Rethinking Evil, Morality, Religious Experience, Religious Pluralism, and the Academic Study of Religion
(Toward Ecological Civilization) (Volume 2): David Ray Griffin: 9781940447032: Amazon.com: Books
Can scientific naturalism, according to which there are no interruptions of the normal cause-effect relations, be compatible with divine activity, religious experience, and moral realism?
Leading process philosopher of religion David Ray Griffin argues that panentheism provides the conceptual framework to overcome the perennial conflicts between these views, with important implications for religious pluralism, the problem of evil, and the academic study of religion.
Panentheism—God as the soul of the world—explains how theism can be fully natural while still portraying God as distinct from and more than the world.
Griffin’s Panentheism and Scientific Naturalism is an essential source for philosophers of religion and others seeking to reconcile faith with science and Christianity with other religions.
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David Ray Griffin is Professor of Philosophy and Religion, Emeritus, Claremont School of Theology and Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, CA, where he remains a co-director of the Center for Process Studies. He has published (as author or editor) 34 books in theology, philosophy, philosophy of religion, the relation between science and religion, and social and political issues.
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Showing 1-10 of 18 reviews
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2014
Perhaps no other author writes about process thought with greater clarity, precision, and breadth. In this collection of essays, Griffin shows how Whitehead's panentheism provides cogent postmodern answers to the naggingly difficult problems of modernity. Griffin is especially adept at summarizing the historical and contemporary thought on these issues, and then demonstrating how process philosophy can help clear the way for a new approach that avoids the pitfalls of the past.
For example, Griffin's treatment of morality is a veritable introductory essay to the history of modern moral philosophy, as well as a road map of how to escape its dead end. A note of caution: even though Griffin's explication of process thought is as clear and concise as anyone's, Whitehead's radical novelty may still present a challenge to the neophyte. But it is a challenge well worth taking.
For example, Griffin's treatment of morality is a veritable introductory essay to the history of modern moral philosophy, as well as a road map of how to escape its dead end. A note of caution: even though Griffin's explication of process thought is as clear and concise as anyone's, Whitehead's radical novelty may still present a challenge to the neophyte. But it is a challenge well worth taking.
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2017
Panentheism and Scientific Naturalism is the best book I’ve read on this subject. David Ray Griffin clearly and in depth lays out his argument for a naturalistic, pluralistic process panentheism that complements a non-sensationist-atheist-materialist scientific naturalism, while rejecting supernaturalism. This combination is intended to “fulfill Whitehead’s hope of moving toward a reconciliation involving ‘a deeper religion and a more subtle science.’” (275)
I immediately ordered his Reenchantment without Supernaturalism: A Process Philosophy of Religion to follow up.
Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2018
Excellent insight to Pantheism
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2017
A quite informative set of academic-style essays.
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2017
good presentation of concepts
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2015
Fine introduction.
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2015
Comprehensive, thorough, scholarly. An excellent analysis of an old way of thinking with a relatively new name.
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2016
First rate presentation.
Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2018
From a patriarchal perspective. I recommend The Witch in Every Woman by Laurie Cabot or Biophilia.
Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2014
Chapters 1 and 2 first provide a brief history of the early modern battle between supernaturalism and scientific naturalism which resulted in modernity's naturalism-sam, and then lay out the general features of Whiteheadian process panentheism, showing that, while it affirms an active role for God in the universal process, it is not supernaturalistic (a position which envisions the possibility of God's performance of miracles at will) but fully naturalistic with no such divine intervention (and therefore an appropriate worldview for a flourishing science).
Chapter 3 is a brilliant examination of the question of whether the cosmos is the result of design. To analyze this question, with its timely significance for the current debate between science and fundamentalism, Griffin first provides a primer of key Whiteheadian notions that together flesh out the full significance of process panentheism. He then argues that the universe is not designed in six separate senses: it was not created out of nothingness, it was not created all at once, it was not progressively created out of nothing, it was not preprogrammed from the outset, it was not created solely for human beings, and the existence of human beings was not inevitable. But he argues for two senses in which the universe IS designed: the original establishment and subsequent maintenance of an ordered cosmos out of chaos by persuasion, not coercion; and a divine aim towards richness of experience operating uniformly, allowing over time the attainment of complexity and richly experiential beings.
