Great Thinkers on Great Questions

This innovative and challenging book presents cogent answers from some of the greatest thinkers of the twentieth century to fifteen of the most enduring questions posed by humanity.





Drawing on a diverse range of views from such influential shapers of modern thought as Richard Swinburne, Alvin Plantinga and Keith Ward, Great Thinkers on Great Questions features discussion of key issues, including:





the existence of the soul


psychology, sociology and religious belief


free will


morality and cultural conditioning


God and modern science





For questioning minds who seek alternative philosophical viewpoints, this is a unique and accessible assessment of humankind's common experience that offers a new vision for the next millennium.

Part 1: Can We Known and Know That we Know? 21


Relativism 23


Universal Insights presupposed by science and philosophy 39





Part II: is matter the whole story 41


The existence of the soul 43


the freedom of the will 70


Life after death 83


Reincarnation 87





Part III: Are religion and Morality Simply and Solely By-products of the Socio-Cultural Environment? 95


Psychology, sociology and religious belief 97


Right and Wrong 100


Atheism 108





Part IV : Is There a God? 115


The existence of God 117


God and Modern Science 154


The Problem of Evil 191


Pantheism 206


Divine actions in the world and human history 212





Part V: What Can We Know About God? 219


Omniscience, omnipotence, eternity and infinity 221