Five Proofs of the Existence of God

Description

This book provides a detailed, updated exposition and defense of five of the historically most important (but in recent years largely neglected) philosophical proofs of God’s existence: the Aristotelian, the Neo-Platonic, the Augustinian, the Thomistic, and the Rationalist. It also offers a thorough treatment of each of the key divine attributes—unity, simplicity,  eternity, omnipotence, omniscience, perfect goodness, and so forth—showing that they  must be possessed by the God whose existence is demonstrated by the proofs.  Finally, it answers at length all of the objections that have been leveled against these proofs.  This work provides as ambitious and complete a defense of traditional natural theology as is currently in print.  Its aim is to vindicate the view of the greatest philosophers of the past— thinkers like Aristotle, Plotinus, Augustine, Aquinas, Leibniz, and many others— that the existence of God can be established with certainty by way of purely rational arguments.  It thereby serves as a refutation both of atheism and of the fideism that gives aid and comfort to atheism. CONTENTS Acknowledgments 7 Introduction 9 1 The Aristotelian Proof 17 2 The Neo-Platonic Proof 69 3 The Augustinian Proof 87 4 The Thomistic Proof 117 5 The Rationalist Proof 147 6 The Nature of God and of His Relationship to the World 169 7 Common Objections to Natural Theology 249 Further Reading 309 Index 317