by: James R. Peters

• Format

  E-Book

  ISBN

  9781441205711

  Pub. Date

  Mar 2009

  SRP

  $35.00

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Endorsements

"Peters's Logic of the Heart is the 'missing link' in contemporary discussions of epistemology, and as such, it stands to make a significant contribution to the literature in philosophy of religion, and religious epistemology in particular, while also introducing students to key figures in the history of philosophy."--James K. A. Smith, associate professor of philosophy, Calvin College; author of Who's Afraid of Postmodernism?

"Right from the start it became instantly clear to me that The Logic of the Heart's argument is timely, unique, and structurally ingenious. Frankly, Peters's reading of Hume from his constructive Augustinian-Pascalian position is flat-out brilliant."--Creston Davis, assistant professor of religion, Rollins College; coeditor of Theology and the Political

"With a clarity seldom achieved, Peters draws on the work of unlikely allies--Hume, Pascal, and Augustine--in defense of the rationality of Christian convictions. Interestingly enough, it turns out our faith depends for its reasons on the love of God. This is an important book that hopefully will be widely read."--Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics, Duke University Divinity School

Reviews

"[Peters] makes a case for 'passionate reason' in place of a 'dispassionate intellect' as a means of approaching fundamental questions about human life. . . . This book challenges some postmodern and some Enlightenment approaches to human reason and faith. It will interest students of the history of religious belief and of the faith-reason controversy, particularly in the Christian tradition. . . . Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers."--P. K. Moser, Choice

"Logic of the Heart is clear, well-written, and contains strong dialectical arguments supporting Peters' stance on the rationality of faith. Through creating an extensive and intriguing dialogue between Pascal, Augustine, and Hume, Peters cogently produces a holistic defense of the rationality of faith. The non-technical semantics of the book afford the reader complete clarity, regardless of academic training. This work deserves a significant place in philosophical and theological curriculums. More accurately, it deserves a prominent space on the shelf of anyone seeking to live the examined life."--Steven Demmler, Christian Scholar's Review

"This is how an academic book should be written, but they are so seldom! I read and review books in theology all the time. Increasingly, I grow weary of the turgid, inept prose in them, and their seeming eagerness to make important, interesting ideas as obscure and meaningless as possible. This book is written in some of the most elegant prose I've read in years. It also bursts with the passion that the author has for his subject matter, and is based on a depth of knowledge of the subject that is amazing. These qualities mean that on every page, a reader will find insights and analyses that s/he will understand and treasure. If you are interested in the relation of faith and reason and would like a guide in your investigation, this is definitely the book for you. I can't recommend it enough."--Kim Paffenroth, Iona College, Amazon.com customer review

"[Peters] has provided a coherent theistic apologetic against modernist rationalism, Humean skepticism, and radical postmodernism by drawing on, weaving together, and building upon Augustine's fides quaerens intellectum and Pascal's passional reason. His approach is winsome, providing charitable readings of his foils--especially Hume, but also the usual postmodern suspects like Derrida, Rorty, etc.--even while confronting squarely the major challenges to theistic faith from these interlocutors. . . . Those seeking a clear articulation of the rationality--understood in its broadest and most robust sense--of Christian faith will gain much from reading this book."--Amos Yong, Religious Studies Review

"A significant work in analytic philosophy. . . . Peters offers a closely reasoned work of philosophy of religion and religious epistemology. . . . [He] gives a thorough analysis and critique of David Hume's religious epistemology before turning to Blaise Pascal as a modern expositor of the Augustinian way. Peters's work then ends with a substantial engagement, on Augustinian grounds, with several postmodern philosophers. . . . The best way I can commend this book is that in the process of reading it I repeatedly thought to give it to colleagues of mine I thought would find it helpful. Especially in his examination of Pascal and Hume, Peters does yeoman's work. I would recommend it for a graduate-level class in apologetics or philosophy of religion."--Steven D. Cone, Stone-Campbell Journal

"The Logic of the Heart offers valuable insights into two significant critiques of modernist religious epistemology at the time of its initial emergence. Over against contemporary postmodernism, which feeds off the (by now evident) failure of the modernist project, and which Peters rightly portrays as a renewal of the premodern scepticism to which the Augustinian tradition responded, the latter tradition is convincingly presented as an alternative live option--one that, at least to this reader, is more appealing. . . . [This book] is well worth reading for anyone interested in religious epistemology."--Gerrit Brand, Journal of Reformed Theology