Heaven and Philosophy

Edited by Simon Cushing - Contributions by Michaël Bauwens; Helen L. Daly; Cruz Davis; Jean-Baptiste Guillon; Blake Hereth; Anthony G. Holdier; Bertha Alvarez Manninen; Eric T. Olson; Joshua Rasmussen and Eric Yang

This volume is a collection of essays analyzing different issues concerning the nature, possibility, and desirability of heaven as understood by the Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity. and Islam. Topics include whether or not it is possible that a mortal could, upon bodily death, become an inhabitant of heaven without loss of identity, where exactly heaven might be located, whether or not everyone should be saved, or if there might be alternative destinations (including some less fiery versions of Hell). Chapter authors include believers and skeptics, well-known philosophers, and new voices. While some chapters are more challenging than others, all are written in a style that should be accessible to any interested reader.

Lexington Books

Pages: 316 • Trim: 6¼ x 9⅜

978-1-4985-5566-1 • Hardback • November 2017 • $122.00 • (£94.00)

978-1-4985-5567-8 • eBook • November 2017 • $115.50 • (£89.00)

Subjects: Philosophy / Religious, Philosophy / General, Philosophy / Metaphysics, Religion / General

Heaven and Philosophy

Hardback

eBook

Summary

This volume is a collection of essays analyzing different issues concerning the nature, possibility, and desirability of heaven as understood by the Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity. and Islam. Topics include whether or not it is possible that a mortal could, upon bodily death, become an inhabitant of heaven without loss of identity, where exactly heaven might be located, whether or not everyone should be saved, or if there might be alternative destinations (including some less fiery versions of Hell). Chapter authors include believers and skeptics, well-known philosophers, and new voices. While some chapters are more challenging than others, all are written in a style that should be accessible to any interested reader.

Details

Lexington Books

Pages: 316 • Trim: 6¼ x 9⅜

978-1-4985-5566-1 • Hardback • November 2017 • $122.00 • (£94.00)

978-1-4985-5567-8 • eBook • November 2017 • $115.50 • (£89.00)

Subjects: Philosophy / Religious, Philosophy / General, Philosophy / Metaphysics, Religion / General

Author

Simon Cushing is associate professor and chair of the Philosophy Department of the University of Michigan-Flint.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Confessions of a Struggling Philosopher: Why I Want to Believe in Heaven (but Reluctantly Don’t)
Bertha Alvarez Manninen

Chapter 2: Radical Resurrection and Divine Commands
Eric T. Olson

Chapter 3: Heaven before Resurrection: Soul, Body and the Intermediate State
Jean-Baptiste Guillon

Chapter 4: Paradise… Lost? Against Locational Accounts of Heaven
Cruz Davis

Chapter 5: Could Everyone Eventually Be Saved?
Josh Rasmussen

Chapter 6: The Agony of the Infinite: The Presence of God as Phenomenological Hell
A.G.Holdier

Chapter 7: Love and Death
Helen L. Daly

Chapter 8: Heaven and the Problem of Eternal Separation
Eric Yang

Chapter 9: Two Arguments for Animal Immortality
Blake Hereth

Chapter 10: Evil, Freedom, and Heaven
Simon Cushing

Chapter 11: Will We Be Free (to Sin) in Heaven?
Michaël Bauwens

Chapter 12: Heaven and Homicide
Simon Cushing\

Reviews

A notable quality of this book is the accessibility of the writing. Cushing’s introduction offers a useful and entertaining crash course on the history of metaphysics, setting the stage for the more complex arguments laid out in the following chapters. Theologians and philosophers will quickly find common ground in the issues raised, while students of religion will discover a new lens through which to view their subject. . . . The volume combines intriguing questions with engaging writing. By drawing examples from popular culture, the authors make complicated concepts relatable to those outside the field. . . a delightful and thought-provoking volume.

— Reading Religion