Meaning and Mystery (eBook)

What It Means To Believe in God

David M. Holley (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2009 | 1. Auflage
256 Seiten
John Wiley & Sons (Verlag)
978-1-4443-1562-2 (ISBN)

Infos

Meaning and Mystery offers a challenge to the way Philosophy
has traditionally approached the issue of belief in God as a
theoretical problem, proposing instead a form of reflection more
appropriate to the practical nature of the issue.

* Makes use of abundant illustrative material, from both
literature, such as Les Misérables, Edwin Abott's
Flatland, Yann Martel's Life of Pi and Leo
Tolstoy's A Confession, and popular culture, such as
advertisements, the television series Joan of Arcadia and
the film Stranger Than Fiction

* Uses imaginative scenarios to offer explanations of central
concepts

* Incorporates theories on human thought and behavior in
exploring the formation of religious belief

* Written in a style that is accessible to readers with little
background knowledge of philosophy

Autor

David M. Holley is Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion at the University of Southern Mississippi. His previous book, Self-Interest and Beyond (1999), develops an account of the proper use and limits of self-interested thinking. His articles on topics in philosophy of religion, ethics, and moral psychology have appeared in numerous professional journals.

Inhalt

Preface.

Acknowledgments.

Introduction: Does Anyone Actually Believe in God?

1 Life-Orienting Stories.

2 God of the Philosophers.

3 Reasons for Believing in God.

4 Resistance and Receptivity.

5 Belief As a Practical Issue.

6 Anthropomorphism and Mystery.

7 Naturalistic Stories.

8 Theistic and Naturalistic Morality.

9 Meaning and the Limits of Meaning.

10 Conviction, Doubt, and Humility.

Suggestions for Further Reading.

Index.

Rezensionen

"With these minor criticisms in mind, Holley's work should be
commended for its unique and provocative approach of defending
religious belief in the age of modernity which, at the same time,
defends naturalism and atheism. He has revealed to us that one need
not be legitimized at the expense of the other." (International
Journal For Philosophy of Religion, 8 January 2011)

"Holley makes strong but subtle arguments for a transcendent
agent conception of God, and the need for this image for a coherent
morality, the value of revelation-bearing traditions, and the
priority of practice for discovering belief." (CHOICE,
September 2010)"The question of the existence of God has been part
of the philosophical debate ...with arguments advanced for and
against it. In this heartfelt ... argument for God's
existence, the author studies the subject from every perspective.
Echoes of ancient thinkers as well as more contemporary observers
of the religious scene are well represented herein. Holley is
clearly well versed in the arguments on both sides of the question.
And he shows some insight into those who find belief in God to be a
thing devoutly to be avoided even while espousing belief as part of
his own life. In the end, Holley chooses faith over doubt and
offers guidelines for those seeking an experience with the divine.
His observations are well worth reading." (Publishers
Weekly, January 2010)

"This book achieves something very difficult: it provides a fresh
and innovative way of looking at the age-old questions about
religious faith that philosophers have argued about for centuries.
Written in a clear and engaging style, Holley shows the role
'life-orienting stories' play for both believers and atheists, and,
without dogmatism or minimizing difficulties, he shows how
religious faith might be possible in the contemporary world."

--C. Stephen Evans, Professor of Philosophy and
Humanities, Baylor University

"The epistemic bearing of all-encompassing narratives on
religious belief and disbelief has been largely neglected by
philosophers in the English speaking world. Holley's lucid and
well-written book is a welcome corrective."

--William J. Wainwright, Distinguished Professor of
Philosophy Emeritus, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 19.11.2009
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Allgemeines / Lexika
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Religion / Theologie
• Schlagworte: Philosophie • Philosophy • Philosophy of Religion • Religionsphilosophie
• ISBN-10: 1-4443-1562-5 / 1444315625
• ISBN-13: 978-1-4443-1562-2 / 9781444315622