The Existence of God ─ A Philosophical Introduction

Does God exist? What are the various arguments that seek to prove the existence of God? Can atheists refute these arguments? The Existence of God: A Philosophical Introduction assesses classical and contemporary arguments concerning the existence of God:


the ontological argument, introducing the nature of existence, possible worlds, parody objections, and the evolutionary origin of the concept of God
the cosmological argument, discussing metaphysical paradoxes of infinity, scientific models of the universe, and philosophers’ discussions about ultimate reality and the meaning of life
the design argument, addressing Aquinas’s Fifth Way, Darwin’s theory of evolution, the concept of irreducible complexity, and the current controversy over intelligent design and school education.

Bringing the subject fully up to date, Yujin Nagasawa explains these arguments in relation to recent research in cognitive science, the mathematics of infinity, big bang cosmology, and debates about ethics and morality in light of contemporary political and social events.
The book also includes fascinating insights into the passions, beliefs and struggles of the philosophers and scientists who have tackled the challenge of proving the existence of God, including Thomas Aquinas, and Kurt Gödel - who at the end of his career as a famous mathematician worked on a secret project to prove the existence of God.
The Existence of God: A Philosophical Introduction is an ideal gateway to the philosophy of religion and an excellent starting point for anyone interested in arguments about the existence of God.

Yujin Nagasawa is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Birmingham, UK. He is author of God and Phenomenal Consciousness (2008), and editor/co-editor of There’s Something About Mary: Essays on Phenomenal Consciousness and Frank Jackson’s Knowledge Argument (2004), New Waves in Philosophy of Religion (2008) and Scientific Approaches to the Philosophy of Religion (2012).

Preface Part 1: An Armchair Proof of the Existence of God 1. Gödel’s Secret Project 2. Anselm’s Discovery 3. Descartes’s Ontological Argument 4. Objections to the Ontological Argument 5. Hartshorne’s Discovery 6. Objections to the Modal Ontological Argument 7. Gödel’s Ontological Argument Part 2: ‘Follow the Evidence Wherever it Leads’: Evolution vs. Intelligent Design 8. Professor Flew’s Conversion 9. Battles Over Evolution 10. Intelligent Design 11. History of the Design Argument 12. Objections to the Design Argument 13. The Theory of Evolution 14. Judge Jones’s Verdict on Intelligent Design Part 3: The Big Bang, Infinity, and the Meaning of Life 15. The Big Bang 16. Infinity 17. History of the Cosmological Argument 18. The Kalām Cosmological Argument 19. Objections to the Kalām Cosmological Argument 20. Infinity and the Meaning of Life Conclusion: Additional Arguments for and against the Existence of God. Further Reading. Bibliography. Index