Atheism and Theism

The issue of whether or not there is a God is one of the oldest and most widely disputed philosophical questions. It is a debate that spreads far across the range of philosophical questions about the status of science, the nature of mind, the character of good and evil, the epistemology of experience and testimony, and so on. In this book two philosophers, each committed to unambiguous versions of belief and disbelief, debate the central issues of atheism and theism. Smart opens the debate by arguing that theism is philosophically untenable and seeks to explain metaphysical truth in the light of total science. Haldane continues the discussion by affirming that the existence of the world, and the possibility of our coming to have knowledge of it, depend upon the existence of a creating, sustaining, personal God. This is followed by replies, where each philosopher has the chance to respond and to defend his position. This second edition contains new essays by each philosopher, responding to criticisms and building on their previous work.

Preface to the Second Edition. Introduction: J. J. Haldane and J. J. C. Smart. Part 1: Atheism and Theism: J. J. C. Smart. 1. Introduction. 2. Theism, Spirituality and Science. 3. The New Teleology and the Old. 4. Pantheism. 5. Fine Tuning and the Anthropic Cosmological Principle. 6. The Argument from the Appearance of Design. 7. God as an Ethical Principle. 8. The Argument from Contingency. 9. The Argument from Religious Experience. 10. Pascal′s Wager. 11. Miracles. 12. Higher Criticism of the New Testament. 13. The Problem of Evil. 14. Historical Theism and Metaphysical Theism. Part 2: Atheism and Theism: J. J. Haldane. 1. Introduction. 2. Theism and Science. 3. Some Varieties of Explanation. 4. ′Old′ Teleology. 5. ′New′ Teleology. 6. The Cause of Things. 7. God and the World. 8. God, Good and Evil. 9. Liberty and Providence. 10. Theism – Philosophical and Religious. Part 3: Reply to Haldane: J. J. C. Smart. 1. Methodology. 2. Representation and Intentionality. 3. Consciousness. 4. Chicken and Egg. 5. Eternity and Sempeternity. 6. Theism and the Problem of Evil. Part 4: Reply to Smart: J. J. Haldane. 1. Methodology. 2. The Existence of God. 3. Metaphysical Matters. 4. Reason, Faith and Revelation. 5. A Religious Conclusion. Afterword: J. J. C. Smart and J. J. Haldane. Part 5 Further Reflections on Atheism for the Second Edition: J.J.C. Smart. Part 6 Further Relections on Theism for the Second Edition: J. J. Haldane. Bibliography. Index.

J. J. C. Smart is Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University. He is the author of many books, including Philosophy and Scientific Realism , Ethics, Persuasion and Truth and (with Bernard Williams) Utilitarianism: For and Against. J. J. Haldane is Professor of Philosophy in the University of St Andrews and Director of the Centre for Ethics, Philosophy and Public Affairs. He recently held the Royden Davis Chair in Humanities at Georgetown University. He has published widely in metaphysics, philosophy of mind and social philosophy. He is co–editor of several volumes and author of The Intelligent Person′s Guide to Religion (2003).

"Smart and Haldane are both remarkable philosophers. Each in his own way possesses the rare combination of formidable dialectical skills, an original vision for philosophy, and immense personal integrity ... I do not see how anyone could read this book and not feel that it represents the finest kind of intellectual encounter ..." Hilary Putnam, Harvard University <!––end––> "Philosophers of both theistic and atheistic persuasions will find this important new debate on theism particularly interesting for themselves and for their students. Haldane an Smart show that the dispute over the existence of God is very much alive among the best philosophers at the end of the twentieth century." Linda Zagzebski, University of Oklahoma "This book show contemporary academic philosophy at its best." Scientific and Medical Network Review