Multiverse Deism: Shifting Perspectives of God and the World

Given recent work in quantum physics suggesting that our world is just one world in a series of many, Leland Royce Harper calls for a shift in our concept of the monotheistic God of Judeo-Christian tradition. In Multiverse Deism: Shifting Perspectives of God and the World, Harper argues that those who wish to maintain that the Judeo-Christian God exists ought to revise how they define this God and what they expect of Him so as to maintain consistency between modern theism and the growing body of scientific knowledge. While this revision entails several concessions by the theist, the overall result is a stronger and more coherent account of who God really is. By removing the expectation that God will act in the natural world, Harper argues that we are left with a concept of God that maintains all of the traditional divine attributes, is consistent with current scientific advances, remains compatible with contemporary and historical arguments for the existence of God, and better refutes contemporary and historical arguments for atheism than the traditional, active God.

Politics & Social Sciences

Harper, Leland

Philosophy

Lexington Books

Review\nIn this trailblazing book, Leland Harper contributes to the growing body of literature on alternative concepts of God by engaging with cutting-edge research on the multiverse. Harper offers a thought-provoking survey of the various models of the multiverse that have been proposed and considers the most persuasive scientific and philosophical arguments in their favor. He also develops what is perhaps the definitive contemporary account of the deistic conception of God. Given the broad scope of this work, it will likely be of interest to a wide range of readers; most especially professional scholars and students working in the fields of philosophy of cosmology, philosophy of religion, and religious studies…. Harper’s book makes a welcome and substantial contribution to the growing body of literature surrounding alternative concepts of God. Hopefully, it will inspire further research into the theistic implications of the multiverse and more treatments of deism in the future. ― International Journal for Philosophy of Religion\nThis book fits very well into the discussion of science and theology/religion and opens up interesting debates. ― European Society for the Study of Science and Theology\n"Deism is a fascinating, though neglected, alternative to traditional theism. In Multiverse Deism: Shifting Perspectives of God and the World, Leland Harper revives this view in a novel way by considering the metaphysical implications of cutting-edge research on the multiverse. I highly recommend this book to students and scholars in science, religion, and philosophy." -- Yujin Nagasawa, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom\n"Wouldn't divine goodness create immensely many universes? Harper provides an impressively\nwide-ranging discussion of this question and of how it might influence our concept of God." -- John Leslie, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada\n"In Multiverse Deism, Leland Royce Harper makes a significant contribution to the growing body of work on alternatives to classical theism. He develops and explores the implications of a deistic metaphysics of the divine, making a strong case for taking such an alternative seriously. Anyone working on the metaphysics of the divine—especially those interested in alternatives to classical theism—should read this book." -- Andrei Buckareff, Marist College\n"Harper explores and clarifies the various logical and conceptual connections that hold between deism and free will, the divine attributes, natural theology, the problem of evil, the problem of divine hiddenness, and divine action. This is an engaging and clearly written book, one that belongs on the bookshelf of anyone who is interested in the interface between contemporary cosmology, the philosophy of religion, and philosophical theology. I highly recommend it." -- Colin Ruloff, Kwantlen Polytechnic University\nGiven recent work in quantum physics suggesting that our world is just one world in a series of many, Leland Royce Harper calls for a shift in our concept of the monotheistic God of Judeo-Christian tradition. In Multiverse Deism: Shifting Perspectives of God and the World, Harper argues that those who wish to maintain that the Judeo-Christian God exists ought to revise how they define this God and what they expect of Him so as to maintain consistency between modern theism and the growing body of scientific knowledge. While this revision entails several concessions by the theist, the overall result is a stronger and more coherent account of who God really is. By removing the expectation that God will act in the natural world, Harper argues that we are left with a concept of God that maintains all of the traditional divine attributes, is consistent with current scientific advances, remains compatible with contemporary and historical arguments for the existence of God, and better refutes contemporary and historical arguments for atheism than the traditional, active God.

Review\nLeland Harper and Jennifer Kling provide a semantic solution to the discursive impasse in thinking and talking about racism, by introducing race sensitivity. This move to expand “racist, not racist, and anti-racist” is an important contribution to cognitive approaches to “white fragility.” -- Naomi Zack, Lehman College, CUNY\nUsing the trope of dynamic disaster to characterize American racism and proposing a semantic response that does not put white people alleged to be racist on the defensive, Harper and Kling argue that linguistic enlightenment is vital for disrupting the racial status quo and securing racial progress. Defenders of racial justice, and students of the philosophy of race, will find much of value in this book. -- Derrick Darby, author of A Realistic Blacktopia\n“Hey, that was kind of racist.” 
“I'm not a racist! I have Black friends.” 
This exchange highlights a problem with how people in the United States tend to talk about racially tricky situations. As Racist, Not Racist, Antiracist: Language and the Dynamic Disaster of American Racism explores, such situations are ordinarily categorized as either racist or not racist (or, in other cases, as antiracist). The problem is, there are often situations that are racially not good, but that we do not want to categorize as racist, either. However, since we don’t have the language to describe this in-between, we are forced to fall back on the racist/not racist/antiracist trinary, which tends to shut down productive discussion. This is especially true for white people, who tend to take claims of racism—be they interpersonal or institutional—as a personal attack. This is problematic, not only because it means that white people never learn about their own racially troubling behaviors, but also because such fragility keeps them from being able to engage in productive discussions about systemic racial oppression. Leland Harper and Jennifer Kling demonstrate how expanding our racial vocabulary is crucial for the attainment of justice equally enjoyed by all.

Racist, Not Racist, Antiracist: Language and the Dynamic Disaster of American Racism (Philosophy of Race)

Kling, Jennifer

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Books by Harper, Leland

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Harper, Leland. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Multiverse Deism: Shifting Perspectives of God and the World

Multiverse Deism: Shifting Perspectives of God and the World

Racist, Not Racist, Antiracist: Language and the Dynamic Disaster of American Racism (Philosophy of Race)