Religion Within Reason

In the views of most believers and critics, religion is essentially connected to the existence of a supernatural deity. If supernaturalism is not reasonable, the argument goes, religion cannot be reasonable - or if supernaturalism is reasonable, religion must be as well. Are faith and reason, religion and science, doomed to a constant struggle for the heart of humanity? Steven M. Cahn believes that they are not, that even if God exists, religion may not be justified and that even if religion is justified, belief in God may not be. In Religion Within Reason, Cahn argues that the common understanding of the relationship between religion and supernaturalism is flawed and that while supernaturalism is not reasonable, religious commitment may well be. Writing not as a theist but as one who finds much to admire in a religious life, he examines faith and reason, miracles, heaven and hell, religious diversity, and the problem of evil, using a variety of examples taken from religious thought, literature, and popular culture.

Autorentext

Steven M. Cahn is professor of philosophy at the City University of New York Graduate Center. He is the author or editor of more than fifty books, including Happiness and Goodness: Philosophical Reflection on Living Well (2015); Polishing Your Prose: How to Turn First Drafts Into Finished Work (2013); and From Student to Scholar: A Candid Guide to Becoming a Professor (2008), all published by Columbia University Press.

Zusammenfassung
Why and how religion should be freed from a reliance on supernaturalism.