Description :


Is there a God? How can we know the answer? If God exists, what can we know about God? These questions are central to the philosophy of religion, but are of concern to all thinking people. In God Revisited, Nasim Butt tackles the issues, looking at the classical arguments for the existence of God and examining the contemporary challenges to them from sociologists and psychologists as well as philosophers.

 
The author also examines the nature and the meaning of individuals' religious experiences, and the relation between personal faith and religious pluralism. As a Muslim, Dr Butt evaluates alternative viewpoints on the above issues in terms both of their general validity and (mindful of the need for Muslims to gain a stronger appreciation of the logical basis of religious faith) with reference to an Islamic worldview. All philosophical writing reflects the author's own commitments. Hence completely neutrality is not possible; but that does not preclude a genuine striving for critical honesty. The breadth of viewpoint combined with intellectual insight makes God Revisited a valuable source for readers of all faiths.

About the Author :

Born in 1961 in Pakistan, Dr Nasim Butt was raised in England. He holds a B.Sc., M.Sc and Ph.D. in the history of science from the university of London, as well as an M.B.A in educational management and the National Professional Qualification for Leadership. Formerly Principal of Brondesbury Boys' College in Northwest London, Dr Butt is a qualified Ofsted inspector who assesses both state and public schools. His specialised interests include the philosophy of science and of religion.

Table of Contents :

---Preface,

---Chapter [1]. Philosophy of Religion in Context,
------Critical Dialogue,

---Chapter [2]. Concepts of God,
------The Theistic Concept of God,
------Proofs of God's Existence.

---Chapter [3]. Classical Arguments for the Existence of God,
------Ontological Arguments,
------Cosmological Arguments,
------Teleological (Design) Arguments,
------Moral Arguments,
------Summing Up.

---Chapter [4]. The Problem of Evil,
------The Logical form of the Problem,
------The Evidential Form of the Problem

---Chapter [5]. Talking about God : The Problem of Religious Language,
------The Challenge of Logical Positivism,
------Are Religious Beliefs Falsifiable?
------Language Games,
------Aquinas' Doctrine of Analogy.

---Chapter [6]. Objections to Theism from Science and Modernity,
------Post-Modernity and Religious Belief,
------Do the Natural Sciences Undermine Religious Belief?
------Objections from the Social Sciences,
------Challenges from Sociology,
------Freud and the Challenge of Psychology.

---Chapter [7]. God Revisited : Issues of Belief and Identity in the 21st Century,
------Faith and Subjectivity,
------Can Faith be Reasonable?
------Interpretive Judgements,
------Can Faith be Certain?
------Can Religious Faith be Tested?
------An Anatomy of Faith,
------What then is Faith?
------Could One Religion be True?

---Index.

*Dimensions : 21.5 x 13.5cm