Chapter 4 shows the extraordinary utility of process panentheism for the solution of the "problem of evil", which has proven over millennia to have been insoluble with any conception of God as omnipotent. Arguing that biblical texts do not support the idea of creation from nothing, Griffin shows that this idea actually creates the problem of evil. A persuasive, non-omnipotent God, with nothing but good intentions for the world and its creatures, cannot prevent the evil which results from the real freedom of natural individuals. The real freedom within the world, which is as primordial as God, combined with the slow attainment of complexity, richer experience and greater powers, allows for the existence of evil, even the power to directly thwart God's wishes for creation.
On the basis of the detailed explication of the full complexity of process panentheism presented in the first half of the book, Griffin is able in the second half to broaden the discussion. He proceeds to demonstrate the utility of process panentheism for extricating modern thought from disabling perplexities created by naturalism-sam (a pointed critique of which is central to Chapter 5), concerning the nature of human religious experience, the study of religion, moral theory and religious pluralism. These exceedingly rich chapters provide a wonderful reward to the reader.
"Panentheism and Scientific Naturalism" is a must-read for anyone who desires to understand the full sweep and complexity of experience, and is unsatisfied with the superficial, nihilistic picture of the cosmos promulgated by the now-dominant (but doomed) spokespersons for an atheistic, materialistic and sensationistic worldview.
David Ray Griffin's "Panentheism and Scientific Naturalism" is a superb explication of the many ways in which a worldview based upon panentheism, a "fourth alternative" beyond traditional theism, atheism, and pantheism, provides solutions to otherwise insoluble problems that have beset the three standard positions. Panentheism is the view that the "the world is in God and God is in the world", i.e. that God is both immanent and transcendent. In a useful, though inexact, analogy to the human soul and body, panentheism can be thought of as the doctrine that God is the soul of the universe and the universe is the body of God.
While panentheism has existed in many forms, from ancient to modern, Griffin focuses on a specific variety, "process panentheism", as the most highly developed and promising version. Process panentheism is an outgrowth of the ideas of Alfred North Whitehead, the famous mathematician, logician, mathematical physicist and philosopher. His fully-developed cosmology (presented most systematically in his major work "Process and Reality") is built upon a non-supernaturalistic variety of naturalism (thus qualifying as "scientific") that challenges the standard modern form, with its sensationism, atheism, and materialism (which Griffin calls "naturalism-sam"). Whitehead does this by combining panentheism with panexperientialism (in opposition to modernity's materialism, panexperientialism posits that all genuine individual entities have experience as well as merely physical or "material" existence) and prehension (in opposition to modernity's sensationism, prehension signifies that all genuine individuals possess a mode of perception more fundamental and direct than sense perception). Griffin calls this Whiteheadian scientific naturalism "naturalism-ppp".
The chapters in the book are revised versions of essays published in largely inaccessible journals, to which Griffin has added a valuable Introduction and an Epilogue. In the first four chapters Griffin shows that panentheism is extremely effective for the understanding of issues relating to the role of God in the world's process ("divine activity").
While panentheism has existed in many forms, from ancient to modern, Griffin focuses on a specific variety, "process panentheism", as the most highly developed and promising version. Process panentheism is an outgrowth of the ideas of Alfred North Whitehead, the famous mathematician, logician, mathematical physicist and philosopher. His fully-developed cosmology (presented most systematically in his major work "Process and Reality") is built upon a non-supernaturalistic variety of naturalism (thus qualifying as "scientific") that challenges the standard modern form, with its sensationism, atheism, and materialism (which Griffin calls "naturalism-sam"). Whitehead does this by combining panentheism with panexperientialism (in opposition to modernity's materialism, panexperientialism posits that all genuine individual entities have experience as well as merely physical or "material" existence) and prehension (in opposition to modernity's sensationism, prehension signifies that all genuine individuals possess a mode of perception more fundamental and direct than sense perception). Griffin calls this Whiteheadian scientific naturalism "naturalism-ppp".
The chapters in the book are revised versions of essays published in largely inaccessible journals, to which Griffin has added a valuable Introduction and an Epilogue. In the first four chapters Griffin shows that panentheism is extremely effective for the understanding of issues relating to the role of God in the world's process ("divine activity").
