Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings

This comprehensive anthology assembles pivotal texts addressing fundamental questions concerning God's existence, nature, and relationship to the world. Peterson's editorial framework presents philosophy of religion as a rigorous analytical discipline, organizing classical and contemporary contributions around central argumentative traditions that have shaped Western philosophical theology.

The volume's treatment of natural theology showcases the evolution of theistic argumentation through careful selection of texts defending and critiquing the cosmological, ontological, and design arguments. Rather than presenting these as settled proofs, the collection demonstrates how each argument family has undergone sophisticated reformulation in response to philosophical criticism. Contemporary versions of the cosmological argument, including kalam and contingency formulations, appear alongside classical presentations, while the ontological argument receives treatment from both modal logic perspectives and traditional Anselmian frameworks. The design argument section traces developments from Paley through contemporary fine-tuning arguments, engaging with both philosophical and scientific challenges.

The problem of evil receives substantial attention as the primary challenge to classical theism. The anthology presents the logical problem of evil alongside evidential formulations, incorporating both traditional theodicies and more recent skeptical theist responses. This section exemplifies the volume's dialogical approach, presenting sophisticated atheological arguments from philosophers like Mackie and Rowe alongside equally rigorous theistic responses from Plantinga, van Inwagen, and others.

The faith and reason section addresses epistemological questions concerning religious belief's rational status. Selections range from evidentialist critiques demanding propositional evidence for theistic belief to reformed epistemology's challenge to classical foundationalism. The inclusion of both internalist and externalist approaches to religious epistemology demonstrates the field's methodological diversity within the broader analytic tradition.

Peterson's editorial decisions reflect analytic philosophy's emphasis on clarity, logical rigor, and precise argumentation. The volume serves multiple audiences: advanced undergraduates encountering these debates systematically, graduate students requiring primary sources, and researchers seeking a comprehensive reference work. By presenting opposing positions on each major issue, the anthology enables readers to engage critically with arguments rather than accepting predetermined conclusions. This approach positions philosophy of religion as an active area of philosophical inquiry where substantive disagreement persists among competent practitioners. The collection thus functions not as apologetics but as an invitation to philosophical examination of theism's rational credentials.