D. Z. Phillips – författare

Whether one agrees with him or not, there is no avoiding the challenge of Hume for contemporary philosophy of religion. The symposia in this stimulating collection reveal why, whether the discussions concern Hume on metaphysics and religion, 'true religion', religion and ethics, religion and superstition, or miracles. For some, Hume's criticisms of religion are so devastating that religion cannot withstand them. Others disagree, and claim that Hume can be answered on his own terms. For others, while Hume shows us paths we should not take, these open up the way for a consideration of religious possibilities he never considered. These are not peripheral matters. The responses to them determine the style and spirit in which one pursues philosophy of religion today.

Reflection on religion inevitably involves consideration of its relation to morality. When great evil is done to human beings, we may feel that something absolute has been violated. Can that sense, which is related to gratitude for existence, be expressed without religious concepts? Can we express central religious concerns, such as losing the self, while abandoning any religious metaphysic? Is moral obligation itself dependent on divine commands if it is to be objective, or is morality not only independent of religion, but its accuser if God is said to allow horrendous evils? In any case, what happens to the absolute claims of religion in what is, undeniably, a morally pluralistic world? These are the central questions discussed by philosophers of religion and moral philosophers in this collection. They do so in ways which bring new aspects to bear on these traditional issues.

Whether one agrees with him or not, there is no avoiding the challenge of Hume for contemporary philosophy of religion. The symposia in this collection reveal why, whether the discussions concern Hume on metaphysics and religion, "true religion", religion and ethics, religion and superstition, or miracles. For some, Hume's criticisms of religion are so devastating that religion cannot withstand them. Others disagree, and claim that Hume can be answered on his own terms. For others, while Hume shows us paths we should not take, these open up the way for a consideration of religious possibilities he never considered. These are not peripheral matters. The responses to them determine the style and spirit in which one pursues philosophy of religion today.

This is an extended discussion of this timeless argument of faith and reason. In 1965 D Z Phillips published The Concept of Prayer, one of his first books, and the first time that the influence of Wittgenstein's thought in the philosophy of religion was truly exposed. Two years later, in 1967, Kai Nielsen published his famous article "Wittgensteinian Fideism" in the journal Philosophy. Their respective philosophical work has developed over the years, with Phillips becoming known as the leading proponent of Wittgensteinian philosophy of religion, (Wittgenstein's philosophy was that language had only limited meaning unless one understood the rules of the game in order to decipher the structure underlying language. D Z Phillips relates this to theology and religious faith.) and with Nielsen returning to renew his investigation of what he believes is the fideistic implications of this mode of philosophizing. (Nielsen's point being that by applying such reason to religious faith, one does away with the relevance of the faith. If God can be proven, why bother with a faith?) For Phillips the term "Wittgensteinian Fideism" (the belief that faith and reason are separate and faith can only be achieved by the denial of certain rational truths) does more harm than good, since for him it misrepresents and deflects us from the main logical issues concerning language and reality in Wittgenstein's work. For Nielsen, Wittgensteinian Fideism constitutes the most powerful contemporary challenge to secular naturalism. Wherever readers stand in the dispute, there is much to learn from the exchanges within it.

First published in 2003. This is Volume II of a series of Studies in Ethics and the Philosophy of Religion, written in 1969, this book is concerned with moral reasoning, and aims to bring out what is involved in the processes of reasoning by which people seek to justify their moral judgements.

Many contemporary philosophers assume that, before one can discuss prayer, the question of whether there is a God or not must be settled. In this title, first published in 1965, D. Z. Phillips argues that to understand prayer is to understand what is meant by the reality of God. Beginning by placing the problem of prayer within a philosophical context, Phillips goes on to discuss such topics as prayer and the concept of talking, prayer and dependence, superstition and the concept of community. This is a fascinating reissue that will be of particular value to students with an interest in the philosophy of religion, prayer and religious studies more generally.

Many contemporary philosophers assume that, before one can discuss prayer, the question of whether there is a God or not must be settled. In this title, first published in 1965, D. Z. Phillips argues that to understand prayer is to understand what is meant by the reality of God. Beginning by placing the problem of prayer within a philosophical context, Phillips goes on to discuss such topics as prayer and the concept of talking, prayer and dependence, superstition and the concept of community. This is a fascinating reissue that will be of particular value to students with an interest in the philosophy of religion, prayer and religious studies more generally.

Leading philosopher of religion D. Z. Phillips argues that intellectuals need not see their task as being for or against religion, but as one of understanding it. What stands in the way of this task are certain methodological assumptions about what enquiry into religion must be. Beginning with Bernard Williams on Greek gods, Phillips goes on to examine these assumptions in the work of Hume, Feuerbach, Marx, Frazer, Tylor, Marett, Freud, Durkheim, Lévy-Bruhl, Berger and Winch. The result exposes confusion, but also gives logical space to religious belief without advocating personal acceptance of that belief, and shows how the academic study of religion may return to the contemplative task of doing conceptual justice to the world. Religion and the Hermeneutics of Contemplation extends in important ways D. Z. Phillips' seminal 1976 book Religion without Explanation. It will be of interest to scholars and students of philosophy, anthropology, sociology and theology.

