Arguing for Atheism An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion

"Arguing for Atheism" introduces a wide range of topics in the philosophy of religion and metaphysics. Robin Le Poidevin does not simply defend a denial of God's existence; he presents instead a way of intepreting religious discourse which allows us to make sense of the role of religion in our spiritual and moral lives. Ideal as a textbook for university courses in the philosophy of religion and metaphysics," Arguing for Atheism" is also designed to be accessible, in its style and its numerous explanations, to the general reader.

First Published in 2004. In Arguing for Atheism, Robin Le Poidevin addresses the question of whether theism-the view that there is a personal, transcendent creator of the universe - solves the deepest mysteries of existence. Philosophical defences of theism have often been based on the idea that it explains things which atheistic approaches cannot: for example, why the universe exists, and how there can be objective moral values. The main contention of Arguing for Atheism is that the reverse is true: that in fact theism fails to explain many things it claims to, while atheism can explain some of the things it supposedly leaves mysterious. It is also argued that religion need not depend on belief in God. Designed as a text for university courses in the philosophy of religion and metaphysics, this book’s accessible style and numerous explanations of important philosophical concepts and positions will also make it attractive to the general reader.

Preface Acknowledgements Introduction Part I: The Limits of Theistic Explanation 1. Must the Universe Have a Cause? 1.1 The mysteries of existence 1.2 A first cause 1.3 The temporal and modal cosmological arguments 1.4 Problems with the first premise 1.5 Summary Further reading 2. Is God Necessary? 2.1 Possible worlds 2.2 The ontological argument 2.3 The modal ontological argument 2.4 God and modal realism 2.5 Summary Further reading 3. Could the Universe Have an Explanation? 3.1 A trivial explanation 3.2 Causes and casual explanations 3.3 Personal explanation 3.4 A necessary cause? 3.5 Summary Further reading 4. Are We the Outcome of Chance or Design? 4.1 Analogy and the teleological argument 4.2 Probability and the teleological argument 4.3 The concept of chance 4.4 The weak anthropic principle 4.5 Summary Further reading 5. Does the Universe Have a Purpose? 5.1 The strong anthropic principle 5.2 Teleology and casual reductionism: the selfish gene hypothesis 5.3 Teleology without casual reductionism 5.4 Summary Further reading Part II: Moral Arguments for Atheism 6. Are God and Ethics Inseparable or Incompatible? 6.1 Plato's dilemma 6.2 Descriptive versus prescriptive morality 6.3 Moral realism and moral subjectivism 6.4 Pluralism and autonomy 6.5 Summary Further reading 7. Is there a Problem of Evil? 7.1 Disaster, depravity, deity and design 7.2 Determinism and human nature 7.3 Human freedom from the divine perspective 7.4 Can the theist refuse to answer the problem of evil? 7.5 Summary Further reading Part III: Religion without God 8. Is God a Fiction? 8.1 Realism, positivism and instrumentalism 8.2 Radical theology 8.3 Fiction and the emotions 8.4 Atheism and religious practice 8.5 Summary Further reading 9. Is 'Does God Exist?' a real Question? 9.1 The deflationist argument 9.2 The argument applied to theism 9.3 Deflationism deflated? 9.4 Summary Further reading 10. Should the Atheist Fear Death? 10.1 Riddles of morality 10.2 The river of time and the sea of ice 10.3 Death in the mirror 10.4 Immortality: real and vicarious 10.5 Summary Further reading Glossary Bibliography Index

Robin Le Poidevin is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Leeds.