If there is one God, why are there so many religions? Might all be false? Some revert to a relativism that allows different 'truth's' for different people, but this is incoherent. This Element argues that monotheism has provided the basis for a belief in objective truth. Human understanding is fallible and partial, but without the idea of one God, there is no foundation for a belief in one reality or a common human nature. The shadow of monotheism lies over our understanding of science, an...

Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring What is faith? It usually means religious belief, and sometimes diverse religions are grouped together as 'faiths', with reference to 'faith leaders' or 'faith schools'. What we have faith in matters, and that involves our reason, involving claims to truths that affect everyone. Faith is not just a personal attribute, like tastes, but should be open to public examination and debate. In this Very Short Introduction, Ro...

Many people assume that science 'disproves' the idea of God, and that we no longer need faith in order to understand the world or why we are in it.Roger Trigg examines these assumptions and considers whether recent developments in science may in fact support religious faith. He goes on to consider the increasing scientific evidence for the inherent orderliness and comprehensibility of the universe, which leads him to ask an even more radical question: Might there b...

Should we merely celebrate diversity in the sphere of religion? What of the social cohesion of a country? There is a constant tug between belief in religious truth and the need for respect for other religions. Religious Diversity: Philosophical and Political Dimensions examines how far a firm faith can allow for toleration of difference and respect the need for religious freedom. It elucidates the philosophical credentials of different approaches to truth in religion, ranging from a dogmat...

What is faith? It usually means religious belief, and sometimes diverse religions are grouped together as "faiths," with reference to "faith leaders" or "faith schools." What we have faith in matters, and that involves our reason, involving claims to truths that affect everyone. Faith is not just a personal attribute, like tastes, but should be open to public examination and debate.In this Very Short Introduction, Roger Trigg argues that all faith needs reason. He puts con...

Volume 25 of 1650–1850: Ideas, Aesthetics, and Inquiries in the Early Modern Era investigates the local textures that make up the whole cloth of the Enlightenment. Ranging from China to Cheltenham and from Spinoza to civil insurrection, volume 25 celebrates the emergence of long-eighteenth-century culture from particularities and prodigies. Unfurling in the folds of this volume is a special feature on playwright, critic, and literary theorist John Dennis. Edited by Claude Willan, ...

The cognitive science of religion is a new discipline that looks at the roots of religious belief in the cognitive architecture of the human mind. The Roots of Religion deals with the philosophical and theological implications of the cognitive science of religion which grounds religious belief in human cognitive structures: religious belief is ’natural’, in a way that even scientific thought is not. Does this new discipline support religious belief, undermine it, or is it, despite many cla...