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#Post#: 112--------------------------------------------------
Pre-Christian Apologetics - Need help with a reading list
By: jd3 Date: April 2, 2020, 4:04 pm
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So I just read Feser's blog post on Pre-Christian Apologetics:
HTML https://edwardfeser.blogspot.com/2014/05/pre-christian-apologetics.html<br
/>
His main point is that any adequate defense of Christianity has
to be built on strong metaphysical foundations, which for him
involve a return to scholasticism, and cannot simply begin with
a discussion of the gospels, the resurrection, and so on. He
breaks the total apologetic enterprise into 5 parts:
1. Metaphysical prolegomena
This first stage involves defending the theory of act and
potency, the principle of causality, the principle of finality,
formal and material causes,the distinction between essence and
existence and so on.
2. Natural Theology
Arguments for the existence of God as not merely a first cause,
but as an entity that possesses the divine attributes.
3. Philosophical Anthropology
Defense of the immateriality of the soul and the intellect.
4. Natural law and natural religion
Defense of natural law
5. Christian Apologetics
Biblical studies, historical Jesus stuff, defending the gospels,
etc. This could also include defending Catholicism vs.
Protestantism of various sorts.
Assuming Ed's breakdown makes sense, my question is: what series
of books/articles would cover the above topics? If you were
building complete course apologetics, what would be on the
syllabus? Ed notes that there are a few comprehensive books that
do all/most of the above, but that they are quite old (for ex:
"College Apologetics" was published in the 1950s). But if anyone
knows of a comparable book that does everything, let me know.
Here is what a I got so far (pretty bare--need suggestions!).
Let me know your thoughts and I'll add them to this post.
-JD
Parts 1-2:
Edward Feser: Scholastic Metaphysics, Aristotle's Revenge,
Aquinas, Five Proofs of the Existence of God
Joshua Rasmussen: "How Reason Can Lead to God"
David Oderberg: Real Essentialism
Thomas Nagel: Mind and Cosmos
Brian Davies: The Thought of Thomas Aquinas, The Reality of God
and the Problem of Evil
Parts 3 and 4: Need more suggestions here.
J. P. Moreland: The Soul
Part 5:
Craig: Reasonable faith
Pitre: The Case for Jesus: The Biblical and Historical Evidence
for Christ
Stump: Lecture "The God of the Bible and the God the
Philosophers"
Other writers that come to mind: Alexander Pruss, Lydia McGrew,
Lee Strobel, N.T. Wright, Craig Evans. Edit: I recently stumbled
upon a pretty extensive reading list
HTML https://www.reasonablecatholic.com/recommended-reading/my-book-recommendations/<br
/>that might be useful.
#Post#: 113--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pre-Christian Apologetics - Need help with a reading list
By: RomanJoe Date: April 3, 2020, 2:35 am
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Anything by John Searle, Thomas Nagel, and or Raymond Tallis for
number 3. Tallis' Logos is definitely worth a read--a pretty
solid defense against transcendental idealism and it's modern
offshoots.
#Post#: 118--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pre-Christian Apologetics - Need help with a reading list
By: Dominik Date: April 8, 2020, 3:40 am
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Joe, what makes you so fond of Searle? I recommend Chalmers,
too, as well as Joshua Rasmussen.
#Post#: 119--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pre-Christian Apologetics - Need help with a reading list
By: Atno Date: April 8, 2020, 2:58 pm
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I'll just offer some recommendations which I think are helpful:
"How Reason Can Lead to God" by Joshua Rasmussen. I think this
is the best popular-level defense of theism out there. The most
important theistic argument is there: there must be a Necessary
Foundation behind all contingent reality, and this Necessary
Foundation must be personal, intelligent, good, perfect, etc. in
order to best account for the way contingent reality is (the
existence of minds and mental properties; value and goodness;
reason; order, life; etc).
"Scholastic Metaphysics" by Edward Feser covers a lot of ground.
It's particularly nice for a discussion of causal principles and
PSR which are very important for apologetics, but everything
else is good, too.
"Philosophy of Mind" by Edward Feser. I consider this to be the
best introduction to philosophy of mind out there.
"C. S. Lewis's Dangerous Idea" by Victor Reppert. Easy to read
defense of the argument from reason.
"The Soul" by J. P. Moreland is a nice and brief discussion and
defense of the soul. Of course, dualism is very relevant for
arguing that the First Cause of reality must be a mind.
"Mind and Cosmos" by Nagel. Though his attempt at an atheistic
"solution" fails, Nagel is great at bringing out the problems
with naturalism.
"The One and the Many" by W. Norris Clarke. It's a great book
that covers a lot of metaphysics. Clarke was brilliant and very
unique with his own brand of existentialist, personalistic
thomism.
"Experience of God" by David Bentley Hart. A very good defense
and exploration of the reasoning and intuitions behind the
traditional arguments for God's existence.
"The Rainbow of Experiences" by Kai-Man Kwan. I consider this to
be one of the most important philosophy books written in recent
years. It is a critique of foundationalism (more correctly, of a
narrowly empiricist foundationalism. I am a foundationalist
myself, but I accept phenomenal conservatism). In short, Kwan
argues that the correct epistemology would have us trusting and
taking seriously our experiences, especially those that are
common throughout the history of mankind - a "hollistic
empiricism" which respects not only our sense experience and
immediate rational faculties, but also our interpersonal, moral,
aesthetic, religious experiences, and more. Kwan argues that
once we take seriously the "rainbow of experiences" we have a
powerful argument for theism from experience.
#Post#: 122--------------------------------------------------
Re: Pre-Christian Apologetics - Need help with a reading list
By: jd3 Date: April 15, 2020, 2:07 pm
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Thanks for those suggestions, I'll edit the original post so as
to include them and try my best to categorize them properly.
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