Divine Nature and Human Language: Essays in Philosophical Theology

About the Author
A graduate of Centenary College, William P. Alston received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Chicago, and has taught at the University of Michigan, Rutgers University, and the University of Illinois. He is currently Professor of Philosophy at Syracuse University. A past president of the American Philosophical Association, Central Division, he was the founding editor of the journal Faith and Philosophy and the first president of the Society of Christian Philosophers. His books include Epistemic Justification: Essays in the Theory of Knowledge (also from Cornell), Philosophy of Language, and the edited volume Religious Belief and Philosophical Thought; in addition, he is coeditor of The Problems of Philosophy and Readings in Twentieth-Century Philosophy.
Divine Nature and Human Language is a collection of twelve essays in philosophical theology by William P. Alston, one of the leading figures in the current renaissance in the philosophy of religion. Using the equipment of contemporary analytical philosophy, Alston explores, partly refashions, and defends a largely traditional conception of God and His work in the world a conception that finds its origins in medieval philosophical theology. These essays fall into two groups: those concerned with theological language (Part 1 of the volume) and those that deal with the nature, status, and activity of God (Parts II and HI). In Part 1, Alston develops a conceptual scheme for discussing the topic of theological language. He also argues that there is a core of literal talk about God and even a core of predicates univocally applicable to God and creatures. Furthermore, he shows that God can be referred to directly as well as descriptively. In Parts II and III, the author sketches out a middle way between a classical conception of God exemplified by Aquinas and the more recent process or panentheist conception exemplified by Hartshorne. Alston argues that such a God can act so as to have real effects in the world and can enter into genuine dialogue and otherwise interact with human beings. In addition, he defends the idea that God provides a foundation for morality. The first collection of Alston's ground breaking work in the philosophy of religion, Divine Nature and Human Language will be welcomed by scholars and students of the philosophy of religion, metaphysics, theology, and religious studies.