Search Results for: Michael Rea

“Metaphysical Grounding” Issues Discussed in Forthcoming Routledge Handbook

Posted on December 28, 2019 by - featured books, metaphysics, michael raven, ontology, Routledge Handbook of Metaphysical Grounding (book)

In 2020, Routledge will publish the The Routledge Handbook of Metaphysical Grounding, edited by Michael J. Raven, in the Routledge Handbooks in Philosophy series. Michael J. Raven is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Victoria and Affiliate Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Washington, Co-Chief Editor of Metaphysics, and a founding member of the Canadian Metaphysics Collaborative. His research focuses on metaphysics, philosophy of language and mind, and epistemology.

From the publisher’s description of The Routledge Handbook of Metaphysical Grounding:

Some of philosophy’s biggest questions, both historically and today, are in-virtue-of questions: In virtue of what is an action right or wrong? In virtue of what am I the same person my mother bore? In virtue of what is an artwork beautiful? Philosophers attempt to answers many of these types of in-virtue-of questions, but philosophers are also increasingly focusing on what an in-virtue-of question is in the first place. Many assume, at least as a working hypothesis, that in-virtue-of questions involve a distinctively metaphysical kind of determinative explanation called “ground.” This Handbook surveys the state of the art on ground as well as its connections and applications to other topics. The central issues of ground are discussed in 37 chapters, all written exclusively for this volume by a wide range of leading experts. The chapters are organized into the following sections: 

  • I. History 
  • II. Explanation and Determination 
  • III. Logic and Structure 
  • IV. Connections 
  • V. Applications 

Introductions at the start of each section provide an overview of the section’s contents, and a list of Related Topics at the end of each chapter point readers to other germane areas throughout the volume. The resulting volume is accessible enough for advanced students and informative enough for researchers. It is essential reading for anyone hoping to get clearer on what the biggest questions of philosophy are really asking.

Restoring Nature: Essays in Thomistic Philosophy and Theology

Posted on December 18, 2019 by - featured books, michael waddell, natural theology, thomism

In 2020, St. Augustine’s Press will release Restoring Nature: Essays in Thomistic Philosophy and Theology, edited by Michael M. Waddell. Michael M. Waddell is the Edna and George McMahon Aquinas Chair in Philosophy at St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame.

From the publisher’s description of Restoring Nature:

The concept of nature has drawn criticism from many quarters, including the natural sciences, ethics, metaphysics and theology. In these essays, distinguished thomistic philosophers and theologians seek to recover nature for their disciplines. The volume contains extensive treatment of nature’s much disputed role in ethics, as well as its importance for the philosophy of science (including biology), philosophical anthropology, metaphysics, the philosophy of art, theology and other areas.

EPS 2019 Panel Discussion on Theistic Evolution

Posted on November 20, 2019 by - 2019 EPS Conference, intelligent design, jeff schloss, john churchill, michael murray, paul nelson, stephen meyer, theistic evolution, tom mccall, william lane craig

Enjoy this panel discussion on theistic evolution, which is, in part a response to the 2017 multi-authored book, Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique (Crossway).

Evangelical Philosophical Society B3: Panel discussion on Theistic Evolution 
November 20, 2:00 PM – 5:10 PM
Third Floor – Promenade AB

Moderators:
Michael J. Murray(Franklin and Marshall College)
John Churchill (Independent Scholar)

Respondents:
Tom McCall(Trinity Evangelical Divinity School)
William Lane Craig(Talbot; Houston Baptist)
Jeff Schloss(Westmont College)
Steve Meyer(Discovery Institute) 
Paul Nelson(Biola University; Discovery Institute)

Attendees should review the target article in advance at bit.ly/TheisticEvolutionPaper

Web Project: THE PHILOSOPHY OF THEOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

Posted on May 1, 2018 by -

The Evangelical Philosophical Society (EPS) is pleased to introduce a unique and ongoing Philosophy of Theological Anthropology project! Your contributions, readership, exploration and support are most welcomed. For more on this theme and Christian contributions to philosophy, become a subscriber – for as low as $25 per year! – to Philosophia Christi, the peer-reviewed journal of the EPS [all EPS members receive Philosophia Christi as part of their membership].

Summary of Project 

Inaugurated in 2018, The Philosophy of Theological Anthropology is an EPS web project devoted to the foundations and meta-themes of theological anthropology. Contributors seek to highlight a variety of new topics, which are at present underexplored, and fresh philosophical perspectives of older topics. This is an opportunity for philosophers and constructive theologians to explore foundational and innovative themes within theological anthropology from a philosophical perspective.

