Philosophy of Religion: A Contemporary Introduction (Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy)

425 Pages·1999·1.12 MB·English

by  Keith E. Yandell

PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION

“As a contemporary introduction to philosophy of religion, it is a God-send
or, if you prefer, a dharma-gift. Keith Yandell succeeds admirably in
producing a textbook which has clarity, wit and rigour and that engages
religion in its historical and cultural diversity . . . He grasps that religious
traditions are irreducibly different: they make different types of claims,
argue from different sorts of grounds, cultivate diverse values and aim at
divergent goals.”
John Clayton, Boston University

“The central strength of the book is its willingness to argue points out in
detail rather than just reporting on arguments. It is a model of rigorous
argument applied to questions of religion.”
Mark Wynn, Australian Catholic University, Brisbane

Philosophy of Religion is one of the first comprehensive textbooks to
consider the subject with reference to religions other than Christianity. As
an experienced textbook author and an established generalist in philosophy
of religion, Keith Yandell deals lucidly and constructively with
representative views and competing issues from Judaism, Christianity,
Islam, Buddhism and Jainism. He also shows how such issues and
competing views can be rationally assessed. He includes discussion of major
philosophical figures in religious traditions as well as important
contemporary philosophers. This engaging text will appeal to students of
both philosophy and religion as well as to the general reader interested in
the subject.
Keith E. Yandell is Professor of Philosophy at the University of
Wisconsin at Madison. He has written widely on philosophy and
philosophy of religion and among his most recent books are Hume’s
“Inexplicable Mystery” (1990) and The Epistemology of Religious
Experience (1995).
Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy
Series Editor:
Paul K. Moser
Loyola University of Chicago
This innovative, well-structured series is for students who have already done
an introductory course in philosophy. Each book introduces a core general
subject in contemporary philosophy and offers students an accessible but
substantial transition from introductory to higher-level college work in that
subject. The series is accessible to nonspecialists and each book clearly
motivates and expounds the problems and positions introduced. An orientating
chapter briefly introduces its topic and reminds readers of any crucial material
they need to have retained from a typical introductory course. Considerable
attention is given to explaining the central philosophical problems of a subject
and the main competing solutions and arguments for those solutions. The
primary aim is to educate students in the main problems, positions and
arguments of contemporary philosophy rather than to convince students of a
single position. The initial eight central books in the series are written by
experienced authors and teachers, and treat topics essential to a well-rounded
philosophy curriculum.
Epistemology
Robert Audi
Ethics
Harry Gensler
Metaphysics
Michael J. Loux
Philosophy of Art
Noel Carroll
Philosophy of Language
William G. Lycan
Philosophy of Mind
John Heil
Philosophy of Religion
Keith E. Yandell
Philosophy of Science
Alexander Rosenberg
PHILOSOPHY OF
RELIGION
A contemporary introduction

Keith E. Yandell

London and New York
Thanks are due to Karen Buege Yandell for illustrations of
the various Digitators.

First published in 1999
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2002.

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001

© 1999 Keith E. Yandell

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN 0-415-13213-4 (hbk)
ISBN 0-415-13214-2 (pbk)
ISBN 0-203-00708-5 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-20854-4 (Glassbook Format)
To Alvin Plantinga
—he led the way.

Contents

Preface xiii
Chapter 1: Introduction 1
PART I: PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION 9
Chapter 2: What is philosophy? What is religion? What is
philosophy of religion? 11
Philosophy 13
Objectivity 15
Religion 16
Philosophy of religion 17
Questions for reflection 18
Annotated reading 18
Chapter 3: What sorts of religion are there? 21
Monotheism 24
Advaita Vedanta 28
Jainism 30
Buddhism 31
Comparison 32
The criteria applied 32
Questions for reflection 34
Annotated reading 35
Chapter 4: What sorts of religious experience are there? 37
Structure and content 39
Descriptions 41
Criteria and their application 46
Questions for reflection 50
Annotated reading 50
viii CONTENTS
Chapter 5: The importance of doctrine and the distinctness of
religious traditions 51
Doctrine 53
“Truth-claims” 56
Identity 57
Diversity 61
Questions for reflection 64
Annotated reading 64
Chapter 6: Religious pluralism 65
Religious plurality and religious pluralism 67
The content of religious pluralism 67
Some religion-relevant consequences of RP 68
A critical discussion of RP: Part one 69
A critical discussion of RP: Part two 74
A critical discussion of RP: Part three 77
Questions for reflection 79
Annotated reading 79
PART II: RELIGIOUS CONCEPTIONS OF ULTIMATE
REALITY 81
Chapter 7: Monotheistic conceptions of ultimate reality 83
Generic philosophical monotheism 85
Greek monotheism 86
Semitic monotheism 89
Hindu monotheism 90
Monotheisms and atheisms 91
Questions for reflection 95
Annotated reading 96
Chapter 8: Nonmonotheistic conceptions of ultimate
reality 99
Advaita Vedanta Hinduism 102
Jainism and Buddhism 109
Conclusion 116
Questions for reflection 116
Annotated reading 116
CONTENTS ix
PART III: ARGUMENTS CONCERNING
MONOTHEISTIC CONCEPTIONS 119
Chapter 9: Arguments against monotheism 121
Three questions 123
The problem of evil 124
Failed escapes 125
The consistency issue 128
The evidential issue 131
Conclusion 161
Epilogue 161
Questions for reflection 164
Annotated reading 164
Chapter 10: Arguments for monotheism 167
Proof 169
Logical necessity 171
Purely conceptual proofs and the Ontological
Argument 174
Empirical proofs, argument strategies, and principles of
sufficient reason 181
Arguments by Thomas Aquinas 184
Questions for reflection 210
Annotated reading 211
Chapter 11: Monotheism and religious experience 213
Phenomenologically thick experiences 215
Experience as direct evidence 216
A principle of experiential evidence 218
Being evidence versus providing evidence 228
The evidential argument from religious experience 230
The principle of experiential evidence applied 231
Questions for reflection 235
Annotated reading 235