Contemporary Analytic Thought: 1950–Present

Abstract

This entry surveys the area of philosophy known as analytic philosophy of religion. This area emerged in the 1950s in the English‐speaking philosophical world, and has grown considerably. The first section outlines its origins and characteristics. The second lists venues in which this work appears, and recommends other survey‐style resources. The third section discusses central topics in this area, including the divine attributes, arguments for the (non)existence of God, the epistemology of religious belief and experience, miracles, the meaning of life, life after death, and heaven and hell. The fourth section introduces two contemporary developments: a movement called “analytic theology,” and increasing philosophical reflection on nontraditional versions of theism and other religious worldviews. The fifth section discusses two important criticisms of this area: one holds that the range of topics it considers is too narrow, and the other holds that the standpoints its practitioners hold, and the methods they use, are limited and limiting.