Leading philosopher of religion D. Z. Phillips argues that intellectuals need not see their task as being for or against religion, but as one of understanding it. What stands in the way of this task are certain methodological assumptions about what enquiry into religion must be. Beginning with Bernard Williams on Greek gods, Phillips goes on to examine these assumptions in the work of Hume, Feuerbach, Marx, Frazer, Tylor, Marett, Freud, Durkheim, Lévy-Bruhl, Berger and Winch. The result exposes confusion, but also gives logical space to religious belief without advocating personal acceptance of that belief, and shows how the academic study of religion may return to the contemplative task of doing conceptual justice to the world. Religion and the Hermeneutics of Contemplation extends in important ways D. Z. Phillips' seminal 1976 book Religion without Explanation. It will be of interest to scholars and students of philosophy, anthropology, sociology and theology.

Written specifically with beginning undergraduates with little or no previous knowledge of the subject in mind, this is a distinctive and thoughtful introduction to the main problems of philosophy structured around a philosophical argument which is clearly and carefully developed throughout the book.

Ludwig Wittgenstein established a "cool" stance for philosophy, contemplating the world without meddling in it. D. Z. Phillips explores this position, focusing on its implications for philosophical authorship and the philosophical investigation of the nature of reality.Influenced by the views of Wittgenstein and his pupil Rush Rhees, Phillips—who is one of Rhees's own students—first contrasts Wittgenstein's methods with Kierkegaard's religiously oriented dialectic. He describes the difficulty in sustaining a contemplative view of philosophy and discusses efforts to go beyond it in the work of Richard Rorty, Stanley Cavell, Annette Baier, and Martha Nussbaum, who, in different ways, propose to make philosophy a guide to living. A provocative and challenging work, Philosophy's Cool Place is one of the few books that addresses the discipline as an enterprise and explores its relation to moral values, religious belief, and the nature of Reality. By advancing the cause of neutrality, it will stimulate debate and foster discussion of what philosophy is to become in the postmodern era.

First published in 2003. This is Volume II of a series of Studies in Ethics and the Philosophy of Religion, written in 1969, this book is concerned with moral reasoning, and aims to bring out what is involved in the processes of reasoning by which people seek to justify their moral judgements.

This collection of essays explores the area of ethics in relation to issues such as the nature of moral endeavour and the request for a justification of moral endeavour. Professor Phillips considers the work of Thomas Nagel and Peter Winch in this book.

This original critique of Wittgenstein’s analogy between language and games, written by one of the philosopher’s literary executors and closest friends, has now been updated to include two additional articles. Updated edition of this original critique of Wittgenstein’s analogy between language and games. Rush Rhees was one of Wittgenstein’s literary executors and closest friends, as well as being an outstanding philosopher in his own right. D.Z. Phillips was Director of the Rush Rhees Archive and the Associated Centre for Wittgensteinian Studies. Constitutes a major contribution to Wittgenstein scholarship and to philosophical debates about the possibility of discourse. The second edition includes as a preface Rhees’ article, ‘The Fundamental Problems of Philosophy’, first published in 1994. It also includes as a second appendix some of Rhees’ reflections of Wittgenstein, his teacher.

Rush Rhees, a close friend of Wittgenstein and a major interpreter of his work, shows how Wittgenstein's On Certainty concerns logic, language, and reality – topics that occupied Wittgenstein since early in his career. Authoritative interpretation of Wittgenstein's last great work, On Certainty, by one of his closest friends.Debunks misconceptions about Wittgenstein's On Certainty and shows that it is an essay on logic.Exposes the continuity in Wittgenstein's thought, and the radical character of his conclusions.Contains a substantial and illuminating afterword discussing current scholarship surrounding On Certainty, and its relationship to Rhees's work on this subject.

Rush Rhees, a close friend of Wittgenstein and a major interpreter of his work, shows how Wittgenstein's On Certainty concerns logic, language, and reality - topics that occupied Wittgenstein since early in his career. * Authoritative interpretation of Wittgenstein's last great work, On Certainty, by one of his closest friends. * Debunks misconceptions about Wittgenstein's On Certainty and shows that it is an essay on logic. * Exposes the continuity in Wittgenstein's thought, and the radical character of his conclusions. * Contains a substantial and illuminating afterword discussing current scholarship surrounding On Certainty, and its relationship to Rhees's work on this subject.

There is a growing need for interventions in ethics to counteract the tendency to generalize about moral issues. This book contains essays, written between 1965 and 1990, which focus on the need to explore such issues as the nature of moral endeavor, the request for a justification of moral endeavor; the appeal to human flourishing; the nature of the good life; the nature of moral change; and moral relativity. The author argues his case in relation to the work of contemporary philosophers including G.E.M. Anscombe, Annette Baier, Max Black, Cora Diamond, Ilham Dilman, Philippa Foot; Thomas Nagel, Alasdair MacIntyre, Bernard Williams, and Peter Winch.

A distinguished discussion of Weil's views on social philosophy, science, ethics, and religion.The work of Simone Weil has not garnered the attention it deserves in the Anglo-American tradition. In this book, Rhees, the noted thinker trained by Wittgenstein, provides the most sustained critique to date of Weil's views on science and religion. In this decidedly Wittgensteinian spin on the philosophy of religion, Rhees' observations on the major themes in Weil's work-social philosophy, science, ethics, and religion-are presented. The book shows how Rhees wrestled with difficulties he found in the work of Weil, someone he held in the highest regard.