The Analogy of Religion to the Constitution and Course of Nature

Joseph ButlerProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.8
Word count
858K words
Chapters
86

Tags

English Originals Western PhilosophyReligion History of PhilosophyReligious PhilosophyNatural TheologyFaith and ReasonIntellectual EnlightenmentWestern ThoughtMoral CultivationMoral DilemmaAcademic MonographRational Argument

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Analogy of Religion to the Constitution and Course of Nature by Joseph ButlerAuthor: Butler, Joseph, 1692-1752,Language: English, Class: BT: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Christianity: Doctrinal theology, God, Christology, Release Date: Oct 22, 2016

Editor's review

This is the representative theological treatise of Joseph Butler, an eighteenth-century Anglican bishop. Using "analogy" as its method, it sets the order and course of nature alongside the doctrines of Christian revelation, arguing that religion is not contrary to reason but possesses a similar probabilistic logic to the natural structure we experience. The argument is dense and the syntax rigorous; it is a classic text of early modern English religious philosophy and apologetics, valuable for understanding eighteenth-century British intellectual history, the deist controversy, and later discussions in philosophy of religion. This is Project Gutenberg's public-domain English electronic edition, offering free access to the original text for reading and searching. Its difficulty lies not in length but in its mode of argument: readers must adapt to long sentences, abstract concepts, and layer-by-layer analysis. It suits study of intellectual history and philosophy of religion, and also readers who wish to train their ability to read English expository prose through close reading in sections.

Who it's for

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Reading tips

  1. Read the table of contents and introductory chapters first to grasp the overall argumentative route of the "analogy" method before entering details.
  2. After each chapter, restate its core argument in one or two sentences to avoid losing the main thread in long sentences.
  3. Read alongside background materials on intellectual history to understand the context of the deist controversy.
  4. Read the English original slowly, paragraph by paragraph, taking notes on key terms and checking them against context.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48
  49. 49
  50. 50
  51. 51
  52. 52
  53. 53
  54. 54
  55. 55
  56. 56
  57. 57
  58. 58
  59. 59
  60. 60
  61. 61
  62. 62
  63. 63
  64. 64
  65. 65
  66. 66
  67. 67
  68. 68
  69. 69
  70. 70
  71. 71
  72. 72
  73. 73
  74. 74
  75. 75
  76. 76
  77. 77
  78. 78
  79. 79
  80. 80
  81. 81
  82. 82
  83. 83
  84. 84
  85. 85
  86. 86

FAQ

What is this book mainly about, and what is its core method? The book uses "analogy" as its basic method, comparing the order and course of nature with Christian doctrine. It argues that religious belief has a structure of plausibility similar to our probabilistic judgments about nature, thereby responding to rationalist objections to revealed religion in its time.
Can I read this book without a theology background? Yes, but it requires patience. Many concepts and controversies belong to the context of eighteenth-century British religious thought. Without background, it is advisable to first learn the basic issues of deism and apologetics, slow down, and work through the argument chapter by chapter.
What kind of edition is this? This is Project Gutenberg's public-domain English electronic edition, a free eBook format convenient for searching and copying the original text. It provides no modern translation notes or introduction, so readers must supply background materials themselves.
What is the greatest difficulty in reading it? The main difficulties lie in eighteenth-century English sentence structure, the layered analysis of abstract concepts, and the probabilistic reasoning on which the argument depends. It is best to grasp each chapter's conclusion first, then trace the supporting steps, rather than getting stuck on individual sentences and losing the overall thread.

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About the author

Joseph Butler Author · British · 1692–1752

Joseph Butler (1692–1752) was an English Anglican bishop, theologian and moral philosopher. Born in Berkshire, he served successively as Bishop of Bristol and Bishop of Durham. His best-known work, The Analogy of Religion, offers a systematic defense of revealed religion against the challenges of Deism and holds an important place in eighteenth-century British religious controversy. His other sermons and writings, notably Fifteen Sermons upon Human Nature, set out his ethical thought, centering on the structure of human nature and moral responsibility. Three of his works are held in this collection, along with Some Remains of Joseph Butler. Public information on the details of his life is limited; the present account rests mainly on his episcopal office and the works mentioned above.