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Edward Feser
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Five Proofs of the Existence of God Paperback – 31 Oct. 2017

by Edward Feser (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars 534 ratings

This book provides a detailed, updated exposition and defense of five of the historically most important (but in recent years largely neglected) philosophical proofs of God's existence: the Aristotelian, the Neo-Platonic, the Augustinian, the Thomistic, and the Rationalist.

It also offers a thorough treatment of each of the key divine attributes--unity, simplicity, eternity, omnipotence, omniscience, perfect goodness, and so forth--showing that they must be possessed by the God whose existence is demonstrated by the proofs. Finally, it answers at length all of the objections that have been leveled against these proofs.

This work provides as ambitious and complete a defense of traditional natural theology as is currently in print. Its aim is to vindicate the view of the greatest philosophers of the past-- thinkers like Aristotle, Plotinus, Augustine, Aquinas, Leibniz, and many others-- that the existence of God can be established with certainty by way of purely rational arguments. It thereby serves as a refutation both of atheism and of the fideism that gives aid and comfort to atheism.

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  1. ISBN-10
    1621641333
  2. ISBN-13
    978-1621641339
  3. Publisher
    Ignatius Press
  4. Publication date
    31 Oct. 2017
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    15.24 x 2.06 x 22.86 cm
  7. Print length
    360 pages
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Product description

Review

A watershed book. Feser has completely severed the intellectual legs upon which modern atheism had hoped to stand.
-- Matthew Levering, James N. and Mary D. Perry Jr. Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary

A powerful and important book. The concluding chapter, where Feser replies to possible objections to his arguments, is a gem; it alone is worth the price of this excellent work.
-- Stephen T. Davis, Russell K. Pitzer Professor of Philosophy, Claremont McKenna College

Edward Feser is widely recognized as a top scholar in the history of philosophy in general, and in Thomistic and Aristotelian philosophy in particular. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in natural theology. I happily and highly recommend it.
-- J. P. Moreland, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Biola University

Refutes with devastating effect the standard objections to theistic proofs, from David Hume to the New Atheists.
-- Robert C. Koons, Professor of Philosophy, University of Texas at Austin

Yet another fine book by Edward Feser. He replies to (literally) all of the objections and shows convincingly how the most popular objections (the kind one hears in Introduction to Philosophy courses) are very often completely beside the point and, even when they're not, are 'staggeringly feeble and overrated'.
-- Alfred J. Freddoso, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, University of Notre Dame

About the Author

Edward Feser, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Pasadena City College in Pasadena, California. Called by National Review "one of the best contemporary writers on philosophy", he is the author of The Last Superstition: A Refutation of the New Atheism, Aquinas, Scholastic Meta- physics, By Man Shall His Blood Be Shed, and many other books and articles.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ignatius Press
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 31 Oct. 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 360 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1621641333
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1621641339
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 463 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.24 x 2.06 x 22.86 cm
  • Best Sellers Rank: 44,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer reviews:
    4.7 out of 5 stars 534 ratings

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Edward Feser

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
534 global ratings

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Jared Burger
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 July 2025
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This is the PROOF!
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  • M. Thompson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Feser on Stun!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 December 2017
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Terrific stuff from Feser. This is a very readable book and requires little or no familiarity with contemporary academic philosophy (indeed, such familiarity is likely to be an impediment, because much of the supporting metaphysics is "classical", and therefore likely to be foreign to "moderns"). All technical terms are carefully defined along the way. The structure is very helpful. First a discursive account of each argument is presented, followed by a more formal logical presentation, then various objections are addressed. Of course, no book on this subject is easy, and some effort is required to grasp the unavoidably abstract concepts, but the clarity of the exposition is masterful.
    33 people found this helpful
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  • Maolsheachlann Ó Ceallaigh, author of "Inspiration from the Saints"
    5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, Thorough and Often Compelling
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 September 2018
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Full disclosure, first of all-- I am not only a Catholic, but a Catholic who owes his conversion, to a great degree, to Dr. Feser's book "The Last Superstition."

    In "The Last Superstition", Dr. Feser was setting forth the arguments of Thomas Aquinas for the existence of God-- his celebrated Five Ways. The Five "proofs" in this book are not the "Five Ways" of Aquinas, although they are very similar in many regards. They are "Feser's" proofs in the sense that he is not trying to expound any other thinker. (Though, of course, they are deeply indebted to previous philosophers.) Many are very similar to each other, to the extent that some may find the book monotonous past the half-way point.

