On the Nature and Existence of God [Paperback]

There has been in recent years a plethora of defenses of theism from analytical philosophers: Richard Gale's important book is a critical response to these writings.In considering arguments for and against the existence of God, new versions of cosmological, ontological, and religious experience arguments are critically evaluated to justify faith on the grounds of its prudential or moral benefits.In considering arguments for and against the existence of God, new versions of cosmological, ontological, and religious experience arguments are critically evaluated to justify faith on the grounds of its prudential or moral benefits.There has been in recent years a plethora of defences of theism from analytical philosophers: Richard Gale's important book is a critical response to these writings. New versions of cosmological, ontological, and religious experience arguments are critically evaluated, along with pragmatic arguments to justify faith on the grounds of its prudential or moral benefits. In considering arguments for and against the existence of God, Gale is able to clarify many important philosophical concepts including exploration, time, free will, personhood, actuality, and the objectivity of experience.Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I. Atheological Arguments: 1. Atheology and the nature of God; 2. The creation - immutability argument; 3. The omniscience - immutability argument; 4. The deductive argument from evil; 5. The argument from world-relative actuality; Part II. Theological Arguments: 6. Ontological arguments; 7. Cosmological arguments; 8. Religious-experience arguments; 9. Pragmatic arguments; Notes; Index. ...[a] highly readable discussion of issues and arguments central to the philosophy of religion....Throughout, Gale's discussion is never simplistic or rushed, and is generally insightful and original (not to mention humorous and sometimes irreverent)....Gale's book is splendid. No one working in philosophical theory can afford not to take note olƒ(