Religions, Reasons and Gods: Essays in Cross-cultural Philosophy of ReligionCambridge University Press, 25/11/2006 Traditional theistic proofs are often understood as evidence intended to compel belief in a divinity. John Clayton explores the surprisingly varied applications of such proofs in the work of philosophers and theologians from several periods and traditions, thinkers as varied as Ramanuja, al-Ghazali, Anselm, and Jefferson. He shows how the gradual disembedding of theistic proofs from their diverse and local religious contexts is concurrent with the development of natural theologies and atheism as social and intellectual options in early modern Europe and America. Clayton offers a fresh reading of the early modern history of philosophy and theology, arguing that awareness of such history, and the local uses of theistic argument, offer important ways of managing religious and cultural difference in the public sphere. He argues for the importance of historically grounded philosophy of religion to the field of religious studies and public debate on religious pluralism and cultural diversity. |
المحتوى
Claims contexts and contestability | 1 |
REASON AND RELIGIOUS PLURALISM | 13 |
Thomas Jefferson and the study of religion | 16 |
Common ground and defensible difference | 58 |
Religions reasons and gods | 80 |
THEISTIC ARGUMENTS IN PREMODERN CONTEXTS | 99 |
Ramanuja Hume and comparativephilosophy remarks on the Sribhasya and the Dialogues concerning Natural Religion | 101 |
Piety and the proofs | 133 |
THEISTIC ARGUMENTS IN EARLYMODERN CONTEXTS | 181 |
The debate about God in earlymodern French philosophy | 184 |
The Enlightenment project and the debate about God in earlymodern German philosophy | 222 |
The debate about God in earlymodern British philosophy | 245 |
Beyond the Enlightenment project? | 292 |
The 1997 Hulsean Sermon | 310 |
318 | |
354 | |
عبارات ومصطلحات مألوفة
al-Ghazali Anselm apologetic atheism authority Bayle Bayle's belief Brahman Britain British Buddhist Cambridge Cartesian Carvaka cause Chapter Christian claims Clayton consensus contexts critical critique cultural d'Holbach darsanas debate defend Descartes design argument discourse disputation divine doctrine early-modern Enlightenment project enquiry essay faith foundationalist France Ghazali God's existence ground Hindu human Hume Hume's Dialogues Ibid Indian Philosophy inference intellectual interpretation Islamic Jaina Kant Kant's knowledge Leibniz London means mediaeval Mendelssohn metaphysical modern moral Muslim Naiyayikas nastika Natural Religion natural theology Nyaya Nyaya-Vaisesika ontological ontological argument orthodox Oxford Paley Paley's particular perspective Philo philosophy of religion pluralism position possible Priestley principles proof a priori Proslogion Psalm Qur'an Ramanuja rational religious traditions Samkhya scepticism scholastic scripture sense seventeenth Spinoza Sribhasya Stanton Lectures strategy theistic arguments theistic proofs theologians Thomas Jefferson thought tradition-specific trans Udayana University Vaisesika Vedic vols Whewell William Paley writings