Value and Virtue in a Godless Universe
by Erik J. Wielenberg
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Book Reviews
About the Author
Erik J. Wielenberg is Assistant Professor
of Philosophy at DePaw University. He has written articles
in such journals as Religious Studies, Faith and Philosophy,
Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, Synthese, and Oxford
Studies in Ancient Philosophy. He has given lectures
at a variety of professional conferences, including
meetings of the American Philosophical Association and
the Society of Christian Philosophers
Book Description
Suppose there is no God. This supposition
implies that human life is meaningless, that there are
no moral obligations and hence people can do whatever
they want, and that the notions of virtue and vice,
right and wrong, and good and evil have no place in
the universe. Erik J. Wielenberg believes this view
to be utterly erroneous and, in this thought-provoking
book, he explains the reasons why. He argues that, even
if God does not exist, human life can still have meaning,
humans do have moral obligations, and human virtue is
still possible. Wielenberg offers readers a cognent
explanation of the ethical implications of naturalism--a
view that denies the existence of the supernatural in
human life. In his view virtue exists in a godless universe
but it is significantly different from virtue in a Christian
universe, and he develops naturalistic accounts of humility,
charity, and hope. The overarching theme of Virtue and
Value in a Godless Universe is what ethics might look
like without God. Erik Wielenberg takes readers on an
extraordinary tour of some of the central landmarks
of this under-explored territory.
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