Dialogues about God

by Charles Taliaferro St. Olaf College

Overview

One in the series New Dialogues in Philosophy, edited by Dale Jacquette, Charles Taliaferro, a leading philosopher of religion, presents several fictional dialogues among characters with contrasting views on the existence of God. The views express the many standard positions: theism, atheism, skepticism, and other nuanced arguments about the nature of God. In a series of five inspired, original debates, Taliaferro taps into several famous exchanges, including those among Antony Flew, Basil Mitchell and R. M. Hare; between Frederick Copleston and Bertrand Russell; and between Copleston and A. J. Ayer. The book includes a set of observations about the nature and conduct of debate: providing charitable interpretations of opposing sides and allowing interlocutors time to develop their points. Series Editor: Professor Dale Jacquette, Senior Professorial Chair in Theoretical Philosophy, University of Bern, Switzerland

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780742559639
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	04/16/2009
Series:	New Dialogues in Philosophy
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.13(h) x 0.37(d)

About the Author

Charles Taliaferro is professor of philosophy at St. Olaf College.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction: Some Groundwork Chapter 2 First Conversation: Launching a Dialogue about God Chapter 3 Second Conversation: An Exploration of the Classical Understanding of God Chapter 4 Third Conversation: Arguments for the Existence of God Chapter 5 Fourth Conversation: If God Exists, Why Is There Evil? Chapter 6 Fifth Conversation: Looking into Miracles, the Incarnation, Redemption, Religious Diversity, and a Skeptical Challenge Chapter 7 Afterword: Sources for Dialogues About God and Some Suggested Further Reading

Editorial Reviews

A promising new series that offers noteable contemporary philosophers the opportunity to write books in a neglected format that has proven historically to be remarkably fruitful.--Steven M. Cahn

As Plato knew, something lives in dialogue that no other form of writing has--it's like a fishing net that strains truth from the sea. Charles Taliaferro has figured it out, and in Dialogues about God he uses Plato's old technique to teach readers about the existence of God, the problem of evil, and the nature of miracles. A fun, lively, and--most of all--helpful book.--Joseph Bottum, Editor, FIRST THINGS

From the Publisher

A promising new series that offers noteable contemporary philosophers the opportunity to write books in a neglected format that has proven historically to be remarkably fruitful.

Steven M. Cahn

As Plato knew, something lives in dialogue that no other form of writing has—it's like a fishing net that strains truth from the sea. Charles Taliaferro has figured it out, and in Dialogues about God he uses Plato's old technique to teach readers about the existence of God, the problem of evil, and the nature of miracles. A fun, lively, and—most of all—helpful book.

Joseph Bottum