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"He has written or edited more than 30 books, his arguments for God and Jesus are frequently cited by Christian apologists around the world, and he has severely overstated his case through a series of blatant mischaracterizations and philosophical blunders. You may have heard of William Lane Craig, a professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology who is known for debating atheists, but even if you haven't you have probably heard his arguments through followers and fans. He is known for painting faith as the"reasonable" road, and falsely claiming that he can prove the validity of his religion. From his work attempting to show evidence for Jesus' resurrection to his development of the Kalam cosmological argument for the existence of God, Craig is respected among his peers on the Christian side of the religious spectrum. But is that deserved? What's at the core of these arguments? Are they philosophically sound? More importantly, is this Unreasonable Faith? James Fodor has a graduate degree in physics from the University of Melbourne, and is a research assistant in structural biology at Monash University. With a keen interest in philosophy, he writes for the Rationalist magazine on various subjects in religion and epistemology. As president of the University of Melbourne Secular Society, he has engaged in numerous discussions and public debates concerning religion, with a focus on secular morality and the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. He also has a keen interest in effective altruism and computational neuroscience."--Jacket.… (more)
User reviews
I will say that I was unsuccessfully raised as a Protestant Christian, and I have since become an atheist. I am an atheist for much simpler reasons than Craig and Fodor discuss, but I am glad to have a more thorough understanding of the issues.
Fodor states that: "This book does not aim to convert Christians to atheism, or to undermine faith in God." and the book ends with: "It is my hope that this book has been of use to those seeking what to believe, how to think critically, and the best place to put their trust." He focuses on discussing the scientific and philosophical arguments that Craig makes. The book is organized around specific arguments, e.g., "The Kalam Cosmological Argument," "If the Universe had a Cause, that Cause Must be Personal." He deals with the nature of time (tensed vs untensed); I found it helpful to think of the books involving time travel that I have read: that is pretty much tenseless time.
Fodor has obviously read broadly in the relevant philosophical literature, and he cites a number of sources, but the books is much more than just a compilation of others' work. I am somewhat at a loss for words to communicate how exciting and insightful I found this book, and it has certainly broadened my knowledge. I'm not even going to archive it as I normally do books that I have finished, because I know I'll read it again soon. I believe that freethinkers will be very interested, as will religious people who think deeply about their beliefs.