Prolegomena to a Philosophy of Religion

by J. L. Schellenberg

Overview

"There is no attempt here to lay down as inviolable or to legislate certain ways of looking at things or ways of proceeding for philosophers of religion, only proposals for how to deal with a range of basic issues—proposals that I hope will ignite much fruitful discussion and which, in any case, I shall take as a basis for my own ongoing work in the field."—from the Preface

Providing an original and systematic treatment of foundational issues in philosophy of religion, J. L. Schellenberg's new book addresses the structure of religious and irreligious belief, the varieties of religious skepticism, and the nature of religion itself. From the author's searching analysis of faith emerges a novel understanding of propositional faith as requiring the absence of belief.

Schellenberg asks what the aims of the field should be, setting out a series of principles for carrying out some of the most important of these aims. His account of justification considers not only belief but also other responses to religious claims and distinguishes the justification of responses, propositions, and persons. Throughout Prolegomena to a Philosophy of Religion, Schellenberg is laying the groundwork for an elaboration of his own vision while at the same time suggesting how philosophers might rethink assumptions guiding most of today's work in analytic philosophy of religion.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801465116
Publisher:	Cornell University Press
Publication date:	11/15/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	242
File size:	454 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

J. L. Schellenberg is Professor of Philosophy at Mount Saint Vincent University. He is the author of Divine Hiddenness and Human Reason, also from Cornell.

Table of Contents

Contents Preface ix 1. On Religion 1 1. Why Care About This Issue? 000 2. Religion and the Religions 000 3. The Family Resemblance Approach 000 4. A Definition of "Religion"? 000 5. Defining "Religion" for Philosophy 000 6. From Theism to Ultimism 000 2. On Belief 00 1. Propositional Belief as a Form of Thought 000 2. A Contrary View: Belief as Confidence 000 3. Thought-Plus? 000 4. The Involuntariness of Propositional Belief 000 5. A Distinct Impression: Affective Belief 000 3. On Religious Belief and Religious Disbelief 00 1. Propositional Religious Belief 000 2. Affective Religious Belief 000 3. Propositional Religious Disbelief 000 4. Affective Religious Disbelief 000 4. On Religious Skepticism 000 1. Doubts and Doubting 000 2. Four Types of Religious Skepticism 000 3. Passive and Active Skepticism 000 5. On Religious Faith (I) 000 1. Finding "Faith" 000 2. Faith and Action: The Nature of Trust 000 3. Is Trust Present in All Forms of Religion? 000 4. Trust and the Nature of Faith 000 5. Faith: Propositional and Operational 000 6. On Religious Faith (II) 000 1. Propositional Faith as a Nonbelieving State 000 2. Some Operational Corollaries 000 3. Related Views 000 4. Religious Language and the Voluntariness of Faith 000 5. Replies to Religious Objections 000 7. On the Aims of Philosophy of Religion 000 1. The Received View: Meaning and Justification 000 2. The Nature of Justification 000 3. Building on the Received View: Theory and Practices 000 4. The Aims of Philosophy of Religion -- A Proposal 000 8. On Principles of Evaluation in Philosophy of Religion 000 1. Some Principles of Response-Justification 000 2. Truth or Consequences? 000 3. Evaluating Responses to Ultimism: Priority and Strategy 000 Index 000

What People are Saying About This

April 2006 Choice

Both Schellenberg's treatment of skepticism and his argument for principles of evaluation are superb and will draw wide attention. Indeed, the lucid writing and well-constructed arguments of this engaging, honest book draw readers into thinking and arguing of their own. Highly recommended.

William J. Wainwright

J. L. Schellenberg has written an original and provocative book. I strongly recommend it.

William P. Alston

Prolegomena to a Philosophy of Religion exhibits the characteristic virtues of J. L. Schellenberg's philosophizing. It is beautifully organized and clearly expounded. It goes into the issues it treats in great detail. It is loaded with acute and ingenious argumentation. Furthermore it is a work of great originality. This book is indispensable reading for everyone engaged, at whatever level, in the philosophy of religion.

Editorial Reviews

"Both Schellenberg's treatment of skepticism and his argument for principles of evaluation are superb and will draw wide attention. Indeed, the lucid writing and well-constructed arguments of this engaging, honest book draw readers into thinking and arguing of their own. Highly recommended."--Choice, April 2006

"J. L. Schellenberg has written an original and provocative book. I strongly recommend it."--William J. Wainwright, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

"Prolegomena to a Philosophy of Religion exhibits the characteristic virtues of J. L. Schellenberg's philosophizing. It is beautifully organized and clearly expounded. It goes into the issues it treats in great detail. It is loaded with acute and ingenious argumentation. Furthermore it is a work of great originality. This book is indispensable reading for everyone engaged, at whatever level, in the philosophy of religion."--William P. Alston, author of Beyond"Justification": Dimensions of Epistemic Evaluation

From the Publisher