RELIGION & THEOLOGY 2011

The Secular Outlook
In Defense of Moral and Political Secularism
Paul Cliteur
University of Leiden, The Netherlands
“This is a brave and timely book, a light in the gathering
endarkenment. Cliteur responds lucidly to the West’s
many failures of political nerve, to the new climate of
rationalizing the irrational and appeasing authoritarians.
He advances a powerful case for the values of freedom
and reason.” Russell Blackford
The Secular Outlook: In Defense of Moral and Political Secularism
shows how people can live together and overcome the challenge of
religious terrorism by adopting a secular outlook on life and politics.
• Shows how secularism can answer the problem of religious terrorism
• Provides new perspectives on how religious minorities can be
integrated into liberal democracies
• Reveals how secularism has gained a new political and moral
significance.
• Also examines such topics as atheism, religious criticism and free
speech
Series: Blackwell Public Philosophy
328 pages • July 2010
978-1-4443-3520-0 • HB • £60.00 / €77.90 / US$94.95 / AUD$120.00
978-1-4443-3521-7 • PB • £19.99 / €25.90 / US$29.95 / AUD$39.95
Meaning and Mystery
What It Means To Believe in God
David M. Holley
University of Southern Mississippi, USA
Philosophers typically assume that the
appropriate way to reflect on God’s existence
is to consider whether God is needed as a
hypothesis to explain generally accepted facts.
In contrast, David Holley proposes that the
question of belief should be raised within the
practical context of deciding on a narrative
that enables us to interpret the significance of our experiences and
functions as a guide to how to live. Holley uses insights from sociology
and cognitive psychology to illuminate the nature of religious beliefs.
256 pages • January 2010
978-1-4051-9345-0 • HB • £50.00 / €65.90 / US$84.95 / AUD$99.95
978-1-4051-9344-3 • PB • £17.99 / €23.90 / US$29.95 / AUD$37.95
Is God A Delusion?
A Reply to Religion’s Cultured Despisers
Eric Reitan, Oklahoma State University, USA
Winner of Choice 2009 Outstanding Academic
Title Award
Is God a Delusion? addresses the philosophical
underpinnings of the recent proliferation of
popular books attacking religious beliefs.
• Focuses primarily on charges leveled by recent critics that belief in
God is irrational and that its nature ferments violence
• Balances philosophical rigor and scholarly care with an engaging,
accessible style
• Offers a direct response to the crop of recent anti-religion bestsellers
currently generating considerable public discussion
256 pages • 2008
978-1-4051-8362-8 • HB • £55.00 / €71.90 / US$94.95 / AUD$110.00
978-1-4051-8361-1 • PB • £14.99 / €19.90 / US$26.95 / AUD$29.95
In the Name of God
The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Ethics
and Violence
John Teehan, Hofstra University, USA
“… a wonderful example of how to build successfully
conceptual bridges across different disciplines...”
Todd K. Shackelford, Florida Atlantic University
Religion is one of the most powerful forces
running through human history, and although
often presented as a force for good, its impact
is frequently violent and divisive. This provocative work brings together
cutting-edge research from both evolutionary and cognitive psychology
to help readers understand the psychological structure of religious
morality and the origins of religious violence.
Series: Blackwell Public Philosophy
288 pages • April 2010
978-1-4051-8382-6 • HB • £50.00 / €65.90 / US$84.95 / AUD$99.95
978-1-4051-8381-9 • PB • £14.99 / €19.90 / US$24.95 / AUD$29.95
A Companion to
Philosophy of Religion
2nd Edition
New
EDITION
Edited by Charles Taliaferro, Paul
Draper & Philip L. Quinn
St. Olaf College, USA; Purdue University, USA;
University of Notre Dame, USA
This extensively revised second edition
contains 22 new entries combined with
updated and reorganized material from the previous edition. Coverage
of the challenges to theism, the justification of theistic belief, and the
history of the philosophy of religion has been expanded. An entirely
new section, Current Trends and New Directions, contains 10 entries,
including new essays on Wittgensteinian philosophy of religion,
continental philosophy of religion, evidentialism, and philosophical
reflection on mysticism.
Series: Blackwell Companions to Philosophy
784 pages • March 2010
978-1-4051-6357-6 • HB • £110.00 / €142.00 / US$199.95 / AUD$220.00
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