Philosophy Made Slightly Less Difficult: A Beginner's Guide to Life's Big Questions

Garrett J. DeWeese · J. P. Moreland

Sept 2009 · InterVarsity Press

About this eBook

From time to time we all face life's big questions . . .

• What is real?
• How do we know what we know?
• What is right?
• Who or what am I?
• How should we view science and its claims?

And as we wrestle with these issues, we may even find ourselves thinking, Perhaps what I need is a good dose of philosophy. It's a shame philosophy is so difficult. Garrett DeWeese and J. P. Moreland understand this frustration and in this book offer help to make philosophy at least slightly less difficult. In straightforward language with everyday examples, they explain the basics needed to understand philosophical concepts and thus bring clarity to discussions of life's big questions. Students, pastors, campus workers and ordinary Christians will all benefit from this user-friendly guide.

Ratings and reviews

A somewhat decent look at some contemporary philosophy and how a Christian Philosopher would respond to them. Unfortunately it seems to miss a lot of the more nuanced responses to the criticisms that a counter response would entail. This means there is sometimes an almost flippant disregard for differing viewpoints and a rejection of any attempt of synthesizing these with a Christian viewpoint. Essentially saying that unless one were to believe what they are advocating for then they are missing Christianity. While I find the writing to be adequate I find that there are positions that are not explained well enough and some of the arguments are not properly explained for a non academic person. Essentially it is not 'simple' enough for most people.

About the author

Garrett J. DeWeese (Ph.D., University of Colorado; Th.M., Dallas Theological Seminary) is professor of philosophy and philosophical theology at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, in La Mirada, California. He has also taught at Dayspring Center for Christian Studies, University of Colorado, Denver Seminary and Institut Biblique Européen (France). He is the author of God and the Nature of Time (Ashgate) and (with J. P. Moreland) Philosophy Made Slightly Less Difficult (IVP Academic).

J. P. Moreland (PhD, University of Southern California) is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, in La Mirada, California. He is the author or coauthor of over thirty-five books, including Kingdom Triangle, Scaling the Secular City, Consciousness and the Existence of God, Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview, In Search of a Confident Faith, Love Your God With All Your Mind, The God Question, and Body and Soul. In his distinguished career, Moreland has co-planted three churches, spoken and debated on over 175 college campuses around the country, and served with Campus Crusade for Christ for ten years. The founder and director of Eidos Christian Center, he also previously served as a bioethicist for PersonaCare Nursing Homes, Inc. headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. Moreland's ideas have been covered by both popular religious and non-religious outlets, including the New Scientist, Christianity Today, PBS's "Closer to Truth," and WORLD magazine.