God and the Philosophers: The Reconciliation of Faith and Reason.
Copan, Paul
Religious philosophers are individuals who "claim to have
found that the most fundamental of ... realities is spiritual" (p.
3). As they have made a remarkable show of strength in the past couple
of decades, University of Notre Dame philosopher Thomas Morris has asked
a number of "active, creative, theistic philosophers" to write
an essay "from the heart" (p. 3), reflecting the compatibility
of faith and reason.
Besides Morris's own contribution, other theistic
philosophers such as William Alston, Peter van Inwagen, William
Wainwright, Marilyn McCord Adams, Brian Leftow, George Mavrodes, Merold
Westphal, and Eleonore Stump -- twenty in all -- speak of their own
spiritual journeys. (Apart from two [non-Messianic] Jewish contributors,
all are Christian thinkers.) It is an excellent compilation and offers a
fascinating glimpse into the lives of these highly respected scholars.
Some tell of their upbringing, conversion, and spiritual
pilgrimage in a strictly autobiographical style, recounting their
initial attraction to philosophy, their struggles as believers, or the
spiritual influence of a pastor or professor on their lives. Others
focus on a particular subject that they find significant --
epistemically warranted belief, freedom and determinism, atheological
arguments, Pascal's wager, or William James's "will to
believe." The problem of evil surfaces repeatedly, indicative of
the need for theistic philosophers to continue grappling with this
troubling question in light of God's goodness. On the other hand,
evil -- along with our moral intuitions about it -- actually
"constitutes a way to God," Stump maintains (p. 242).
Some of the essays discuss the merits of natural theology and the
role of religious experience as an epistemic category; a couple of them
touch on the hiddenness of God, which is intended to move us beyond the
limited sphere of reason to matters of the will and the heart. As
Wainwright argues, there is a legitimate place for the heart in
belief-formation, and thus we should be suspicious of views that
discount it (p. 79).
The thrust of the book is clear: there is no incompatibility, but
rather harmony, between belief in God and philosophy. Leftow begins his
essay by saying, "I am a philosopher because I am a Christian ....
Christian belief ... is far more a help than a hindrance to serious
intellectual work" (p. 189). Furthermore, philosophy has a definite
place in the believing community: "[Philosophy] can clear away
obstacles, clarify crucial concepts and options, lay bare the process of
relevant justification, make manifest hidden assumptions, bring to light
unforeseen consequences of belief, open up to view contradictions and
paradoxes, and the like," William Abraham points out (p. 172). The
book furnishes helpful nuggets of advice for theistic philosophers as
they travel along their intellectual and spiritual paths; it also gives
the nontheist a healthy dose of reality: theistic philosophy has made a
strong comeback lately, and it is exerting significant influence today.
One troubling part of the book was Marilyn McCord Adams's
endorsement of homosexuality as a legitimate life-style for Christians
(pp. 156-8); it is, however, antithetical to God's created design
and rests on a flawed historiography (for example, that of John
Boswell). Also, the traditional view does not necessitate any less
compassion by the believing community (as Adams seems to imply).
This problem aside, the book is honest, winsome, and (in places)
quite moving. It provides us with a refreshing backdrop to some of the
most gifted theistic thinkers of our time. God and the Philosophers is
worthwhile reading. I highly recommend it.
