Belief or Unbelief: The Mystery of God in the Light of Reason
Ebook
There are two tragedies in life: to live life believing God exists, and finding this to be an illusion, and to live life believing God does not exist, but finding that God does exist. Nonbelievers readily concede that belief in God is the more hopeful cosmovision, but the issue is if, in fact, this belief corresponds to reality. But can anything new be said on the issue of God's existence?
Rather than arguing deductively, as is typical in philosophy, Belief or Unbelief innovates by following an inductive approach, as is typical in science, where it infers the existence of God as more reasonable in the light of philosophic considerations and the findings of modern science. Inferential arguments sacrifice rigor and definitive conclusions, but rather aim at arriving at the likelier conclusion.
Belief or Unbelief concludes that belief in God is not only a more hopeful cosmovision than unbelief, but that it is also the more reasonable inference. It is addressed to intellectually curious and open-minded lay persons, believers and nonbelievers, courageous enough to reexamine their basic convictions.
“The book confronts arguments for and against the existence of God—updated in the light of modern science. Joseph Ramos’s argument moves in the Anglo-Saxon philosophical tradition, where he infers belief to be more reasonable than unbelief. He argues his case clearly and persuasively, holding the reader´s interest right to the end.”
—Jorge Acevedo, professor of philosophy, University of Chile
“Challenging the widespread materialist worldview in modern society, Joseph Ramos makes compelling arguments demonstrating the epistemological limits of science and the fundamental role of philosophy in achieving a better understanding of reality. Moreover, philosophical reasoning based on scientific evidence leads to an intimate conviction on the existence of a Superior Being. Belief or Unbelief, suitable for scholars as well as the educated general public, eloquently corroborates that science can be in perfect harmony with belief in transcendence.”
—Rafael Vicuña, biochemist
“This book is a useful resource for those who seek certainty on God’s existence. On scientific grounds, Joseph Ramos provides credible evidence of God’s existence and of the resulting weakness of atheistic theories.”
—José Miguel Ibáñez Langlois, author of La belleza y el arte
- Title: Belief or Unbelief: The Mystery of God in the Light of Reason
- Author: Joseph Ramos
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Print Publication Date: 2023
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9798385205479, 9798385205455, 9798385205462
- Resource ID: LLS:9798385205479
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-01-08T21:44:40Z
Joseph Ramos is professor emeritus and former dean at the School of Economics and Business of the University of Chile. He is a New Yorker, granted honorary Chilean citizenship in 2002. He was chosen by his peers as Economist of the Year 2001. He has published eight books and over fifty journal articles. The Spanish version of this book was published in 2022, now in its third printing in Chile.