Topics of interest in this web series include areas of epistemology, metaphysics, Christology, and traditioned anthropology. We are interested in approaches that reconceive in fresh new ways the conditions and foundations for thinking about theological anthropology. This amounts to critical interrogations of commonly held assumptions in the contemporary theological literature on anthropology. We invite contributions that are extensions of previously published works as well as unique speculative pieces. 

Areas of Web Project 

The present issue will contain topics on anthropology, philosophy of mind, imago Dei [broadly conceived], with the aim toward advancing the philosophical foundations and implications of a theistic anthropology.

Current Papers

Core Project Questions

  • How should we approach the anthropos and its telos?
  • Furthermore, how might we understand human ‘selfhood’ and ‘identity’?
  • What are the benefits and liabilities of an Analytic Theology approach?
  • Analytic Theology and Christological anthropology?
  • What are the benefits and liabilities of a more Phenomenological approach to the anthropos?
  • What is the distinctive contribution of philosophy of mind/personal ontology in contemporary theological anthropology?
  • What role does or should the sciences play in our theological constructions?
  • What are the benefits of a Christological method to anthropology?
  • Christological anthropology as an organizing motif?
  • Is a Christological method sufficient for theological anthropology?
  • From the Christian tradition, what is the Good News for the anthropos and how might that shape approaches to a study of what it means to be human?
  • What role do ecclesial, theological, or philosophical traditions play in our theological construction?
  • What substantive place does reason and experience have in understanding humans?
  • What are the different religious/denominational perspectives on the nature of human beings?
  • How might spiritual features and formation of a human being shape an understanding of the nature and purpose of a human being?
  • What are the distinctive ideas within a Christian anthropology and other religious anthropologies?
  • How might theologies and philosophies of the human person shape theologies and philosophies of ‘public life’?

Find this Project Interesting? See these other EPS Web Projects

Want to Contribute to the Philosophy of Theological Anthropology Project? 

Options for contributing: reflection essays, critical responses, book reviews, exploratory essays, dialectical pieces, methodological hybrids (biblical studies to philosophy), how to communicate to the public.

Length: Shorter (e.g., 1500-2000 words) and longer papers (e.g., 6,000 words) are permitted. You are welcome to work with the Project Editors on length issues.

Suggested topics: evolution and theological anthropology, imago Dei, the metaphysics of gender and sexuality, method, Christological anthropology, religious epistemology, and human ontology.

Main Project Categories:

  1. Denominational and Traditioned Theological Anthropology
  2. Gender, Sex, and Sexuality
  3. Sociology, Ethnography, and Theological Anthropology
  4. Science, Design, and Anthropology
  5. Technology and Posthumanism
  6. Morality and Theological Anthropology
  7. Disciplines: Philosophy, Biblical Theology, Philosophical Theology, Systematic/Constructive Theology, Retrieval Theology, Social Science, Humanities (N.B. the aim of the investigation ought to impinge on philosophical-theological matters)

Submit a Proposal: Email a topic, thesis and description of the proposed paper (250 words max) to Project Editors Joshua Farris and Nathan Jacobs [see below]. They will help guide your proposal toward being a contribution of this web project.

Lead Project Editors & Coordinators:

Past Editorial Assistant: Dave Strobolakos.

Web Project Overseer: Joseph E. Gorra, Consulting Editor, Philosophia Christi.

Please consider becoming a regular annual or monthly financial partner with the Evangelical Philosophical Society in order to expand its reach, support its members, and be a credible presence of Christ-shaped philosophical interests in the academy and into the wider culture!

The Problem of Universals in Contemporary Philosophy

Posted on February 8, 2018 by - featured books, gabriele galluzzo, metaontology, metaphysics, michael loux, nominalism, ontology, Problem of Universals in Contemporary Philosophy (book), realism

In 2018, Cambridge University Press will publish The Problem of Universals in Contemporary Philosophy, edited by Gabriele Galluzzo and‎ Michael J. Loux. Gabriele Galluzzo is Lecturer in Ancient Philosophy in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Exeter. Michael J. Loux is Shuster Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame.

