The God Dialogues

A Philosophical Journey

Torin Alter and Robert J. Howell

The God Dialogues is an intriguing and extensive philosophical debate about the existence of God. Engaging and accessible, it covers all the main arguments for and against God's existence, from traditional philosophical "proofs" to arguments that involve the latest developments in biology and physics. Three main characters represent the principal views: Theodore Logan, the theist; Eva Lucien, the atheist; and Gene Sesquois, the agnostic. They discuss the meaning of life and its connection to God's existence. This in turn leads to vigorous debates about morality and theism, evidence for and against God's existence, probability and the rationality of belief, and the relationship between faith and reason. The strongest arguments from all three perspectives are fairly represented.

The God Dialogues

A Philosophical Journey

Torin Alter and Robert J. Howell

Description

The God Dialogues is an intriguing and extensive philosophical debate about the existence of God. Engaging and accessible, it covers all the main arguments for and against God's existence, from traditional philosophical "proofs" to arguments that involve the latest developments in biology and physics. Three main characters represent the principal views: Theodore Logan, the theist; Eva Lucien, the atheist; and Gene Sesquois, the agnostic. Their debate takes place during a post-college cross-country road trip during which Gene expresses dismay over his future. He wants to do something meaningful with his life but is at a loss as to how to proceed, despite having just earned a degree in engineering. Gene's quandary precipitates a discussion of the meaning of life and its connection to God's existence. This in turn leads to vigorous debates about morality and theism, evidence for and against God's existence, probability and the rationality of belief, and the relationship between faith and reason. The strongest arguments from all three perspectives are fairly represented. An annotated list of suggested readings directs readers to relevant and helpful primary sources.

Assuming no background knowledge, The God Dialogues is ideal for courses in the philosophy of religion, an excellent supplement for introduction to philosophy courses, and a compelling introduction for anyone with an interest in the subject.

The God Dialogues

A Philosophical Journey

Torin Alter and Robert J. Howell

Preface
Acknowledgments
1. Outside Boston: God, Value, and Meaning
Searching for Meaning
Atheism, Agnosticism, and Theism
The Argument from Morality
The Euthyphro Question
Limits on God's Power
Good as Part of the Divine Nature
Angels, Devils, and Knowing Which is Which
The Meaning of What?
2. Niagara, New York: Design and Evolution
The Grandeur of the Falls
Paley's Argument from Analogy
The Argument from Design
Creation vs. Chance
Creation vs. Evolution
Natural Selection and Chance
The Support for Evolution
The Challenge of Irreducible Complexity
Assessing Probabilities
The Panda's Thumb
3. From Niagara To Chicago: Life and Fine-Tuning
The Argument from Life
Arguing from Ignorance
Scientific Progress on the Origins of Life
The Argument from Consciousness
The Probability of Life's Emergence
The Limits of Science
The Fine-Tuning Argument
Selection Bias
The Multiple-Universes Hypothesis
The Belief in Our Own Specialness
The Problem of Prior Probabilities
A Finely-Tuned God
4. Chicago, Illinois, outside the Adler Planetarium: The Cosmological Argument
The Provocative Planetarium
The Cosmological Argument, First Pass
The Big Bang
A Contradiction in the Premises
Another Pass
The Principle of Sufficient Reason
Quantum Indeterminacy
Infinite Pasts and Infinite Beings
The Double Standard
The Argument from Contingency
Divine Freedom
More Double Standards
The Burden of Proof and the Missing Keys
5. Chicago, Illinois, in the Hotel: The Ontological Argument
The Ontological Argument
Anselm and the Fool
Places of the Mind
God and the Representation of God
Dreaming of Elvis
Gaunilo's Perfect Island
Kant's Diagnosis
Possible Worlds and the Necessity of God
The Impossibility of God
Imagination and Possibility
6. Somewhere in Iowa: Religious Experience, Testimony, and Miracles
The Ghost of Shoeless Joe
Testimony and Miracles
The Bible as Authority
Other Authorities
Religious Experience
Experience and Evidence
The Psychology of Religious Experience
Explaining Experience
Hume on Miracles
7. Holcomb, Kansas: The Problem of Evil
Murder, from Kansas to Kitty Genovese
The Problem of Evil
Omniomniomni
The Free Will Response
Circumventing Freedom
The Problem of Natural Disasters
Dark Clouds and Silver Linings
The Dependence of Good on Evil
The World as a Moral Proving Ground
Evil in the Big Picture
The Ship, The Captain, and the Grounds of Reasonable Belief
8. Las Vegas, Nevada: Pascal's Wager
Pascal's Wager
Prudential vs. Evidential Reasons
The Possibility and Legitimacy of Prudential Belief
Dominance and the Case for Gun Ownership
The Many-Gods Objection
9. California: Faith and the Rationality of Belief in God
The Weight of Combined Arguments
Kierkegaard and Heroic Leaps of Faith
The Dangers of Faith
Alternative Conceptions of God
Religion as Metaphor
The Dangers of Metaphor
Faith and Moral Disagreement
The Golden Gate
Reading Suggestions
Sources of Quotations
Index

The God Dialogues

A Philosophical Journey

Torin Alter and Robert J. Howell

Author Information

Torin Alter is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Alabama.

Robert J. Howell is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Southern Methodist University.

They are the coauthors of A Dialogue on Consciousness (OUP, 2008).

The God Dialogues

A Philosophical Journey

Torin Alter and Robert J. Howell

Reviews and Awards

"This is a splendid book. The authors have thorough and up-to-date knowledge of the material, and their negotiation of the overall dialectic is extremely sharp. It will be the best introductory text on this topic on the market. The dialogues present a fair and balanced account of the arguments, and for that reason the book will be an attractive option, even in conjunction with an anthology."--Derk Pereboom, Cornell University

"A darn good book." --Robert Gressis, California State University, Northridge