PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION “As a contemporary introduction to philosophy of religion, it is a God-send or, if you prefer, a dharma-gift. Keith Yandell succeeds admirably in producing a textbook which has clarity, wit and rigour and that engages religion in its historical and cultural diversity . . . He grasps that religious traditions are irreducibly different: they make different types of claims, argue from different sorts of grounds, cultivate diverse values and aim at divergent goals.” John Clayton, Boston University “The central strength of the book is its willingness to argue points out in detail rather than just reporting on arguments. It is a model of rigorous argument applied to questions of religion.” Mark Wynn, Australian Catholic University, Brisbane Philosophy of Religion is one of the first comprehensive textbooks to consider the subject with reference to religions other than Christianity. As an experienced textbook author and an established generalist in philosophy of religion, Keith Yandell deals lucidly and constructively with representative views and competing issues from Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Jainism. He also shows how such issues and competing views can be rationally assessed. He includes discussion of major philosophical figures in religious traditions as well as important contemporary philosophers. This engaging text will appeal to students of both philosophy and religion as well as to the general reader interested in the subject. Keith E. Yandell is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He has written widely on philosophy and philosophy of religion and among his most recent books are Hume’s “Inexplicable Mystery” (1990) and The Epistemology of Religious Experience (1995). Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy Series Editor: Paul K. Moser Loyola University of Chicago This innovative, well-structured series is for students who have already done an introductory course in philosophy. Each book introduces a core general subject in contemporary philosophy and offers students an accessible but substantial transition from introductory to higher-level college work in that subject. The series is accessible to nonspecialists and each book clearly motivates and expounds the problems and positions introduced. An orientating chapter briefly introduces its topic and reminds readers of any crucial material they need to have retained from a typical introductory course. Considerable attention is given to explaining the central philosophical problems of a subject and the main competing solutions and arguments for those solutions. The primary aim is to educate students in the main problems, positions and arguments of contemporary philosophy rather than to convince students of a single position. The initial eight central books in the series are written by experienced authors and teachers, and treat topics essential to a well-rounded philosophy curriculum. Epistemology Robert Audi Ethics Harry Gensler Metaphysics Michael J. Loux Philosophy of Art Noel Carroll Philosophy of Language William G. Lycan Philosophy of Mind John Heil Philosophy of Religion Keith E. Yandell Philosophy of Science Alexander Rosenberg PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION A contemporary introduction Keith E. Yandell London and New York Thanks are due to Karen Buege Yandell for illustrations of the various Digitators. First published in 1999 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2002. Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 © 1999 Keith E. Yandell All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A catalog record for this book has been requested ISBN 0-415-13213-4 (hbk) ISBN 0-415-13214-2 (pbk) ISBN 0-203-00708-5 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-20854-4 (Glassbook Format) To Alvin Plantinga —he led the way. Contents Preface xiii Chapter 1: Introduction 1 PART I: PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION 9 Chapter 2: What is philosophy? What is religion? What is philosophy of religion? 11 Philosophy 13 Objectivity 15 Religion 16 Philosophy of religion 17 Questions for reflection 18 Annotated reading 18 Chapter 3: What sorts of religion are there? 21 Monotheism 24 Advaita Vedanta 28 Jainism 30 Buddhism 31 Comparison 32 The criteria applied 32 Questions for reflection 34 Annotated reading 35 Chapter 4: What sorts of religious experience are there? 37 Structure and content 39 Descriptions 41 Criteria and their application 46 Questions for reflection 50 Annotated reading 50 viii CONTENTS Chapter 5: The importance of doctrine and the distinctness of religious traditions 51 Doctrine 53 “Truth-claims” 56 Identity 57 Diversity 61 Questions for reflection 64 Annotated reading 64 Chapter 6: Religious pluralism 65 Religious plurality and religious pluralism 67 The content of religious pluralism 67 Some religion-relevant consequences of RP 68 A critical discussion of RP: Part one 69 A critical discussion of RP: Part two 74 A critical discussion of RP: Part three 77 Questions for reflection 79 Annotated reading 79 PART II: RELIGIOUS CONCEPTIONS OF ULTIMATE REALITY 81 Chapter 7: Monotheistic conceptions of ultimate reality 83 Generic philosophical monotheism 85 Greek monotheism 86 Semitic monotheism 89 Hindu monotheism 90 Monotheisms and atheisms 91 Questions for reflection 95 Annotated reading 96 Chapter 8: Nonmonotheistic conceptions of ultimate reality 99 Advaita Vedanta Hinduism 102 Jainism and Buddhism 109 Conclusion 116 Questions for reflection 116 Annotated reading 116 CONTENTS ix PART III: ARGUMENTS CONCERNING MONOTHEISTIC CONCEPTIONS 119 Chapter 9: Arguments against monotheism 121 Three questions 123 The problem of evil 124 Failed escapes 125 The consistency issue 128 The evidential issue 131 Conclusion 161 Epilogue 161 Questions for reflection 164 Annotated reading 164 Chapter 10: Arguments for monotheism 167 Proof 169 Logical necessity 171 Purely conceptual proofs and the Ontological Argument 174 Empirical proofs, argument strategies, and principles of sufficient reason 181 Arguments by Thomas Aquinas 184 Questions for reflection 210 Annotated reading 211 Chapter 11: Monotheism and religious experience 213 Phenomenologically thick experiences 215 Experience as direct evidence 216 A principle of experiential evidence 218 Being evidence versus providing evidence 228 The evidential argument from religious experience 230 The principle of experiential evidence applied 231 Questions for reflection 235 Annotated reading 235