From the publisher’s description of The Problem of Universals: 

Are there any universal entities? Or is the world populated only by particular things? The problem of universals is one of the most fascinating and enduring topics in the history of metaphysics, with roots in ancient and medieval philosophy. This collection of new essays provides an innovative overview of the contemporary debate on universals. Rather than focusing exclusively on the traditional opposition between realism and nominalism, the contributors explore the complexity of the debate and illustrate a broad range of positions within both the realist and the nominalist camps. Realism is viewed through the lens of the distinction between constituent and relational ontologies, while nominalism is reconstructed in light of the controversy over the notion of trope. The result is a fresh picture of contemporary metaphysics, in which traditional strategies of dealing with the problem of universals are both reaffirmed and called into question.

Pope Francis and the Caring Society

Posted on October 31, 2017 by - civil society, economic justice, environment, featured books, Pope Francis, Pope Francis and the Caring Society

In 2017, Independent Institute published Pope Francis and the Caring Society, edited by Robert M. Whaples. Whaples is a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute, Co-Editor and Managing Editor for The Independent Review, Professor of Economics at Wake Forest University, Director and Book Review Editor for EH.NET, and a member of the Board of Advisors for the Center on Culture and Civil Society at the Independent Institute.

From the publisher’s description of Pope Francis and the Caring Society:

Pope Francis and the Caring Society is a thoughtful exploration of the Pope’s earnest call for a dialogue on building a truly compassionate society. Francis’s fervent support for uplifting the poor and protecting the environment has inspired far-reaching discussions worldwide: Do capitalism and socialism have positive or negative social consequences? What is the most effective way to fight poverty? And what value does a religious perspective offer in addressing moral, political, and economic problems?

Pope Francis and the Caring Society is an indispensable resource for consideration of these vital questions. Edited by Robert M. Whaples, with a foreword by Michael Novak, the book provides an integrated perspective on Francis and the issues he has raised, examining the intersection of religion, politics, and economics. Readers will discover important historical and cultural context for considering Francis’s views, along with alternative solutions for environmental preservation, a defense of Francis’s criticism of power and privilege, a case for market-based entrepreneurship and private charity as potent tools for fighting poverty, and an examination of Francis’s philosophy of the family. Pope Francis and the Caring Society is essential reading for anyone interested in creating a better, more caring, and prosperous world.

EPS members, Charles Taliaferro and J.P. Moreland say of the book:

From Taliaferro:

Pope Francis and the Caring Society is outstanding and absolutely essential reading for those seeking to engage the theology and values of Pope Francis on the issues of our day: the economies in contemporary democratic republics, the wealth and poverty of peoples, the political implications of a Christian theology of care and compassion, the values of liberty and family, and, of increasing importance for national and international relations, the challenge of addressing climate change. It will also be of great interest for non-Catholic and general readers seeking an intelligent, critical guide to the interrelationship of politics, economics, and religious faith.

From Moreland:

Pope Francis and the Caring Society is a stunning achievement. It is high-level scholarship put in prose that is accessible to the lay reader. And it is must reading for biblical exegetes, theologians, pastors and Christian leaders in general because, in a fair and careful way, the book brings conceptual economic clarity to those who often speak to and for the church about matters economical without the training to do so. One main purpose of the book is to clarify and defend the proposition that the teachings of Jesus (and scripture generally) set the ends for Christians (and many of these ends are set for everyone by way of natural law) regarding a cluster of related issues taken up within its pages, but it is the science of economics that provides knowledge of the best means to reach those ends. Much—usually unintentional—harm has been done by people who have failed to learn the economic justification for those means, but with the publication of Pope Francis and the Caring Society, that problem can now be laid to rest. A marvelous book.

Learn more about Pope Francis and the Caring Society by going to the website of the Independent Institute.

Epistemology and Biblical Theology

Posted on September 11, 2017 by - dru johnson, epistemology, Epistemology and Biblical Theology (book), featured books, gospels, michael polanyi, pentateuch, religious epistemology, scripture, Scripture's Knowing (book)

In 2017, Routledge published Epistemology and Biblical Theology: From the Pentateuch to Mark’s Gospel (Routledge Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Biblical Criticism) by Dru Johnson. Dru Johnson is an Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at The King’s College in New York City. He is currently a Templeton Research Fellow at the University of St Andrews (Logos Institute); Associate Director for the Templeton Jewish Philosophical Theology Project (Herzl Institute, Jerusalem); Series Editor for Routledge’s Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Biblical Criticism monograph series; and co-chair for the Hebrew Bible and Philosophy program unit in the Society of Biblical Literature.

