David M. Holley

eBook, PDF

Meaning and Mystery (eBook, PDF)

What It Means To Believe in God

Beschreibung

Meaning and Mystery offers a challenge to the way Philosophy has traditionally approached the issue of belief in God as a theoretical problem, proposing instead a form of reflection more appropriate to the practical nature of the issue. * Makes use of abundant illustrative material, from both literature, such as Les Misérables, Edwin Abott's Flatland, Yann Martel's Life of Pi and Leo Tolstoy's A Confession, and popular culture, such as advertisements, the television series Joan of Arcadia and the film Stranger Than Fiction * Uses imaginative scenarios to offer explanations of central concepts * Incorporates theories on human thought and behavior in exploring the formation of religious belief * Written in a style that is accessible to readers with little background knowledge of philosophy

Technische Details

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• Größe: 1.39MB

Barrierefreiheit

• Text-to-Speech

Autor

David M. Holley is Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion at the University of Southern Mississippi. His previous book, Self-Interest and Beyond (1999), develops an account of the proper use and limits of self-interested thinking. His articles on topics in philosophy of religion, ethics, and moral psychology have appeared in numerous professional journals.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Wiley
• Seitenzahl: 256
• Erscheinungstermin: 3. November 2009
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781444315622
• Artikelnr.: 37358587

Rezensionen

"With these minor criticisms in mind, Holley's work should becommended for its unique and provocative approach of defendingreligious belief in the age of modernity which, at the same time,defends naturalism and atheism. He has revealed to us that one neednot be legitimized at the expense of the other." (InternationalJournal For Philosophy of Religion, 8 January 2011)

"Holley makes strong but subtle arguments for a transcendentagent conception of God, and the need for this image for a coherentmorality, the value of revelation-bearing traditions, and thepriority of practice for discovering belief." (CHOICE,September 2010)"The question of the existence of God has been partof the philosophical debate ...with arguments advanced for

andagainst it. In this heartfelt ... argument for God'sexistence, the author studies the subject from every perspective.Echoes of ancient thinkers as well as more contemporary observersof the religious scene are well represented herein. Holley isclearly well versed in the arguments on both sides of the question.And he shows some insight into those who find belief in God to be athing devoutly to be avoided even while espousing belief as part ofhis own life. In the end, Holley chooses faith over doubt andoffers guidelines for those seeking an experience with the divine.His observations are well worth reading." (PublishersWeekly, January 2010)"This book achieves something very difficult: it provides a freshand innovative way of looking at the age-old questions aboutreligious faith that philosophers have argued about for centuries.Written in a clear and engaging style, Holley shows the role'life-orienting stories' play for both believers and atheists, and,without dogmatism or minimizing difficulties, he shows howreligious faith might be possible in the contemporary world."
--C. Stephen Evans, Professor of Philosophy andHumanities, Baylor University

"The epistemic bearing of all-encompassing narratives onreligious belief and disbelief has been largely neglected byphilosophers in the English speaking world. Holley's lucid andwell-written book is a welcome corrective."
-- William J. Wainwright, Distinguished Professor ofPhilosophy Emeritus, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee