Analysis of Existing: Barry Miller's Approach to God

Description

Miller's metaphysics, including his approach to God, is broad, deep, and original, with the potential to make a fruitful contribution to contemporary philosophy. Yet it has not received the critical attention it deserves. Miller's work deserves critical attention because of its thorough and original defense of three highly controversial positions: that existence is a real property of concrete individuals; that it is possible to prove, without assuming any principle of sufficient reason, that there is an uncaused cause of the universe; and that the uncaused cause is the simple God of classical theism. Miller's position on existence is an important alternative in current analytical philosophy to what Miller calls the "Frege-Russell-Quine" theory, and the neo-Meinongian positions of Terence Parsons and Ed Zalta. Miller's argument for an uncaused cause of the universe has been described one of the most ambitious theistic arguments produced by a well-respected, contemporary, analytic philosopher. Analysis of Existing: Barry Miller's Approach to God is the first clear, systematic interpretation of Miller's theistic philosophy.

Elmar J. Kremer is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, University of Toronto, Canada. His past publications include Oeuvres Philosophiques d'Arnauld (Edited and Introduced by Elmar J. Kremer and Denis Moreau, 5 vols., 2003), The Problem of Evil in Early Modern Philosophy (co-edited with Michael J. Latzer, 1999), and Interpreting Arnauld (1996).

Barry Miller's philosophical theology clearly shows how a philosopher can think rigorously about God without caving into fashionable and facile refutations of theism. In this study of his writings, Elmar Kremer provides an exemplary account of his sophisticated arguments while discussing their value and cogently defending them against a number of objections. Kremer's welcome book is both a fine introduction to Miller and a significant contribution to philosophy of religion. -- Brian Davies, Professor of Philosophy, Fordham University, USA Barry Miller was a brilliant philosophical theologian with an original argument for, and development of, the Thomist idea of God as the entity whose essence is existence. Unfortunately Miller's ideas have not been given the attention they deserve. In part this is because he made few concessions to the reader. In this book Elmar J. Kremer provides the 'clear, well-developed exposition' that Miller's ideas deserve. I recommended it highly to all interested in metaphysics, philosophy of religion, or theology. -- Peter Forrest, Retired Professor of Philosophy, University of New England, Australia Barry Miller's penetrating work in philosophical theology has not received the attention it deserves. It is therefore with pleasure that I recommend the first book-length treatment of Miller's work, Elmar J. Kremer's Analysis of Existing: Barry Miller's Approach to God. -- William F. Vallicella, Retired Professor of Philosophy, USA Kremer's book consists of philosophically acute, painstaking scholarship. It is a very fine introduction to Miller's highly original work on the metaphysics of theism. -- Bruce Langtry, Senior Fellow in Philosophy, The University of Melbourne, Australia