Charles Taliaferro: Consciousness and the Mind of God

Cambridge University Press, 2005 (1994)     Amazon.com

Book Description:

Contemporary materialist accounts of consciousness and subjectivity challenge how we think of ourselves and of ultimate reality. This book defends a nonmaterialistic view of persons and subjectivity and the intelligibility of thinking of God as a nonphysical, spiritual reality. It endeavors to articulate in a related way the integral relationship between ourselves and our material bodies and between God and the cosmos. Different versions of materialism are assessed, as are alternative, post-dualist concepts of God.

Book Description 2:

A book which introduces readers to substantive terrain in both the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of religion in a clear, not overtly-technical, fashion. It defends with great sophistication the intelligibility of thinking about God as a non-physical and spiritual reality, and challenges popular post-dualist theology.

Front Flap of First Edition:

Consciousness and the Mind of God is especially concerned with the central metaphysical claims about the nature of persons and the implications of these claims for the philosophy of God. Charles Tagliaferro shows that in the contemporary climate there is a widespread view that the insights gained from a philosophy of human persons lead either to a total abandonment of traditional theistic claims about God or to a radical revision of theistic claims about how God relates to the world. Thus, the preponderance of physicalism has led a wide range of philosophers and theologians to reconsider the traditional conception of God as a nonphysical person or person-like reality, ideas about the afterlife, and the Christian doctrine of the incarnation. Some have taken the plausibility of physicalism to be a sufficient ground for embracing philosophical atheism, and thereby rejecting wholesale the fundamental claims of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Others have taken the success of a physicalist philosophy to justify treating religion along noncognitive lines. Taliaferro critically examines these oiptions, and defends a nonphysicalist understanding of the God-world relation. He maintains that, while persons are not identical with their bodies, and God is not identical with the cosmos, it remains the case that persons and bodies, God and the cosmos, “exist in a profoundly integral union”. His notions of “integrative dualism” and “integrative theism” seek to avoid some of the extremes of Cartesian and Platonic dualism.

Blurbs on Back Cover of First Edition:

“Charles Taliaferro’s comprehensive treatise, Consciousness and the Mind of God, is baseed upon a sophisticated critique of materialism, particularly in its most developed contemporary forms. That critique would be of use to students of metaphysics and of contemporary philosophy, whatever their interests in theism might be. The author’s positive views on the subject are suggestive and original, making it clear that a devastating critic may also be a highly constructive thinker. This is a significant philosophical work.” – Roderick M. Chisholm, Professor of Philosophy, Brown University

“Taliaferro’s project to examine the significance of recent philosophy of mind for philosophical theism is ‘an idea whose time has come’. His own positions, integrative dualism and integrative theism, are sensitive, intelligent, well-argued attempts to move dialectically beyond the thesis-antithesis that has characterised the debate between materialists, on the one hand, and dualists and/or theists, on the other hand, for the last half-century.” – Richard E. Creel, Professor of Philosophy and Religion, Ithaca College, New York

“Taking on one of the most liberally used and abused theological terms of contemporary theological discourse – dualism – Taliaferro argues cogently for a more precise understanding, one which can alleviate the curent disenchantment with dualism. His alternative to materialist naturalism focuses and defends what others have dismissed as ‘the blurry folk notion of ourselves’ as spirit and matter. Writing for the educated nonexpert, Taliaferro disputes contemporary arguments that a nonphysical personal God is incoherent. He developes and elucidates and ‘integrative theistic philosophy which avoids the atomism, cosmic-denigration, ad isolationism often associated with traditional theism’. This clear-headed and thoughtfully argued book goes to the heart of current issues in philosophical theology.” – Margaret R. Miles, Bussey Professor of Theology, Harvard University

Reviews:

“This work should attract wide attention. Its extensive learning and careful formulations of arguments advances a position often not taken seriously enough, plus it offers ways to save the central dogmas of Christian incarnation and supports a new way of understanding the Trinity. Highly recommended.” – The Reader’s Review

“He has lucidly and thoroughly explored the issues within the mind/body-God/world analogy. For anyone wishing to investigate the analogy and needing a strong, obvious case for it, this is an excellent book.” – Choice

“…a delight to read…clear, elegant, and compelling…this is a vitally important book.” – The Expository Times

“At present, leadership in the philosophy of mind is largely, if not exclusively, in the hands of naturalists and materialists. There is need and, I believe, also a genuine opportunity for serious, constructive work by Christian philosophers in this vital field of philosophyu. An excellent (and extremely readable) book on the subject is Charles Taliaferro’s Consciousness and the Mind of God.” – William Hasker, Books and Culture

“…an interesting and significant contribution to philosophical anthropology, philosophical theology and Christian apologetics….a first-rate piece of work. It is clearly argued, succinctly written, takes full measure of recent discussions of the topics raised and considers important counter-arguments to the positions taken…both engaging and accessible to anyone who thinks about human nature and God.” – Christian Scholar’s Review

“On balance, this is a highly suggestive book discussing some of the most challenging questions put to the Christian understanding of personhood and the doctrine of God in today’s world.” – Arthur Vogel, Anglican Theological Review

“What we have here, then, is a serious constructive project in philosophical theology. It is carried through with energy, care, and precision; it shows acquaintance with the best recent work in philosophy of mind (and its close materialist cousin, cognitive science), and in philosophical theology; and it is marked throughout by a care for and attention ro the strictly philosophical (principally ontological and metaphysical) import of traditional Christian claims about the matters with which it deals. These are considerable virtues. Taliaferro’s work provides more evidence that the most interesting work in philosophical theology today is being done by those with philosophical rather than theological training…this is a very important book that deserves close and careful reading by philosophers and theologians and that ought to provoke much discussion.” – Paul Griffiths, Journal of Religion

“…demonstrates remarkable boldness…The scope of this book is staggering….this is a well-written and engaging book. Taliaferro has a good grasp of the literature and is engaging the right opponents. He also keeps the reader interested with a brisk pace and frequent subject changes.” – Thomas D. Senor, Canadian Philosophical Review

“His goal is twofold: First, to catalogue the arguments of the various proponents of such scientific materialism…I would say that Taliaferro admirably achieves his first goal. I do not know of any similar catalogue of the various contemporary arguments of scientific materialism.” – Commonweal

About the Author (from Wikipedia):

Charles Taliaferro is an American Philosopher specializing in Theology and Philosophy of Religion. He is a Professor of Philosophy at St. Olaf College, a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Faithful Research. and a member of the Royal Institute of Philosophy. He is the author or co-author, editor or co-editor of fifteen books, most recently The Image in Mind: Theism, Naturalism and the Imagination (Continuum), co-authored with the American artist Jil Evans.

JOB’s Comment:

Some terminological confusion, but an important book. The author and I once planned to meet in Philadelphia but some obstacle appeared. It was an APA conference of the size and kind where it was quite possible for both to be present and yet not meet. I hope there will be some other opportunity in the future.