    This isn't a "fun" book, in that it does not contain the entertaining polemic of the Las Superstition, or Dr. Feser's blog. But it will be of interest to those looking for philosophical arguments to buttress their theistic belief, and also to open-minded atheists and agnostics.

    What struck me, reading this book, is the gap between the level of explanation required by theistic philosophers such as Dr. Feser, and those who embrace scientific materialism. The motto of scientific materialists might simply be Bertrand Russell's "The universe just is, that's all". Dr. Feser shows a reluctance to accept "brute facts" of this kind, and argues that the burden of proof is on those who say we should when there IS an alternative explanation.

    Of particular interest to me was the Augustinian proof-- the third addressed in the book. This (to put it crudely) is the argument that numbers and other abstract objects have a real existence, and must exist in a mind-- only the mind of God could hold them all. This was the argument I found most compelling.

    If you are a religious believer of a philosophical turn of mind, or if you are a seeker open to argument, buy this book. I won't claim it will make you a theist, but it's a powerful argument in favour of theism. Highly recommend.
    22 people found this helpful
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  • alen
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Standard textbook
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 November 2024
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    A Standard textbook
    One person found this helpful
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  • Sean
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Revealing Study and Synopsis
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 February 2022
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    The book may well have been named "Proofs of God", because in it, Feser brings together in an expert narrative these strands of thought that have come down to us historically, and analyses them also in the light of contemporary criticisms, employing counter arguments also made by contemporary philosophers. All in all an expert treatment of the current state of play of the subject. Feser explains any difficult terminology along the way, while not compromising on the level at which he is pitching the overall text.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Client
    5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 June 2019
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    After reading this outstanding book, I want to read all of Edward Feser's books. Some might find the text repetitive sometimes, but understanding this subject properly requires repetition over years/decades. But it reads quite well, and addresses any question you can have. It can save you a few years of confusion and misunderstanding.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 April 2022
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    If you are really looking for proofs of God, then go work in a hospital of a poor nation. If, on the other hand, you are wondering as to why the arguments of New Atheists “feel” so wrong, even if you cannot argue against them at the moment, then this book is for you...
    4 people found this helpful
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  • L. M.
    5.0 out of 5 stars If you enjoyed this book (like I did) you should definitely check ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 March 2018
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    The contributions made by Edward Feser are outstanding. If you enjoyed this book (like I did) you should definitely check out his other works - Aquinas: A Begginer's Guide, The Last Superstition & Scholastic Metaphysics.
    9 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • J. H. A.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well explained deep philosophical concepts
    Reviewed in Canada on 7 May 2022
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    Very well explained deep philosophical concepts and hard to stop reading. The arguments presented are very well defended. I recommend the reading ti strengthen the Christian apologetics posture.
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  • Cliente Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bien
    Reviewed in Spain on 31 July 2022
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Lo compré para mi hermano y le ha gustado.
    Tapas y papel de calidad.
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  • grosjean michel
    4.0 out of 5 stars 7 proofs
    Reviewed in France on 27 June 2025
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    C est bien Mais ca reste au niveau de la metaphysique
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  • L
    5.0 out of 5 stars Logic at its finest
    Reviewed in Mexico on 1 December 2017
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    I'm around 1/3 of the book and so far I have enjoyed the logical approach of Edward Feser. As someone with a career of exact sciences it's pleasant for me to read a contemporary philosopher that understand and uses logic with rigorously.
    Some of the concepts are taking me time to fully grasp or accept, in part because some of the examples that it uses to introduce the concepts are strictly wrong even when they serve to introduce the concepts (but in Feser's defense, those examples are not used on the actual proof, they are only used to introduce concepts).
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  • ItaloS
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
    Reviewed in Brazil on 29 August 2025
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Amazing book, well organized, great explanations and refutations about the objections. The only no so good point I will say is this, I will be hard for the layman to follow somethings in the book, that's because sometimes the author uses difficult language and try too much to respond to other academics, almost like It is a philosophical debate between them.

    If the author put into the market a simpler version, with more day to day examples for the layman, and cut out the debate with other academics, the book would be the definite book about the proofs that most people would understand and recommend.

    But besides that, I recommend reading it
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