In this tour of the history of arguments for and against the existence of God, Nathan Schneider embarks on a remarkable intellectual, historical, and theological journey through the centuries of believers and unbelieversÑfrom ancient Greeks, to medieval Arabs, to todayÕs most eminent philosophers and the New Atheists. Framed by an account of SchneiderÕs own unique journey, God in Proof illuminates the great minds who wrestled with one of historyÕs biggest questions together with their arguments, bringing them to life in their time, and our own. SchneiderÕs sure-handed portrayal of the characters and ideas involved in the search for proof challenges how we normally think about doubt and faith while showing that, in their quest for certainty and the proofs to declare it, thinkers on either side of the God divide are often closer to one another than they would like to think.
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.
Responding to contemporary popular atheism, Robert J. Spitzer's New Proofs for the Existence of God examines the considerable evidence for God and creation that has come to light from physics and philosophy during the last forty years. --from publisher description.
"Proof of God is the unlikely story of how a serious scientist and a broken writer, in a series of conversations stretching over several months, come to understand that the universe--from the smallest sub-atomic particles that make up everything in existence to the farthest reaches of the universe--bears evidence of a creator. In short, God not only exists, but science gives us tools to know this."--
According to the great mathematician Paul Erdös, God maintains perfect mathematical proofs in The Book. This book presents the authors candidates for such "perfect proofs," those which contain brilliant ideas, clever connections, and wonderful observations, bringing new insight and surprising perspectives to problems from number theory, geometry, analysis, combinatorics, and graph theory. As a result, this book will be fun reading for anyone with an interest in mathematics.
Does God exist? This is probably the most debated question in the history of mankind. Scholars, scientists, and philosophers have spent their lifetimes trying to prove or disprove the existence of God, only to have their theories crucified by other scholars, scientists, and philosophers. Where the debate breaks down is in the ambiguities and colloquialisms of language. But, by using a universal, unambiguous language—namely, mathematics—can this question finally be answered definitively? That’s what Dr. Stephen Unwin attempts to do in this riveting, accessible, and witty book, The Probability of God. At its core, this groundbreaking book reveals how a math equation developed more than 200 years ago by noted European philosopher Thomas Bayes can be used to calculate the probability that God exists. The equation itself is much more complicated than a simple coin toss (heads, He’s up there running the show; tails, He’s not). Yet Dr. Unwin writes with a clarity that makes his mathematical proof easy for even the nonmathematician to understand and a verve that makes his book a delight to read. Leading you carefully through each step in his argument, he demonstrates in the end that God does indeed exist. Whether you’re a devout believer and agree with Dr. Unwin’s proof or are unsure about all things divine, you will find this provocative book enlightening and engaging. “One of the most innovative works [in the science and religion movement] is The Probability of God...An entertaining exercise in thinking.”—Michael Shermer, Scientific American “Unwin’s book [is] peppered with wry, self-deprecating humor that makes the scientific discussions more accessible...Spiritually inspiring.”--Chicago Sun Times “A pleasantly breezy account of some complicated matters well worth learning about.”--Philadelphia Inquirer “One of the best things about the book is its humor.”--Cleveland Plain Dealer “In a book that is surprisingly lighthearted and funny, Unwin manages to pack in a lot of facts about science and philosophy.”--Salt Lake Tribune
Gaven Kerr provides the first book-length study of St. Thomas Aquinas's much neglected proof for the existence of God in De Ente et Essentia Chapter 4. He offers a contemporary presentation, interpretation, and defense of this proof, beginning with an account of the metaphysical principles used by Aquinas and then describing how they are employed within the proof to establish the existence of God. Along the way, Kerr engages contemporary authors who have addressed Aquinas's or similar reasoning. The proof developed in the De Ente is, on Kerr's reading, independent of many of the other proofs in Aquinas's corpus and resistant to the traditional classificatory schemes of proofs of God. By applying a historical and hermeneutical awareness of the philosophical issues presented by Aquinas's thought and evaluating such philosophical issues with analytical precision, Kerr is able to move through the proof and evaluate what Aquinas is saying, and whether what he is saying is true. By means of an analysis of one of Aquinas's earliest proofs, Kerr highlights a foundational argument that is present throughout the much more commonly studied Thomistic writings, and brings it to bear within the context of analytical philosophy, showing its relevance to the contemporary reader.
Dr Francis S. Collins, head of the Human Genome Project, is one of the world's leading scientists, working at the cutting edge of the study of DNA, the code of life. Yet he is also a man of unshakable faith in God. How does he reconcile the seemingly unreconcilable? In THE LANGUAGE OF GOD he explains his own journey from atheism to faith, and then takes the reader on a stunning tour of modern science to show that physics, chemistry and biology -- indeed, reason itself -- are not incompatible with belief. His book is essential reading for anyone who wonders about the deepest questions of all: why are we here? How did we get here? And what does life mean?
Does God exist? How do I know? Let me ask you, does darkness exist? Does ignorance exist? Does evil exist? I am sure everyone would agree that darkness, ignorance, and evil exist. My answer is darkness, ignorance and evil don't exist on their own... darkness exists because of the lack of light... Ignorance exists because of the lack of knowledge...And evil exists because of the lack of God... A logical approach to the question of God's existence. Not religious, but scientific and logical proof written by an engineer, not a priest. God and religions often have nothing to do with each other. Whether you are an atheist, a believer, or someone between, I was a doubtful believer...I was also a doubtful atheist...I was always doubtful and conflicted spiritually...Then I found God in such an unusual way... No nothing to do with religions... In fact, I am not religious at all and I have no religious affiliation and I am still not religious... Read the "PROOF" supported only by logic and natural laws. I am not a preacher...I am an engineer...I am inclined to digest things analytically and logically... I concluded that God must exist 1000%... All my doubts disappeared...I want to share this proof with other people who are drowning in their spiritual doubts... I want to share this "proof" with every human soul searching for the truth...Often when people are asked: Does God exist? The answer would be mostly "yes, no, maybe" without being able to give a logical explanation. They might try to refer to the Bible or come out with some unsatisfying explanation. Faith or the lack of faith is not proof! Confused? You don't know what to believe or not to believe? Too busy making a living and wondering if living has any purpose besides existing? You're not alone. Whether you are an atheist, a believer, or someone between, you might not fully believe in God nor can you simply deny him once for all. You feel drowning in an ocean of doubt and purposeless life neither faith alone nor the lack of it could resolve. If you are not that sure, then this is a must-read book for you. Read the "Proof".. It's hard to believe in God because everything in our human minds has a beginning and an end. Therefore, it's impossible to believe in any eternal thing. Thus, we think God must not exist, right? But God is not a "thing" natural laws can be applied to him. If he's a "thing", then he's not God. We cannot understand God; if we can, then he's not God. God cannot be defined; to define God is to limit him. He's the cause of all causes without being caused. From him, all things came into existence. A thing cannot create itself when it does not exist! While it's impossible to understand God, I wrote this book to share my experience with every yearning soul in search to know God. He's absolute and eternal... He has no equals, no partners, and no comparables... He's God... The one God... the only God... The Almighty God.
