Idealism and Christian Philosophy: Idealism and Christianity Volume 2
Ebook
When it comes to contemporary philosophical problems, metaphysical idealism-or Berkeleyan immaterialism-is not taken seriously by most philosophers, not to mention the typical Christian layperson. This state of affairs deserves some attempt at rectification, since Idealism has considerable explanatory power as a metaphysical thesis and provides numerous practical and theoretical benefits.
Such thinkers as George Berkeley and Jonathan Edwards believed that Idealism is especially amenable to a Christian perspective, both because it provides a plausible way of conceptualizing the world from a theistic standpoint and because it effectively addresses skeptical challenges to the Christian faith. The contributors to this volume explore a variety of ways in which the case can be made for this claim, including potential solutions to philosophical problems related to the nature of time, the ontology of physical objects, the mind-body problem, and the nature of science.
Idealism and Christian Philosophy explores the viability of metaphysical idealism by considering the implications of this doctrine for a wide range of issues relevant to a Christian philosophical perspective.
Introduces the Idealist philosophical tradition
Applies Idealism to assorted issues in contemporary Christian philosophy
Assesses the viability of Idealism for contemporary Christian philosophy
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Idealism and Christian Philosophy
Steven B. Cowan (Lincoln Memorial University, USA) and James S. Spiegel (Taylor University, USA)
1. Idealism and the Reasonableness of Theism
James S. Spiegel (Taylor University, USA)
2. Idealism and the Nature of Truth
Gregory E. Trickett (Weatherford College, USA)
3. What Is that Stone? Idealism and Particulars
Steven B. Cowan (Lincoln Memorial University, USA)
4. Idealism and Perception: Why Berkeleyan Idealism is Not as Counterintuitive as it Seems
Howard Robinson (Central European University, Hungary)
5. Idealism and the Mind-Body Problem
Charles Taliaferro (St. Olaf College, USA)
6. Idealism and the Nature of God
Adam Groza (Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, USA)
7. God, Idealism, and Time: A Berkeleyan Approach to Old Questions
Benjamin H. Arbour (University of Bristol, UK)
8. Idealism and Science
Douglas Blount (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, USA)
9. Immaterialism, Miracles, and the Laws of Nature
Marc A. Hight (Hampden-Sydney College, USA)
10. What's the Point? Idealism and the Moral Life
Keith Ward (Heythrop College, UK)
Notes on Contributors
Index
The 'Idealism and Christianity' series is the first of its kind, an inauguration of a rich conversation in metaphysics that manages to be coherent, insightful, and accessible to students and professors alike.
The chief benefit Berkeley saw in his idealism was its ability to make vivid the immediate and all-pervasive presence of God in our lives. Yet this aspect of his thought has remained strangely neglected. Cowan and Spiegel's Idealism and Christian Philosophy brings together an array of first-rate, original essays by some of the people best able to explore this rich topic. It's an invaluable collection for anyone looking to better understand the relationship between immaterialism and theism.
- Title: Idealism and Christian Philosophy: Idealism and Christianity Volume 2
- Authors: Steven B. Cowan, James S. Spiegel
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
- Print Publication Date: 2016
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781628924077, 9781501335860, 1501335863, 1628924071
- Resource ID: LLS:9781628924077
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-04-12T01:31:08Z
James S. Spiegel is a Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, USA. His books include The Love of Wisdom: A Christian Introduction to Philosophy (2010), Faith, Film, and Philosophy (2007), Hypocrisy: Moral Fraud and Other Vices (1999), and the award-winning How to be Good in a World Gone Bad (2004).
Steven B. Cowan is the Jim Young Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Louisiana College, USA. He is the editor of Five Views on Apologetics (2000) and Who Runs the Church? Four Views on Church Government (2004) and co-author (with James Spiegel) of The Love of Wisdom: A Christian Introduction to Philosophy (2010).