This volume collects the most important articles on the metaphysics of modality by noted philosopher Alvin Plantinga. The book chronicles Plantinga's thought from the late 1960's to the present. Plantinga is here concerned with fundamental issues in metaphysics: what is the nature of abstract objects like possible worlds,properties, propositions, and such phenomena? Are there possible but non-actual objects? Can objects that do not exist exemplify properties? In this thorough and searching book, Plantinga addresses these and many other questions that continue to preoccupy philosophers in the field. This volume contains some of the best work in metaphysics from the past 30 years, and will remain a source of critical contention and keen interest among philosophers of metaphysics and philosophical logic for years to come.

The contributions in this volume make an important effort to resurrect a rather old fashioned form of foundationalism. They defend the position that there are some beliefs that are justified, and are not themselves justified by any further beliefs. This Epistemic foundationalism has been the subject of rigorous attack by a wide range of theorists in recent years, leading to the impression that foundationalism is a thing of the past. DePaul argues that it is precisely the volume and virulence of the assaults which points directly to the strength and coherence of the position.

This is the third volume in Alvin Plantinga's trilogy on the notion of warrant, which he defines as that which distinguishes knowledge from true belief. In this volume, Plantinga examines warrant's role in theistic belief, tackling the questions of whether it is rational, reasonable, justifiable, and warranted to accept Christian belief and whether there is something epistemically unacceptable in doing so. He contends that Christian beliefs are warranted to the extent that they are formed by properly functioning cognitive faculties, thus, insofar as they are warranted, Christian beliefs are knowledge if they are true.

Professor Plantinga is known for distinguished work in the fields of epistemology and philosophy of religion. In this companion volume to Warrant: The Current Debate, Plantinga develops an original approach to the question of what justifies belief and makes it knowledge. He argues that what is crucial to turning true belief into knowledge is the "proper functioning" of one's cognitive faculties, and this clears the way for the proposal that a belief is warranted whenever it is the product of properly functioning cognitive processes. Although this is in some sense a sequel to the companion volume, the arguments in no way presuppose those of the first book and it can therefore stand alone.

This volume collects the most important articles on the metaphysics of modality by noted philosopher Alvin Plantinga. The book chronicles Plantinga's thought from the late 1960's to the present. Plantinga here is concerned with fundamental issues in metaphysics: what is the nature of abstract objects like possible worlds,properties, propositions, and such phenomena? Are there possible but non-actual objects? Can objects that do not exist exemplify properties? In this thorough and searching book, Plantinga addresses these and many other questions that continue to preoccupy philosophers in the field. This volume contains some of the best work in metaphysics from the past 30 years, and will remain a source of critical contention and keen interest among philosophers of metaphysics and philosophical logic for years to come.

Arguments about the "evidences of Christianity" have consumed the talents of believers and agnostics. These arguments have tried to give-or to deny-Christian belief a "foundation." Belief is rational, the argument goes, only if it is logically derived from axiomatic truths or is otherwise supported by "enough evidence." Arguments for belief generally fail to sway the unconvinced. But is this because the evidence is flimsy and the arguments weak-or because they attempt to give the right answer to the wrong question? What, after all, would satisfy Russell's all for evidence? Faith and Rationality investigates the rich implications of what the authors call "Calvinistic" or "Reformed epistemology." This is the view of knowledge-enunciated by Calvin, further developed by Barth-that sees belief in God as its own foundation; in the authors' terms, is it properly "basic" in itself.

Professor Plantinga is known for distinguished work in the fields of epistemology and philosophy of religion. In this companion volume to Warrant: The Current Debate, Plantinga develops an original approach to the question of what justifies belief and makes it knowledge. He argues that what is crucial to turning true belief into knowledge is the "proper functioning" of one's cognitive faculties, and this clears the way for the proposal that a belief is warranted whenever it is the product of properly functioning cognitive processes. Although this is in some sense a sequel to the companion volume, the arguments in no way presuppose those of the first book and it can therefore stand alone.

Known for distinguished work in the fields of metaphysics and philosophy of religion, Alvin Plantinga ventures further into epistemology in this book and its companion volume, Warrant and Proper Function. Plantinga examines the nature of epistemic warrant; whatever it is that when added to true belief yields knowledge. This present volume surveys current contributions to the debate and paves the way for his own positive proposal in Warrant and Proper Function. This first volume serves as a good introduction to the central issues in contemporary epistemology.

