Skip to main content
  • Book
  • © 2019

Is God the Best Explanation of Things?

A Dialogue

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Presents dialogue between two currently active philosophers of religion on the existence of God

  • Explores classical as well as cutting-edge arguments for and against a theistic explanation of general features of reality

  • Written in a clear and accessible style

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check for access.

Table of contents (18 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-vii
  2. Introduction

    • Joshua Rasmussen, Felipe Leon
    Pages 1-3
  3. Is There a Foundation for the Universe?

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 5-5
    2. For a Foundation

      • Joshua Rasmussen
      Pages 7-22
    3. Modal Skepticism and Material Causation

      • Felipe Leon
      Pages 23-37
    4. The Geometric Argument

      • Joshua Rasmussen
      Pages 39-52
    5. Argument from Arbitrary Limits

      • Joshua Rasmussen
      Pages 71-83
    6. Varieties of Naturalism

      • Felipe Leon
      Pages 85-97
  4. Is the Foundation Personal?

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 99-99
    2. For a Personal Foundation

      • Joshua Rasmussen
      Pages 101-116
    3. Foundational Mind Theory Extended

      • Joshua Rasmussen
      Pages 139-152
    4. Reflection

      • Felipe Leon
      Pages 185-190
  5. Is the Foundation Good?

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 191-191
    2. The Great Story Theodicy

      • Joshua Rasmussen
      Pages 223-242
    3. Questioning the Story

      • Felipe Leon
      Pages 243-252

About this book

This book provides an up to date, high-level exchange on God in a uniquely productive style. Readers witness a contemporary version of a classic debate, as two professional philosophers seek to learn from each other while making their cases for their distinct positions. In their dialogue, Joshua Rasmussen and Felipe Leon examine classical and cutting-edge arguments for and against a theistic explanation of general features of reality. The book also provides original lines of thought based on the authors’ own contributions to the field, and offers a productive and innovative inquiry into on one of the biggest questions people ask: what is the ultimate explanation of things?

Reviews

“This is a terrific book. It is bold in its approach, and interesting in its details. Rasmussen and Leon are to be congratulated both for the spirit in which their investigation is conducted and for the contributions that they make to advancing discussion.” (Graham Oppy, Professor of Philosophy, Monash University, Australia)

“The authors of this clear and absorbing volume are intent on saying the best that can presently be said on behalf of theism and naturalism. Energetically, they produce clever arguments for their respective views, many of them new or interestingly refashioned, grounded in the latest relevant results from a wide range of areas. But Leon and Rasmussen have also adopted a more deliberately collaborative and constructive approach than is visible in any similar work. And by this means they succeed in exposing how much more flexible and variously construable are the concepts of theism and naturalism themselves than the history of their discussion would have led one to expect. One almost dares to think that a future agreement on the God question is possible!” (J.L. Schellenberg, Professor of Philosophy, Mount Saint Vincent University, Canada)

“Felipe Leon and Joshua Rasmussen bravely tackle the most profound ontological question we can ask: what is the foundation of existence? Exploring this question in dialogue, they offer a fascinating exchange of ideas regarding such philosophical issues as causation, morality, evolution, the fine-tuning of the universe, consciousness, and the existence of God. I found this to be one of the most engaging, informative, and thought-provoking philosophical dialogues I have ever read.” (Yujin Nagasawa, H. G. Wood Professor of the Philosophy of Religion, University of Birmingham, UK)

Is God the Best Explanation of Things?  is an exemplar of the virtues a philosophical dialogue should display.  It is about fundamental issues, is engagingly written, and offers original arguments.  Moreover, it is a genuinely open-minded series of exchanges that exhibit the philosophical progress that can be achieved when the interlocutors are eager to learn from one another and see themselves as partners in their search for the truth of the matter.” (Evan Fales, Professor of Philosophy (emeritus), University of Iowa, USA)

“This book brings together the formidable talents of two philosophers to bear on one of the most intractable problems in philosophy: the question of whether or not we have good reason to accept the existence of God. The prose is clear and accessible, and the arguments are well-developed and rigorous. It should be of interest and value to a wide range of readers and would make an excellent text for courses in the philosophy of religion, in particular.” (Andrei Buckareff, Associate Professor of Philosophy; Co-Director of the Cognitive Science Program, Marist College, USA)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Azusa Pacific University , Azusa, USA

    Joshua Rasmussen

  • El Camino College, Torrance, USA

    Felipe Leon

About the authors

Joshua Rasmussen is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Azusa Pacific University, USA

 Felipe Leon is Associate Professor of Philosophy at El Camino College, USA

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Is God the Best Explanation of Things?

  • Book Subtitle: A Dialogue

  • Authors: Joshua Rasmussen, Felipe Leon

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23752-3

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Religion and Philosophy, Philosophy and Religion (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-23751-6Published: 09 August 2019

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-23754-7Published: 09 August 2020

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-23752-3Published: 27 July 2019

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: VII, 286

  • Number of Illustrations: 2 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Philosophy of Religion, Metaphysics

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access