God and Abstract Objects: The Coherence of Theism: Aseity

by William Lane Craig

Overview

This book is an exploration and defense of the coherence of classical theism’s doctrine of divine aseity in the face of the challenge posed by Platonism with respect to abstract objects. A synoptic work in analytic philosophy of religion, the book engages discussions in philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of language, metaphysics, and metaontology. It addresses absolute creationism, non-Platonic realism, fictionalism, neutralism, and alternative logics and semantics, among other topics. The book offers a helpful taxonomy of the wide range of options available to the classical theist for dealing with the challenge of Platonism. It probes in detail the diverse views on the reality of abstract objects and their compatibility with classical theism. It contains a most thorough discussion, rooted in careful exegesis, of the biblical and patristic basis of the doctrine of divine aseity. Finally, it challenges the influential Quinean metaontological theses concerning the way in which we make ontological commitments.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783319553832
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	09/06/2017
Edition description:	1st ed. 2017
Pages:	540
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

William Lane Craig is Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology and Houston Baptist University. A Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung, he delivered the Cadbury Lectures at the University of Birmingham in 2015. He has authored or edited over 40 books and over 150 articles in philosophical and theological journals. Research interests include metaphysics, philosophy of time, philosophy of religion, and philosophy of mathematics.

Table of Contents

Part 1. The Problematic.- Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. Theology Proper and Abstract Objects.- Chapter 3. The Indispensability Argument for Platonism.- Part 2. Realist Solutions.- Chapter 4. Absolute Creationism.- Chapter 5. Non-Platonic Realism.- Part 3. Anti-Realist Solutions.- Chapter 6. Alternative Logics and Semantics.- Chapter 7. Fictionalism.- Chapter 8. Ultima Facie Interpretive Strategies.- Chapter 9. Pretense Theory.- Chapter 10. Neo-Meinongianism.- Chapter 11. Neutralism.- Part 4. Conclusion.- Chapter 12. Concluding Remarks.

Editorial Reviews

God and Abstract Objects (G&AO), William Lane Craig codifies over a dozen years of research and reflection on the threat that realist views of abstract objects pose to divine aseity. … G&AO intended for a non-specialist audience. It is directed primarily to philosophers and theologians, … .” (C.A. McIntosh, Philosophy in Review, Vol. 39 (2), May, 2019)

“In God and Abstract Objects, Craig sets about defusing the tension by exploring the options for accounting for mathematical practice and its role in our lives … . He does this by means of an impressive synoptic overview of the contemporary philosophy of mathematics, examining positions that might offer the theistic philosopher a way to preserve the doctrine of aseity. …The detailed engagement with positions in the philosophy of mathematics is to be found in God and Abstract Objects… .” (Simon Hewitt, Philosophia Mathematica, August, 2018)

From the Publisher