Philosophy and Theology
A reading guide to philosophy and theology
Philosophy of religion asks what claims mean and how they can be argued for. Theology often works from within a particular tradition. This route starts with shared questions and then introduces contrasting positions readers encounter in those debates.
Questions and arguments
Positions on belief
A tradition in context
What Evidence Supports Religious Truth? History, Science and Reason
Evidence can support particular religious claims without establishing every claim made by a religion. Manuscripts, inscriptions and archaeological finds provide ...
Agnostic Atheist | Belief, Knowledge and Survey Labels
Someone who calls themselves an agnostic atheist may mean that they lack belief in a god and also make no ...
Moral Skepticism | What Can Disagreement Show?
Suppose two people agree that keeping a confidence will expose someone else to avoidable harm. One thinks loyalty requires keeping ...
What Does Anti-Religion Mean? Arguments and Distinctions
“Anti-religion” usually describes active opposition to religion, whether the target is particular teachings, the authority of religious institutions or their ...
How Belief in God Shapes Religious Thought
Belief in God influences religious thought by shaping what people regard as ultimately real, how they seek knowledge, what they ...
Atheism and the Arguments from Suffering and Hiddenness
In philosophy of religion, atheism often means the position that God does not exist. What supports that position depends on ...
What Is Monotheism? Belief in One God Across Religions
Monotheism is belief in one God. Its defining feature is the claim that divine reality is not divided among several ...
Durkheim on Religion: Sacred Things, Ritual and Social Life
Émile Durkheim approached religion as a social reality: something people learn, practise and experience through relationships with others. His question ...
Why Humanism Matters in Schools, Ceremonies and Public Life
Modern humanism is an ethical outlook that draws on reason, experience and concern for how living beings fare. A humanist ...
Gnostic Teachings | Ptolemy’s Letter to Flora and the Law
In the Letter to Flora, the second-century Christian teacher Ptolemy explains how he reads the law associated with Moses. He ...