Chapter 3 is a brilliant examination of the question of whether the cosmos is the result of design. To analyze this question, with its timely significance for the current debate between science and fundamentalism, Griffin first provides a primer of key Whiteheadian notions that together flesh out the full significance of process panentheism. He then argues that the universe is not designed in six separate senses: it was not created out of nothingness, it was not created all at once, it was not progressively created out of nothing, it was not preprogrammed from the outset, it was not created solely for human beings, and the existence of human beings was not inevitable. But he argues for two senses in which the universe IS designed: the original establishment and subsequent maintenance of an ordered cosmos out of chaos by persuasion, not coercion; and a divine aim towards richness of experience operating uniformly, allowing over time the attainment of complexity and richly experiential beings.
Chapter 4 shows the extraordinary utility of process panentheism for the solution of the "problem of evil", which has proven over millennia to have been insoluble with any conception of God as omnipotent. Arguing that biblical texts do not support the idea of creation from nothing, Griffin shows that this idea actually creates the problem of evil. A persuasive, non-omnipotent God, with nothing but good intentions for the world and its creatures, cannot prevent the evil which results from the real freedom of natural individuals. The real freedom within the world, which is as primordial as God, combined with the slow attainment of complexity, richer experience and greater powers, allows for the existence of evil, even the power to directly thwart God's wishes for creation.
On the basis of the detailed explication of the full complexity of process panentheism presented in the first half of the book, Griffin is able in the second half to broaden the discussion. He proceeds to demonstrate the utility of process panentheism for extricating modern thought from disabling perplexities created by naturalism-sam (a pointed critique of which is central to Chapter 5), concerning the nature of human religious experience, the study of religion, moral theory and religious pluralism. These exceedingly rich chapters provide a wonderful reward to the reader.
"Panentheism and Scientific Naturalism" is a must-read for anyone who desires to understand the full sweep and complexity of experience, and is unsatisfied with the superficial, nihilistic picture of the cosmos promulgated by the now-dominant (but doomed) spokespersons for an atheistic, materialistic and sensationistic worldview.
34 people found this helpful
Showing 11-18 of 18 reviews
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2014
David Ray Griffin has a better solution to the conflict between religion and science than vampire movies do. Griffin’s explains how a carefully thought out process panentheism resolves the conflict without denying the importance of science or religion. Process panentheism emphasizes God’s connection to the world without losing God’s distinction from the world. According to Griffin, God’s nature establishes the order that science depends upon but does not interfere in that order. God does act differently in specific situations through persuasion rather than through control.
Griffin begins by pointing out the inadequacies of both supernaturalism and atheistic naturalism. The adequate position of process panentheism depends upon the concepts of prehension and events as the basic nature of reality. Griffin rejects limiting the source of knowledge about reality to physical sensations. Non-conscious direct prehensions, as feelings of external realities, make possible experience both of God and the senses. Events as the basic nature of reality overcome the limitations of materialism. These basic principles enable panentheism to account for moral, mathematical and logical principles, the order in the world that supports the existence of valuing creatures, the persistence and pluralism of religious experience. Panentheism also avoids the problems of evil and slow evolutionary development.
Bringing together much of his previous writing, Griffin’s naturalistic theism acknowledges important ideas from both sides of the heated science and religion debate. He draws on ordinary experiences as well as complex scientific and philosophical thought. Griffin explains his position in ordinary language that can be easily grasped by non-specialists. His process panentheism develops new and helpful ways to think about God, the basic nature of reality, and the ways in which that reality is known.
Griffin begins by pointing out the inadequacies of both supernaturalism and atheistic naturalism. The adequate position of process panentheism depends upon the concepts of prehension and events as the basic nature of reality. Griffin rejects limiting the source of knowledge about reality to physical sensations. Non-conscious direct prehensions, as feelings of external realities, make possible experience both of God and the senses. Events as the basic nature of reality overcome the limitations of materialism. These basic principles enable panentheism to account for moral, mathematical and logical principles, the order in the world that supports the existence of valuing creatures, the persistence and pluralism of religious experience. Panentheism also avoids the problems of evil and slow evolutionary development.
Bringing together much of his previous writing, Griffin’s naturalistic theism acknowledges important ideas from both sides of the heated science and religion debate. He draws on ordinary experiences as well as complex scientific and philosophical thought. Griffin explains his position in ordinary language that can be easily grasped by non-specialists. His process panentheism develops new and helpful ways to think about God, the basic nature of reality, and the ways in which that reality is known.
