An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion [Paperback]

This is easily the best available textbook in philosophy of religion at undergraduate level.

I'm afraid that the reviewer who describes the book as 'superficial' seems unfamiliar with the norms governing philosophy of religion in the analytic tradition. First, leaving questions 'open' in a textbook is not a failure. The role of a textbook author is to introduce students to debates, not to set him or herself up as a guru. Second, the reason the book concentrates on a 'Western' concept of God is that, rightly or wrongly, debate about God in analytic philosopher has drawn primarily on the classical monotheistic tradition.

Brian Davies has written an excellent introduction to the Philosophy of Religion. He concentrates on theism, the doctrine of God as defined by the three major religions of the world, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. His discussion incorporates all the main issues arising from the subject, the nature and qualities of God, arguments from cosmology, design and ontology, question of omnipotence and omniscience, the problem of evil, miracles, morality and life after death. Each topic is discussed with balance, arguments for and against are marshaled, discussed and debated in a thoughtful manner which contrasts sharply with the nonsensical hysteria which passes for rational debate between theists and their opponents.

Davies's starting point is to differentiate between classical theism and theistic personalism. The former was developed from both Biblical and philosophical arguments which saw everything as being dependent on God for its being and existence while the latter is associated with process theology which denies individual immortality in favour of oneness with God eternally. In considering the philosophical concept of God Davies notes the argument that belief needs to be justified by reason but, citing Wittgenstein's distinction between surface and depth grammar, concludes that there are differences in believing in God and believing in a hypothesis which can be verified by evidence.

In brief, while the concept or existence of God is a hypothesis which can neither be verified nor falsified by empirical evidence, it is possible, as Alvin Plantinga suggests, " that it is entirely right, rational, reasonable and proper to believe in God without any evidence of argument". It is not necessary for theism to be based on arguments for God's existence and "those who think that thesists need evidence for their position do not generally state what sort of evidence is needed. In general they are only suggesting that it is irrational to believe God exists without any evidence or reason at all". However, empirical evidence is neither a sufficient nor a complete justification for dispensing with the concept of God any more than it is required for many beliefs held by human beings.

Davies examines the cosmological, design and ontological arguments for belief in God. These arguments and the questions which they seek to answer have not changed for centuries. Why is the universe as it is? Does it have a teleological purpose? What can be inferred from such empirical evidence as we have and, by implication, is the scientific method relevant to the search for God? The implications of the idea of omnipotence, omniscience, morality, the problem of evil and life after death are discussed in a thoroughly balanced manner with all the main thinkers, Aquinas, Anselm, Hume, Descartes, Kant from history and more recently Flew, Phillips, Hick and Mackie explained. It is the ideal antidote to the simplistic rantings of Dawkins et.al.

The book is as complete an introduction to the subject as any on the market. Each chapter includes excellent references, provides detailed advice on further reading and is followed with a series of searching questions for discussion. In this respect Davies has not written an updated version of earlier editions but a completely new book. As a text it is ideal for an introductory undergraduate course, raising issues and interest for anyone who wishes to move beyond the slap happy populist approach to philosophy or religion. I finished the book with a keen sense of how superficial discussions of the subject have often been and with the profound impression that, whatever we do know, we are missing something fundamental by seeking to describe God in our own terms.

I recommend this new edition to anyone who wants to consider the subject in depth. It is an ideal introduction to other sources of information which will cause the reader to think deeply about a subject which tries to get to the heart of who we are, what are we doing here and whether there is a purpose to it all. Five stars, no question.

Intended as an introductory text for undergraduates and the general reader, Davies' book provides a broad and balanced account of philosophy of religion as practiced in the analytic tradition in America and the United Kingdom. The topics covered are those that are likely to be encountered by an undergraduate undertaking a first course: analysis of the monotheistic concept of divinity, arguments for the existence of God, miracles, the nature of religious language etc. The exclusion of Eastern religions and philosophy thus reflects the anglo-american academic tradition (if the is a charge of eurocentrism to me made, it seems unfair to level it at Davies: he is well aware of the material he chooses not to cover). Arguments are placed in the context of various traditions in Western philosophy, and are developed in sufficient depth to allow beginners to appreciate the complexity of the issues raised. The result is neither superfical nor subjective: OUP is to be congratulated in taking this excellent text book to a third edition.