, Merold Westphal argues against the assumption that human reason is universal, neutral, and devoid of presupposition. Instead, Westphal contends that any philosophy is a matter of faith and the philosophical encounter with theology arises from the very act of thinking. Relying on the work of Spinoza, Kant, and Hegel, Westphal discovers that their theologies render them mutually incompatible and their claims to be the voice of autonomous and universal reason look dubious. Westphal grapples with this plural nature of human thought in the philosophy of religion and he forwards the idea that any appeal to the divine must rest on a historical and phenomenological analysis.

Merold Westphal is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, Fordham University
and Honorary Professor, Australian Catholic University. His most recent works includeTranscendence and Self-Transcendence(IUP) andLevinas and Kierkegaard in Dialogue(IUP).

The book not only displays a richness versed in both analytic and continental philosophy of religion, but also German idealism and modern theology. This gives the book a uniquely sharp philosophical edge (that makes distinctions and stakes claims) and when combined with an imaginative and personal verve (via testimonies, poems, and novels) demonstrates for the reader that philosophy of religion need not be banal and abstract, and indeed is best understood as an always operative and lived endeavorone that is alive and well.

Beyond its clear and accessible discussions of Spinoza, Kant, and Hegel,In Praise of Heteronomyalso makes a valuable contribution to contemporary philosophy of religion. It paints a picture of religious belief that is at once traditional and radical.

Westphal's book should be read eagerly not only by scholars working on the philosophy of religion, but by theologians. By carefully teasing ló2