The God of Metaphysics

Can philosophy offer reasonable grounds for the existence of a God as the centre of actual faith, rather than just a theoretical Absolute? This magnum opus explores the metaphysical systems of a diverse range of philosophers from Spinoza to the early 20th century, and offers a compelling new defence of a highly unfashionable Idealist worldview.

Can philosophy offer reasonable grounds for the existence of a God as the centre of actual faith, rather than just a theoretical Absolute? Many contemporary thinkers have concluded that no genuine religion could be based upon metaphysics. In this book, however, T. L. S. Sprigge examines sympathetically the most notable metaphysical systems of the last four centuries which purport to put religion on a rational footing and, after a thorough examination of their claims, considers what kind of religious outlook they might support and (more briefly) how they actually affected the lives of their proponents. The thinkers studied include Spinoza, Hegel, T. H. Green, Bernard Bosanquet (together with a brief discussion of Bradley), Josiah Royce, A. N. Whitehead, and Charles Hartshorne, concluding with an exposition of the author''s own viewpoint (pantheistic absolute idealism) and a general discussion on the relation between metaphysics and religion. There is also a chapter on Kierkegaard as the most important critic of metaphysical religion.