Despite its name, "naturalism" as a world-view turns out to be rather unnatural in its strict and more consistent form of materialism and determinism. This is why a number of naturalists opt for a broadened version that includes objective moral values, intrinsic human dignity, consciousness, beauty, personal agency, and the like. But in doing so, broad naturalism begins to look more like theism. As many strict naturalists recognize, broad naturalism must borrow from the metaphysical resources of a theistic world-view, in which such features are very natural, common sensical, and quite "at home" in a theistic framework. The Naturalness of Belief begins with a naturalistic philosopher's own perspective of naturalism and naturalness. The remaining chapters take a multifaceted approach in showing theism's naturalness and greater explanatory power. They examine not only rational reasons for theism's ability to account for consciousness, intentionality, beauty, human dignity, free will, rationality, and knowledge; they also look at common sensical, existential, psychological, and cultural reasons-in addition to the insights of the cognitive science of religion.
Introduction Part I: The Unnaturalness of Naturalism? 1. Naturalism and Naturalness: A Naturalist's Perspective -Graham Oppy Part II: Foundational Considerations 2. Is Naturalism Natural? -Charles Taliaferro 3. The Contraction and Expansion of Naturalism and the Theistic Challenge -Charles Taliaferro 4. Taking Philosophical Naturalism Seriously -R. Scott Smith Part III: Theistic Belief, Science, and Naturalism 5. In What Sense Might Religion Be Natural? -Justin Barrett and Aku Visala 6. Science, Methodological Naturalism, and Question-Begging -Robert Larmer Part IV: Axiology and Naturalism 7. Alienating Humanity: How Evolutionary Ethics Undermines Human Rights -Angus Menuge 8. Divine Commands, Duties, and Euthyphro: Theism and Naturalist Misunderstandings -Matthew Flannagan 9. Beauty: A Troubling Reality for the Scientific Naturalist -R. Douglas Geivett and James Spiegel Part V: Naturalism and Existential Considerations 10. Existential Arguments for Theistic Belief -Clifford Williams 11. Psychological Factors Contributing to Atheism: Bad Father Relationships and Just Bad Relationships as in Autistic Spectrum Disorders -Paul C. Vitz 12. The Cultural Implications of Theism versus Naturalism -Paul Copan and Jeremiah J. Johnston Part VI: Naturalism, Freedom, and Immortality 13. Theism, Robust Naturalism, and Robust Libertarian Free Will -J.P. Moreland 14. Naturalism, Theism, and Afterlife Beliefs -Jonathan Loose
