An Agnostic Defends God: How Science and Philosophy Support Agnosticism

Description

Acknowledgments About This Book Contents About the Author Chapter 1: Introduction: A Peculiar Defense of God Part I: The Rationality and Irrationality of Religious Belief Chapter 2: Rational Belief in God Factor F1: Testimony Factor F2: Plausible Religious Arguments Factor F3: Extraordinary Experiences Factor F4: Ignorance of Challenges Factor F5: Defensive Testimony Chapter 3: Irrational Belief in God Charge C1: Irrational Sustaining Causes Charge C2: Flawed Amateur Arguments Charge C3: Flawed Professional Arguments Charge C4: Dueling Philosophical Arguments Charge C5: Poorly Grounded Testimony Charge C6: Doubts About Spiritual Experiences Meditation Category Mind-Blowing Category Calm Category Overall Experience Category Charge C7: Suffering Charge C8: Awareness of Defects (This One Is Complicated) Charge C9: Lack of Preferred Evidence Conclusion Part II: The Failure of Arguments for God Chapter 4: The Design of Life and the Laws of Nature Chapter 5: The Origin of the Universe Part III: The Failure of Arguments Against God Chapter 6: The Problem of Suffering Introduction The Gratuitous Premise The Consequence Premise Why the Problem Is Not Insurmountable Why Is God Hidden from Many of Us? Chapter 7: Intractable Religious Disagreement Introduction Awareness of Religious Disagreement The Rationality of the Theist’s Response to Disagreement Chapter 8: Why Advanced Science and Philosophy Support Humility The Weirdness of Science The Weirdness of Philosophy The Consequences for the Argument from Outrageousness Part IV: The Case for Agnosticism Chapter 9: The Experience Argument for God Chapter 10: Two Troubles with Agnosticism Concluding Remarks Further Readings Index