The wisdom of religious commitment / Terrence W. Tilley. [electronic resource]

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Tilley, Terrence W.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Religion--Philosophy.

Religion.

Wisdom--Religious aspects.

Wisdom.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (x, 173 p. )

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : Georgetown University Press, 1995

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"By exploring a practical, rather than propositional, understanding of religious belief, this book provides a new construct through which to view philosophy of religion. Terrence W. Tilley shifts the focus of debate from the justification of rational belief to the exercise of wisdom in making or maintaining a commitment to religious practices. It is through practices, Tilley concludes, that religious belief is formed." "After analyzing the strengths and limitations of the modern approaches, Tilley applies the concept of wisdom to the process of making a religious commitment. Wisdom, as explored by Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, and John Henry Newman, may be thought of as the bridge between intellectual and moral virtues. Roughly, it can be described as the ability to put intellect into action in a context. Because wisdom is a virtue requiring concrete display, the book discusses the wisdom of commitment to specific religious practices of a range of traditions. These examples demonstrate the issues and complexities involved in the wisdom of making a religious commitment. This important challenge to contemporary philosophy of religion will be of special interest to students and teachers of theology and philosophy of religion."--Jacket.

Contents:

1. Toward a Practical Philosophy of Religion

Construal of Religion and Religious Belief in Modern Philosophy

Legacy of Montaigne

Pascal's Wager and Religious Practice

2. Religion Practically Defined

Practical Theory of Religion Renewed

Religion as a Tradition

Stories of Religious Traditions

Religious Founders and Exemplars

Religious Goals

Religious Communities and Institutions

Religion and Epistemology

3. Justifying Religious Belief in Modern Religious Epistemology

Parity Problem and the Probability of Theism

New Design Argument for the Reasonableness of Believing in God

Practical Approach to Justifying Religious Belief

4. Wisdom in Practice

Presumption of Substitutability

Practice of Wisdom

5. Wisdom of Religious Commitment

Basic Wisdom in Religious Commitment

Practical Pursuit of Religious Wisdom.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

ISBN:

0-585-16239-5