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2014
Here you will not find any fundamentalist-evangelical knee-jerk reactions. Instead, Griffin provides a cool-headed, rational explanation of why atheism is philosophically inadequate. (And I don't want to give any spoilers here, read the book to find out!).
What Griffin offers as a remedy is pan-en-theism (not to be confused with pan-theism) that can be defined as the belief in a purposive Deity, in which the world subsists, but this Deity could not possibly interrupt natural causal relations in the universe. The existing conflict between science and religion can only be solved if the scientific community seriously considered God's influence as a natural causal factor in the world,on the one hand, and theists, on the other hand, accepted the idea that this God is not omnipotent. This last revision can also help theistic religions themselves by resolving the problem of evil entailed by the doctrine of omnipotence. In this short review, I cannot possibly do justice to all the complexities and power of Griffin's arguments. If you are one of those "reflective individuals" mentioned in the quote above, you should give this book a chance. Whether or not you buy Griffin's arguments, at least you will see that you have more philosophical options than you might have previously realized!
This is a very important book, folks. Griffin writes poignantly, "This is one of the central tragedies of contemporary higher education -- that it seems to force reflective students to choose between being religious and being scientific" (p. 50), and the reason for it is the widespread metaphysical assumptions of our culture -- the late modern worldview based on S.A.M. -- a big philosophical trouble-maker! "S" stands for "sensationism -- the idea that all perception is through the physical senses; "A" is for atheism or rejection of the Holy reality that transcends the physical world; and M" is for materialism -- the doctrine that all matter is inherently dead and devoid of self-determination and experience. Although this book provides a extensive argument against all three components of this modern view, the focus is on the remedy to atheism. But why remedy atheism, what is wrong with it?
Here you will not find any fundamentalist-evangelical knee-jerk reactions. Instead, Griffin provides a cool-headed, rational explanation of why atheism is philosophically inadequate. (And I don't want to give any spoilers here, read the book to find out!).
What Griffin offers as a remedy is pan-en-theism (not to be confused with pan-theism) that can be defined as the belief in a purposive Deity, in which the world subsists, but this Deity could not possibly interrupt natural causal relations in the universe. The existing conflict between science and religion can only be solved if the scientific community seriously considered God's influence as a natural causal factor in the world,on the one hand, and theists, on the other hand, accepted the idea that this God is not omnipotent. This last revision can also help theistic religions themselves by resolving the problem of evil entailed by the doctrine of omnipotence. In this short review, I cannot possibly do justice to all the complexities and power of Griffin's arguments. If you are one of those "reflective individuals" mentioned in the quote above, you should give this book a chance. Whether or not you buy Griffin's arguments, at least you will see that you have more philosophical options than you might have previously realized!
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2014
For several decades David Ray Griffin, the leading process philosopher of religion of his generation, has made panentheism one of the three central pillars of his work. Panentheism is the view that the world exists within the Divine, though God is also more than the world. In the work of the great process philosopher A.N. Whitehead, who is the inspiration for Griffin's work, the relationship between humans and God is in many ways symmetrical. For example, we are immanent within God, as God is immanent within us.
In this book Griffin's eight most formative essays on the topic are collected together within a single volume for the first time. They reveal not only the conceptual power of this view of the God-world relation, but also its important implications for religious experience, morality, and religious pluralism.
— Philip Clayton, Ingraham Professor, Claremont School of Theology
In this book Griffin's eight most formative essays on the topic are collected together within a single volume for the first time. They reveal not only the conceptual power of this view of the God-world relation, but also its important implications for religious experience, morality, and religious pluralism.
— Philip Clayton, Ingraham Professor, Claremont School of Theology
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2015
This book serves as a great introduction to Process Theology. This volume is an anthology of 8 revised articles that Dr. Griffin has written throughout his career. This book claims that process theology (a theology with a nondualistic but nonmaterialistic, naturalistic but theistic, view of reality) offers a great solution to the divide between science and religions and even offers some critiques on the scientific worldview, aka "scientific naturalism." Griffin discusses hot topic issues such as: theodicy, religious pluralism, religious experience, postmodernism, and objective morality, from a Whiteheadian process panentheistic perspective. If you are interested in understanding process theology and panentheism or are interested in exploring a theology that takes science and philosophy seriously, look no further, this is the book for you!
