An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion - Monoskop

[Pages:270]An Introduction to the Philosophy of

Religion

BRIAN DAVIES

Oxford ? New York OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

Oxford University Press, Walton Street, Oxford OX2 6DP Oxford New York

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C Brian Davies 1993

First published 1982 as an Oxford University Press paperback and simultaneowly in a hardback edition

71ris new edition first published 1993 as an Oxford University Press paperback and siJnultaneOUJI/y in a hardback edition

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Data available

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Davies, Brian.

An introductio11 to the philosophy of religion I Brian Davies p. em. Includes bibliographical references and index. I. Religion-Philosophy. I. Title. 200'.1-dclO BL5l.D363 1993 92-18488 ISBN 0-19-289235-5 Pbk

7 9 10 8 6

Printed in Great Britain by Biddies Ltd.,

Guildford & Ki11g's Lynn

For Peter Geach, Elizabeth Anscombe,

Gareth Moore, and James Sadowsky

Acknowledgements

A number of people have been kind enough to comment on material which has found its way into this book . In particular, I must thank Elizabeth Anscombe , Peter Geach , Paul Helm, Herbert McCabe , OP, Hugo MeyneH, Alan Ryan , James Sadowsky, SJ , Stephen Salter, Richard Swinburne, Simon Tugwell, OP, K. V. Wilkes, Christopher Williams, and Mark Wynn. None of these people should be taken as agreeing with the content of the book as it stands. But I think that they have helped me to make it a better text than it would have been without their advice . My thanks also go to Jean van Altena for her excellent work as copy-editor of the book.

Blackfriars Oxford

Contents

Introduction

ix

I Philosophy and Religious Belief

I

2 Talking about God

20

3 God and Evil

32

4 The Ontological Argument

55

5 The Cosmological Argument

74

6 The Argument from Design

94

7 Experience and God

I20

8 Eternity

141

9 Morality and Religion

168

10 Miracle

1 90

I 1 Life after Death

212

Notes

235

Bibliography

252

Index

257

Introduction

IT is difficult to say what the philosophy of religion is . One might define it as 'philosophizing about religion' . But people disagree about the nature of philosophy and religion , so this definition has its drawbacks. Philosophy of religion is now a very flourishing branch of philosophy. Thirty years or so ago , specialists in philosophy of religion were a rare breed. But they are now very common , and they publish a lot . Many of them would describe themselves as philosophers of religion. Yet it. would be rash to conclude from this that we can easily define 'the philosophy of religion'. It is not , for example , a discipline distinguishable from others as chemistry is from needlework .

In this book I do not attempt the perilous task of defining 'philosophy of religion' . My intention is to offer an intro ductory look at some of the topics traditionally thought to fall within its scope. The most prominent of these is the existence of God, so much of what follows is devoted to that issue and to matters which arise in connection with it. I also consider the relationship between morality and religion , the concept of miracle , and the notion of life after death.

It is inevitable that my own views will become clear as the book proceeds, for it is hard to discuss any philosophical issue without taking sides, or seeming to do so. But I have tried to write so as to help readers take up some sides for themselves. I have also tried to write on the assumption that readers have little or no philosophical background . This book is therefore a basic introduction for those who are approaching the philosophy of religion for the first time . Its bibliography will , I hope , allow them to take matters further.

A great deal more than I discuss could be brought in under the heading of philosophy of religion . There are , for example , matters arising from the comparative study of religion and

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