A Companion to Philosophy of Religion.

Copan, Paul ; GUNN, ALBERT E.

QUINN, Philip L. and TALIAFERRO, Charles, eds. A Companion to Philosophy of Religion. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1997. xvi + 639 pp. Cloth, $84.95--Another fine addition to the Blackwell Companions of Philosophy series has been published. I consider it a gold mine! Although it is designed to be "a guide to philosophy of religion for nonspecialists" (p. 1), it will certainly engage "the specialist" as well. Quinn and Taliaferro have collected succinct (though, at times, less developed than one might like) essays from leading thinkers on the philosophy of religion--Ninian Smart, Scott MacDonald, Merold Westphal, Brian Hebblethwaite, Roger Trigg, Alvin Plantinga, Terence Penelhum, Paul Helm, Eleonore Stump, George Mavrodes, William Craig, Jonathan Kvanvig, Basil Mitchell--to name only some of them. Each essay--seventy-eight in all--is cross-referenced with the volume's other essays and is followed by a modest bibliography. In the back is a fairly thorough index.

In light of the phenomenon of the global village and an increased awareness of non-Western religious traditions, the editors of this volume are to be commended for attempting to devote significant space to them. In doing so, they nevertheless highlight the importance of the Christian faith, which has had such a formative influence on our philosophical tradition in the West.

To review a reference tool with such wide-ranging entries adequately in a few short paragraphs is, of course, impossible. I shall attempt to summarize the volume by presenting a breakdown of its parts. Unfortunately, I cannot do more than give a general listing of what this excellent volume affords.

The book is well organized. Part 1 deals with "Philosophical Issues in the Religions of the World." Instead of dealing solely with the Judeo-Christian theistic tradition, this section covers the key philosophical issues within each of the world religions. Part 2 ("Philosophical Theology and Philosophy of Religion in Western History") covers ancient and medieval (Christian, Islamic, and Jewish) philosophical theology along with early modern philosophical theology and the emergence of philosophy of religion--all within the traditional theistic perspective.

Part 3 surveys "Some Currents in Twentieth Century Philosophy of Religion," such as American pragmatism, process theology, Wittgensteinianism, and personalism. Included in this section are particular Judeo-Christian traditions such as the Thomistic, Anglican, Reformed, Orthodox, and Jewish. Part 4 ("Theism and the Linguistic Turn") offers essays on the relationship of language to religious belief. For instance, Janet Soskice writes on "Religious Language," and the atheist philosopher Michael Martin writes on "The Verificationist Challenge."

Part 5 ("The Theistic Conception of God") addresses the primary attributes of the God of theism--being, omnipotence, omniscience, incorporeality, beauty, omnipresence--and the relationship of God to creation (foreknowledge and human freedom, divine action, creation and conservation). Part 6 is entitled "The Justification of Theistic Belief"; its essays survey the arguments for God's existence, miracles, religious experience, fideism, and reformed epistemology.

Part 7 ("Challenges to the Rationality of Theistic Belief") includes the problem of evil, naturalistic explanations of theistic belief (by Kal Nielsen), and the presumption of atheism (by Antony Flew). Part 8 ("Theism and Modern Science") contains essays on theism's relationship to physical cosmology, evolutionary biology, a scientific understanding of the mind, and technology. The essays in part 9 ("Theism and Values") deal with topics such as natural law, narrative, and virtue ethics. Dealing with specifically Christian doctrines, part 10 ("Philosophical Reflection on Christian Faith") explores some of the following subjects: Trinity, Incarnation, heaven and hell, and providence and predestination. The final section ("New Directions in Philosophy of Religion") offers discussions on feminism, religious pluralism (by John Hick), and comparative philosophy of religion.

Despite my very sketchy description of this superb reference tool, I heartily recommend it as a welcome addition to the library of anyone interested in the philosophy of religion.

Paul Copan, Marquette University.