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This book contains a unique perspective: that of a scientifically and philosophically educated agnostic who thinks there is impressive-if maddeningly hidden-evidence for the existence of God. Science and philosophy may have revealed the poverty of the familiar sources of evidence, but they generate their own partial defense of theism. Bryan Frances, a philosopher with a graduate degree in physics, judges the standard evidence for God's existence to be awful. And yet, like many others with similar scientific and philosophical backgrounds, he argues that the usual reasons for atheism, such as the existence of suffering and success of science, are weak. In this book you will learn why so many people with scientific and philosophical credentials are agnostics (rather than atheists) despite judging all the usual evidence for theism to be fatally flawed. Bryan Frances is Associate Professor of Philosophy at United Arab Emirates University.

Philosophy --- Religious studies --- filosofie --- godsdienstfilosofie

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Psychology --- Religious studies --- psychologie --- godsdienst --- godsdienstfilosofie

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Why is epistemic fallibilism a viable topic for Christian thought and cultural engagement today? Religious fundamentalists and scientific positivists tend to deal with reality in terms of "knockdown" arguments, and such binary approaches to lived reality have helped to underwrite the belligerence and polarization that mark this age of the social media echo chamber. For those who want to take both religion and science seriously, epistemic fallibilism offers a possible moderating stance that claims neither too much nor too little for either endeavor, nor forces a decision for one side over and against the other. This book uses this epistemological approach to fallibilism as a positive resource for conversations that arise at the intersection of philosophy, theology, and religion. The essays explore a range of openings into the interstices of these often siloed fields, with the aim of overcoming some of the impasses separating diverse ways of knowing. .

Religious studies --- Christian religion --- christendom --- godsdienstfilosofie

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This unique and pioneering book critically appraises current work from both the cognitive science of religion and the evolutionary study of religion. It addresses the question: Why does the believer possess supernatural or religious beliefs in the combined context of his cognitive biases, their adaptive usefulness measured in terms of survival and reproduction, and the impact of social learning and cultural traits? The authors outlines a pluralistic approach to the study of religion that does not treat religion as an accidental by-product but an adaptation selected by natural selection. Chapters discuss the role of religious components for the evolution of cooperation and altruism, and explore the development of atheism and secular ideas, in cognitive and evolutionary terms. Topics such as the usefulness of religion, the transmission of religious beliefs, and a Darwinian approach to religion are among those addressed. Contrary to standard views, religious biases are regarded as shaped by cultural influences and not merely by natural dispositions. This monograph will particularly appeal to researchers who are looking for a scientific explanation of religion and religious beliefs but who do not stop at the level of narrow cognitive and evolutionary accounts. The work will also be of interest to students of philosophy, sociology, religious studies, theology, or anthropology who seek to explain such fascinating, complex, and unequivocal phenomena as religion and religious components.

Psychology --- Religious studies --- psychologie --- godsdienst --- godsdienstfilosofie

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De bevlogen middeleeuwse denker Ghazali is nog altijd een bron van inspiratie voor miljoenen moslims. Hij wordt gewaardeerd om de manier waarop hij filosofie, theologie en mystiek samenbrengt. Ook in de westerse literatuur duikt de naam van Ghazali geregeld op: bij filosofen als Bertrand Russell en Nicholas Taleb en in de boeken van Salman Rushdie en Dan Brown. Daar wordt hij eensgezind aangewezen als een strenge dogmaticus. Wie was deze Ghazali en waar komt zijn reputatie vandaan? Kan het echt zo zijn dat hij het einde van het vrije denken in de islam inluidde? In Verlost van onzin komt Ghazali zelf aan het woord. Deze toegankelijke vertaling van Ghazali's autobiografie, voorzien van uitgebreide context en interpretatie, daagt de lezer uit om zelf te oordelen. Ghazali zet zichzelf neer als een twijfelende zoeker, allesbehalve de dogmatische betweter zoals hij zo vaak wordt geportretteerd. Verlost van onzin biedt een fascinerende kennismaking met het islamitisch denken dat ontstond in de gouden eeuwen van de islam. Al Ghazali (1058 1111) wordt de belangrijkste moslim na Mohammed genoemd. Zijn boeken over filosofie, theologie en mystiek worden nog altijd veel gelezen in de islamitische wereld. Verlost van onzin geldt als zijn belangrijkste en meest persoonlijke werk.

Godsdienstfilosofie --- Islam --- History of philosophy --- filosofie --- Al-Ghazali