God and Goodness: A Natural Theological Perspective (Routledge Studies in the Philosophy of Religion)

Mark Wynn's "God and Goodness" contains a sustained case for the existence of God and attempts to develop a religiously significant and attractive view of God. Besides for presenting original arguments, Wynn takes careful account of previous work. In Part I, he argues that the existence of God best explains various features of the world, including its beauty, the fine-tuning of natural laws and consciousness: these features are good and, therefore, are more likely to occur if there is a good God than otherwise. In Part II, Wynn responds to the problem of evil: if the goodness of the world confirms the existence of God, its apparent badness seems to disconfirm it. He develops a theodicy, integrating work on higher-order goods theodicies and divine inscrutability. Part III contains a moral case for belief in the existence of God. In particular, belief in the existence of God is good insofar as it contributes to a relationship of trust between oneself and one's parents. The first three parts of the book are original, insightful and carefully argued. Unfortunately, Part IV is disastrous. Here Wynn tries to develop the concept of God in an existentially significant way, and to show how the beauty of the world reflects the beauty of the God. The discussion here is very obscure, if not unintelligible. It's also a pity that the book is so expensive - $125 at the time of writing this review! Wynn's discussion of arguments for the existence of God and the problem of evil will be of great interest to philosophers of religion and philosophy students. Were it not for the final part of the book and its exorbitant price, I would have given it a much higher rating. First Published in 2004. God and Goodness takes the experience of value as a starting point for natural theology. Mark Wynn argues that theism offers our best understanding of the goodness of the world, especially its beauty and openness to the development of richer and more complex material forms. We also see that the world's goodness calls for a moral response: commitment to the goodness of the world represents a natural extension of the trust to which we aspire in our dealings with human beings. Wynn argues that the goodness of the world provides a glimpse into what we should mean by'God'. Here, he seeks to recover the mediaeval sense that the goodness of the world offers an image of the goodness of God, not simply in relation to the world, but in itself. This book will be an invaluable read for those interested in natural theology and philosophy of religion. Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 Preface......Page 11 Acknowledgements......Page 12 Introduction......Page 14 The goodness of the world as its reason for existence......Page 22 Providence and beauty......Page 24 The world as a source of value......Page 50 Disvalues and the goodness of the world......Page 82 Providence and evil......Page 84 Theodicy in an ecological mode......Page 114 Moral commitment to the goodness of the world......Page 130 A non-epistemic case for trusting in the goodness of the world......Page 132 The goodness of the world and the concept of God......Page 152 Worship and the concept of God......Page 154 Salvation and the concept of God......Page 182 Conclusion......Page 204 Notes......Page 211 Bibliography......Page 232 Index......Page 239 "God and Goodness takes the experience of value as a starting point for natural theology. The book proposes that the world's goodness calls for a moral response: commitment to the goodness of the world represents a natural extension of the trust to which we aspire in our dealings with human beings. Wynn draws on aesthetic experience and the anthropological literature to show us that the beauty of the world offers a glimpse into the goodness of God - not simply in relation to the world, but in itself." "This book will be invaluable for those interested in natural theology and philosophy of religion."--BOOK JACKET. Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved "God and Goodness takes the experience of value as a starting point for natural theology. The book proposes that the world's goodness calls for a moral response: commitment to the goodness of the world represents a natural extension of the trust to which we aspire in our dealings with human beings. Wynn draws on aesthetic experience and the anthropological literature to show us that the beauty of the world offers a glimpse into the goodness of God - not simply in relation to the world, but in itself."--BOOK JACKET. "This book will be invaluable for those interested in natural theology and philosophy of religion."--Jacket Arts, Language and Literature Book Cover 1 Title 4 Contents 5 Preface 11 Acknowledgements 12 Introduction 14 The goodness of the world as its reason for existence 22 Providence and beauty 24 The world as a source of value 50 Disvalues and the goodness of the world 82 Providence and evil 84 Theodicy in an ecological mode 114 Moral commitment to the goodness of the world 130 A non-epistemic case for trusting in the goodness of the world 132 The goodness of the world and the concept of God 152 Worship and the concept of God 154 Salvation and the concept of God 182 Conclusion 204 Notes 211 Bibliography 232 Index 239 God and Goodness presents a fresh approach, arguing that the goodness of the world echoes the goodness of its source. It makes a case for supposing that the world exists because it is good that it should exist Mark Wynn. Series Numbering From List In Later Volume. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [219]-225) And Index.