Gary Gutting - Talking God: Philosophers on Belief

TALKING GOD

Philosophers on Belief

Gary Gutting

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Some people say religion has nothing important to teach us; its just a residue of long-discredited ways of thinking and acting. Im open to that possibility but think its more likely that religionlike art, music, and sciencedeserves the central place it has long held in human culture. I dont, however, assume that we have an adequate understanding of how and why religion is important. In particular, I suspect that many religious believers dont have an adequate understanding of the real truth of their religion. Philosophical and scientific critiques may well undermine the self-understanding of various religions. But it doesnt follow that theres not a truth in religion that believers themselves do not (at least explicitly) grasp. My goal in this series of interviews with philosophers on religion was to see what this truth, if any, might be.

Here I present, essentially unchanged, the twelve interviews that appeared during 2014 in The Stone, the New York Times philosophy blog. I conducted each interview by email, with the final version approved by the interviewee. The interviews make up about half of this volume. Ive added introductions to each interview, providing some background and context, as well as further comments at the end, giving my own take on issues raised in each interview. A self-interview (which concluded the Times series) offers my personal reaction to the interviews and my resulting overall view of religion.

The interviews cover many of the main issues that concern philosophers interested in religion, but Ive emphasized the distinctive views of my interlocutors over a more systematic and complete account. There is, however, a logical progression in the order of interviews. We begin with general defenses of theism (Alvin Plantinga) and of atheism (Louise Antony), and then move to two more specific defenses of religion (John Caputos Christianity la Derrida and Howard Wettsteins Jewish experience). Next, there is Philip Kitchers nuanced but powerful soft atheism, followed by Tim Maudlins deployment of scientific cosmology against traditional religious claims, and Michael Ruses sympathetic but ultimately atheistic reflections on religion and evolution. Then we move the discussion beyond Judaism and Christianity, as I talk with Sajjad Rizvi on Islam, Jonardon Ganeri on Hinduism, and Jay Garfield on Buddhism. Finally, there is a discussion with Keith DeRose on the rationality of both theism and atheism, a historical perspective from Daniel Garber, and my self-interview. Readers may find this overall structure helpful, but each of the interviews can stand on its own, and they can be read in any order.

My own training and interestsnot to mention the focus of The Stoneexplains why in these interviews talking God means primarily talking philosophy. Other disciplines, such as psychology, anthropology, sociology, history, biology, and neuroscience, also offer fruitful paths to understanding religion. But religions offer answers to fundamental questions about human existence that require the intellectual tools philosophers have developed over the centuries. There are those who argue that only scientists (if anyone) can answer these fundamental questions. But their arguments require them to grapple with philosophical questions about what there is (metaphysics), how we can know it (epistemology), and what follows about how we should live (ethics).

Others will insist that religion is a matter of emotion rather than reason: the heart, as Pascal said, has its reasons, which reason can never know. But we are never entirely rational or entirely emotional, and the two are inevitably combined in our lives. We will question a rational conclusion that just doesnt feel right but also be uneasy with an emotional commitment that we suspect makes no rational sense. Even Pascal in his Penses offered an elaborate argument for the truth of Christianity. His famous wager argument (of which we will hear more later) was just his last desperate effort to lead the nonbeliever to God. Religion does not reduce to philosophy, but any mature faith will have some sort of rational underpinnings that are open to philosophical reflection. These conversations are contributions to that reflection.

I have tried to represent a wide range of views on religion, both positive and negative. There is a particular emphasis on the God of Christian theism as the inevitable starting point in a Western culture formed and still strongly influenced by Christian thinking. But there are also discussions of Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist perspectives, which raise serious questions about Christian presuppositions and suggest alternative religious paths. Almost half the interviews are with philosophers who identify as atheists. This is appropriate both because a good majority of professional philosophers are atheists and because the major concern of contemporary philosophy of religion has been whether there is any defensible basis for believing in God. Readers will, however, see various forms of atheism that are considerably more nuanced than the atheism of popular polemics.

My goal in this volume is not to change minds but to advance lines of thought that readersno matter what their views on religioncan engage with in their own ways and for their own purposes. My hope it that this sample of philosophers talking God will lead readers to their own fruitful conversations.

My thanks to the philosophers I interviewed for the clarity, intelligence, and honesty of their responses and for their cooperation in putting together this volume. Thanks also to Peter Catapano and Jamie Ryerson at the New York Times for their expert editing of the interviews, and at Norton to Brendan Curry for encouraging the project, to Sophie Duvernoy for many editorial improvements, and to Nathaniel Dennett for excellent help with the last stages of the publication process. Thanks, finally, to the exceptional Norton production team, including Lauren Abbate, Nancy Palmquist, Susan Sanfrey, and copyeditor Rachelle Mandik.

Copyright 2017 by Gary Gutting

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TALKING GOD

A lthough most philosophers today are highly skeptical of religion, there are some strong voices in favor of belief. This is primarily due to Alvin Plantinga, who, since the 1960s, has developed philosophy of religion into an area where philosophical believers, especially Christians, are able to defend and elaborate upon their faith. Plantingas work gained serious attention, even among those who rejected his religious positions, because of his important contributions to mainstream metaphysics and epistemology. He initially responded to two major challenges to religious belief: the alleged lack of good arguments for the existence of a divine being, and the problem of evil in the world.