A History of the Concept of God: A Process ApproachDaniel A. Dombrowski explores the history of the concept of God from the perspective of neoclassical, or process, theism. His neoclassical approach assuages the current crisis in philosophical theism, caught between a defense of classical theism and assertions of religious skepticism. Instead, the work offers Charles Hartshorne's notion of a God who always evolves, quite unlike the allegedly perfect figure of more traditional, and increasingly unsatisfactory, accounts. Dombrowski surveys the classical theists and their roots in ancient Greek philosophy before turning to contributions from the sixteenth through twentieth centuries, ultimately discussing twenty-three thinkers. The key figures in this history are Plato, who ironically provided the philosophical basis both for classical and neoclassical concepts, and three great figures in process theism: Henri Bergson, Alfred North Whitehead, and Hartshorne. The concept of God has a rich past; this book argues that it can have a rich future as well. |
Contents
Introduction
| 1 |
Part 1 Classical Theism | 9 |
Part 2 Ancient Greek Theism | 85 |
Part 3 Neoclassical or Process Theism | 129 |
Part 4 Henri Bergson and Alfred North Whitehead
| 191 |
| 259 | |
| 271 | |
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Abrahamic religions absolute abstract Alston Anselm Aristotle Aristotle’s Armstrong aspect becoming belief Berdyaev Bergson Bowker Capetz Christianity claim classical theism classical theistic concept classical theistic view conceived concept of God concrete contingent contrast cosmic cosmos creation ex nihilo creative creatures defend deity dipolar theism divine actuality divine nature divine omnipotence divine omniscience dynamic eternal evil experience fact Fechner freedom Furthermore future God’s existence Greek Hartshorne 1983 Hartshorne 2000 Hartshorne’s hence human idea immutable infinite influence involves Kant Kant’s Leibniz mean metaphysical monopolar mystics neoclassical or process nonetheless omnibenevolence one’s ontological argument panpsychist pantheism Peirce permanence Philo philosophical philosophical theism Plato Plotinus Plotinus’s possible preeminent primordial problem process theism puts the point reality regarding the concept religious seen sense sical sort static strictly Teilhard temporal theodicy theology things thinkers thinks Thomas Thomas’s thought Timaeus tion understand unmoved wherein Whitehead 1929 World Soul