From the publisher’s description of Epistemology and Biblical Theology:

Epistemology and Biblical Theology pursues a coherent theory of knowledge as described across the Pentateuch and Mark’s Gospel. As a work from the emerging field of philosophical criticism, this volume explores in each biblical text both narrative and paraenesis to assess what theory of knowledge might be presumed or advocated and the coherence of that structure across texts. In the Pentateuch and Mark, primacy is placed on heeding an authenticated and authoritative prophet, and then enacting the guidance given in order to see what is being shown in order to know. Erroneous knowing follows the same boundaries: failure to attend to the proper authoritative voice or failure to enact guidance creates mistaken understanding. With a working construct of proper knowing in hand, points of contact with and difficulties for contemporary philosophical epistemologies are suggested. In the end, Michael Polanyi’s scientific epistemology emerges as the most commensurable view with knowing as it appears in these foundational biblical texts. Therefore, this book will be of interest to scholars working across the fields of Biblical studies and philosophy. Dru Johnson’s other “Bible and Philosophy” books include Scripture’s Knowing and Knowledge by Ritual. See also Dru’s paper here at the EPS website, “A Biblical Nota Bene on Philosophical Inquiry.”

Dru Johnson’s other “Bible and Philosophy” books include Scripture’s Knowing and Knowledge by Ritual. See also Johnson’s paper here at the EPS website, “A Biblical Nota Bene on Philosophical Inquiry.”

Join Dru Johnson, Oliver Crisp, Joshua Blander, and Kevin Vanhoozer for an EPS session, “Engagement with Scripture in Philosophy and Analytic Theology” at the 2017 SBL/AAR annual conference in Boston, November 19th.

Philosophia Christi Vol. 19, No. 1 (Summer 2017)

Posted on June 1, 2017 by - 19:1, apologetics, laws of nature, miracles, philosophia christi, philosophical thelogy, philosophy of language, philosophy of religion

The Summer 2017 issue of Philosophia Christi features wide-ranging discussions in epistemology, philosophy of language, philosophy of religion, ethics, philosophical theology, and apologetics including contributions from J.P. Moreland, Paul Copan, Charles Taliaferro, Walter Schultz, Michael McFall, Bradley Seeman, and many others!

Topics include:

  • whether naturalistic theories of emergence are compatible with science 
  • whether “New Wave” Kantian philosophy of religion is compatible with Kant’s Deism 
  • an assessment of the latest philosophical defenses of the sanctity of the unborn 
  • whether benevolence is insufficient for Christian love 
  • how should the conditions and tasks of apologetics be reassessed in light of various epistemological challenges. 

Among the articles, philosophical notes, or book reviews, this Summer 2017 issue also features extended interactions with the works of Charles Taylor, Brian Leftow, Stuart Kauffman, James Mumford, and Myron B. Penner.

Become a first-time member of the Evangelical Philosophical Society [includes annual subscription to Philosophia Christi] or a journal-only subscriber!

New Dictionary of Christianity and Science

Posted on January 16, 2017 by - apologetics, christianity and science, christopher reese, featured books, paul copan, science, theology and science, tremper longman

In April 2017, Zondervan is set to publish the Dictionary of Christianity and Science, edited by Paul Copan, Tremper Longman, Christopher L. Reese, and Michael G. Strauss. Paul Copan is the Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida. Tremper Longman III is the Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies and the chair of the Religious Studies department at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California Christopher L. Reese is marketing manager at B&H Academic publishers. Michael G. Strauss is a David Ross Boyd Professor of Physics at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. From the publisher’s description:

The Dictionary of Christianity and Science provides, in one volume, entries on over 450 key terms, theories, individuals, movements, and debates at the intersection of Christian faith and contemporary science.

In addition, because certain topics such as the age of the Earth and the historicity of Adam and Eve provoke disagreement among Christians, the dictionary includes “Counterpoints”-like essays that advocate for the views most commonly held among evangelicals. Representatives of leading perspectives present their arguments vigorously but respectfully in these advocacy essays, allowing readers to compare options and draw their own conclusions. The dictionary is also fully cross-referenced and entries include references and recommendation for further reading.

Edited by Paul Copan, Tremper Longman III, Christopher L. Reese, and Michael G. Strauss, the Dictionary of Christianity and Science features a top-notch lineup of over 140 contributors in the fields of biblical studies, theology, philosophy, history, and various sciences. A unique reference work, it will be useful for scholars, pastors, students, and any Christian wanting to better understand the most relevant issues and ideas at the intersection of Christian faith and science.