Overview
- Provides an extended defense of anti-theism
- Expands the current debate beyond monotheism and naturalism
- Explores the axiological status of pantheism, ultimism and Buddhism
Part of the book series: Palgrave Frontiers in Philosophy of Religion (PFPR)
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About this book
This book explores the value impact that theist and other worldviews have on our world and its inhabitants. Providing an extended defense of anti-theism - the view that God’s existence would (or does) actually make the world worse in certain respects - Lougheed explores God’s impact on a broad range of concepts including privacy, understanding, dignity, and sacrifice. The second half of the book is dedicated to the expansion of the current debate beyond monotheism and naturalism, providing an analysis of the axiological status of other worldviews such as pantheism, ultimism, and Buddhism.
A lucid exploration of contemporary and relevant questions about the value impact of God’s existence, this book is an invaluable resource for scholars interested in axiological questions in the philosophy of religion.
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Keywords
Table of contents (10 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Setting the Stage
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Front Matter
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Arguments for Anti-Theism
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Front Matter
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Beyond Monotheism
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Reviews
“Kirk Lougheed’s most recent venture into the steadily growing wealth of literature about the axiology debate. … The book is … written in clear and engaging prose. Lougheed has extensive knowledge and a deep understanding of the axiological debate and its complexities, yet he conveys even the most difficult components in a matter of fact and easily digestible way. … Since the debate is a rich and under-explored area of philosophy, I hope and expect that he is right.” (Asha Lancaster-Thomas, International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, Vol. 91, 2022) “This book makes a fine contribution to the literature on the axiology of theism. Part I provides a nice overview of the prior state of play. Part II shows that there is much more to say on behalf of anti-theism than many initially might have supposed. Part III makes an impressive start on the task of broadening the discussion to a wider range of worldviews--not merely theistic and naturalistic--and a more extensive set of issues, including, for example, questions about the axiology of authority and governance. I recommend this book to everyone interested in contemporary philosophy of religion.”
Graham Oppy, Professor of Philosophy, Monash Univeristy, USA
“Over the last ten years the axiological status of theism has become a major research program in analytic philosophy of religion. The central issue is whether the world—or individuals in the world—would (might) be worse (better) off were it true that God exists. There are an extraordinary number of 'moving parts' in the discussion and Lougheed provides a lucid and valuable discussion of the main points at issue, including difficult questions about coherent philosophical methodology, ethics, the nature of value, and what constitutes a meaningful life. The Axiology of Theism offers a sustained and fascinating defense of a view called anti-theism: the view that God's existence would make the world overall worse. Lougheed adeptly addresses the most serious objections to anti-theism and provides a compelling set of arguments for the view. The book concludes with some much-needed discussion about traditional monotheistic assumptions and the value of moving the debate beyond these limitations.”
Michael Almeida, Professor of Philosophy, University of Texas at San Antonio
Graham Oppy, Professor of Philosophy, Monash Univeristy, USA
“Over the last ten years the axiological status of theism has become a major research program in analytic philosophy of religion. The central issue is whether the world—or individuals in the world—would (might) be worse (better) off were it true that God exists. There are an extraordinary number of 'moving parts' in the discussion and Lougheed provides a lucid and valuable discussion of the main points at issue, including difficult questions about coherent philosophical methodology, ethics, the nature of value, and what constitutes a meaningful life. The Axiology of Theism offers a sustained and fascinating defense of a view called anti-theism: the view that God's existence would make the world overall worse. Lougheed adeptly addresses the most serious objections to anti-theism and provides a compelling set of arguments for the view. The book concludes with some much-needed discussion about traditional monotheistic assumptions and the value of moving the debate beyond these limitations.”
Michael Almeida, Professor of Philosophy, University of Texas at San Antonio
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Kirk Lougheed is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. He has published over 20 articles in the philosophy of religion and epistemology. He is editor of Four Views on the Axiology of Theism: What Difference Does God Make? (2020) and author of The Epistemic Benefits of Disagreement (2020).
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: The Axiological Status of Theism and Other Worldviews
Authors: Kirk Lougheed
Series Title: Palgrave Frontiers in Philosophy of Religion
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54820-9
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Religion and Philosophy, Philosophy and Religion (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-54819-3Published: 29 August 2020
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-54822-3Published: 29 August 2021
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-54820-9Published: 28 August 2020
Series ISSN: 2634-6176
Series E-ISSN: 2634-6184
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XVI, 279
Number of Illustrations: 2 b/w illustrations
Topics: Philosophy of Religion, Ethics, Comparative Religion, Buddhism