This book is a long-awaited major statement by a pre-eminent analytic philosopher, Alvin Plantinga, on one of our biggest debates -- the compatibility of science and religion. The last twenty years has seen a cottage industry of books on this divide, but with little consensus emerging. Plantinga, as a top philosopher but also a proponent of the rationality of religious belief, has a unique contribution to make. His theme in this short book is that the conflict between science and theistic religion is actually superficial, and that at a deeper level they are in concord.
Plantinga examines where this conflict is supposed to exist -- evolution, evolutionary psychology, analysis of scripture, scientific study of religion -- as well as claims by Dan Dennett, Richard Dawkins, and Philip Kitcher that evolution and theistic belief cannot co-exist. Plantinga makes a case that their arguments are not only inconclusive but that the supposed conflicts themselves are superficial, due to the methodological naturalism used by science. On the other hand, science can actually offer support to theistic doctrines, and Plantinga uses the notion of biological and cosmological "fine-tuning" in support of this idea. Plantinga argues that we might think about arguments in science and religion in a new way -- as different forms of discourse that try to persuade people to look at questions from a perspective such that they can see that something is true. In this way, there is a deep and massive consonance between theism and the scientific enterprise.

Arguments about the "evidences of Christianity" have consumed the talents of believers and agnostics. These arguments have tried to give—or to deny—Christian belief a "foundation." Belief is rational, the argument goes, only if it is logically derived from axiomatic truths or is otherwise supported by "enough evidence." Arguments for belief generally fail to sway the unconvinced. But is this because the evidence is flimsy and the arguments weak—or because they attempt to give the right answer to the wrong question? What, after all, would satisfy Russell's all for evidence? Faith and Rationality investigates the rich implications of what the authors call "Calvinistic" or "Reformed epistemology." This is the view of knowledge-enunciated by Calvin, further developed by Barth-that sees belief in God as its own foundation; in the authors’ terms, is it properly "basic" in itself.

This is the third volume in Alvin Plantinga's trilogy on the notion of warrant, which he defines as that which distinguishes knowledge from true belief. In this volume, Plantinga examines warrant's role in theistic belief, tackling the questions of whether it is rational, reasonable, justifiable, and warranted to accept Christian belief and whether there is something epistemically unacceptable in doing so. He contends that Christian beliefs are warranted to the extent that they are formed by properly functioning cognitive faculties, thus, insofar as they are warranted, Christian beliefs are knowledge if they are true.

Alvin Plantinga, called by Time magazine "America's leading orthodox Protestant philosopher of God," has had a profound impact on the philosophical discipline. This book gathers in one place Plantinga's most important work in the philosophy of religion generally and his contribution to the resurgence in Christian philosophy in particular. Organized into four sections-"Natural Theology and Atheology," "Reformed Epistemology," "Divine Nature and Attributes," and "Christian Philosophy"-these thirteen essays and book excerpts reflect the areas of thought in which Plantinga has been most influential. The volume also includes an Afterword by Plantinga and instructions for accessing his work on the World Wide Web.

This is a reissue of a book which is an exploration and defence of the notion of modality 'de re', the idea that objects have both essential and accidental properties. It is one of the first full-length studies of the modalities to emerge from the debate to which Saul Kripke, David Lewis, Ruth Marcus and others have contributed. The argument is developed by means of the notion of possible worlds, and ranges over key problems including the nature of essence, trans-world identity, negative existential propositions, and the existence of unactual objects in other possible worlds. In the final chapters Professor Plantinga applies his logical theories to the clarification of two problems in the philosophy of religion - the Problem of Evil and the Ontological Argument.

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Six acclaimed scholars-including a biologist, a sociologist, a historian, a philosopher, and a physicist-examine the evolution debate. Eighty-one years after America witnessed the Scopes trial over the teaching of evolution in public schools, the debate between science and religion continues. In this book scholars from a variety of disciplines-sociology, history, science, and theology-provide new insights into the contemporary dialogue as well as some perspective suggestions for delineating the responsibilities of both the scientific and religious spheres. Why does the tension between science and religion continue? How have those tensions changed during the past one hundred years? How have those tensions impacted the public debate about so-called "intelligent design" as a scientific alternative to evolution? With wit and wisdom the authors address the conflict from its philosophical roots to its manifestations within American culture. In doing so, they take an important step toward creating a society that reconciles scientific inquiry with the human spirit. This book, which marks the one hundredth anniversary of The Terry Lecture Series, offers a unique perspective for anyone interested in the debate between science and religion in America.