Paradise Understood: New Philosophical Essays about Heaven

by T. Ryan Byerly (Editor), Eric J Silverman (Editor)

Paradise New Philosophical Essays about Heaven systematically investigates heaven, or paradise, as conceived within theistic religious traditions such as Rabbinic Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It considers a variety of topics concerning what life in paradise would, could, or will be like for human persons. The collection offers novel approaches to questions about heaven of perennial philosophical interest, and breaks new ground by expanding the range of questions about heaven that philosophers have considered.

The contributors wrestle with questions about human life in paradise that span the spectrum of the major subfields of philosophical enquiry. By employing both historical and contemporary philosophical resources, the volume makes a pioneering contribution toward answering pressing questions about human life in paradise. It will serve as a platform for future research, reinvigorating philosophical investigation into these neglected topics within philosophy of religion.

378 pages, Hardcover

Published May 23, 2017

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paradise Understood is a collection of philosophical essays from analytic philosophers about the concept of Heaven. "Heaven" here means the abode of the righteous in the afterlife in Christianity and Islam (and in some strands of Jewish thought). The essays are all high-quality, though some are more accessible to a general educated audience than others. The topics range from whether we are active and grow in Heaven or whether it is static, the nature of emotions in Heaven (is sadness possible), the possibility of non-human animals in Heaven, how we can be the same persons in Heaven as the persons who died (preservation of personal identity from this earth to Heaven), and whether we shall be free in Heaven. This book has my highest recommendation for philosophers, especially analytic philosophers and philosophical theologians who are analytically trained, who are interested in the topic of Heaven. The book is expensive, but it is worth borrowing a copy through Interlibrary Loan and working through the articles.

[Yameen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the few resources out there tackling difficult analytical issues concerning any type of life in an afterlife. A set of academic papers focusing on different topics such as animal universalism, negative emotions in heaven, identity problems, boredom, resurrection, this remains a valuable resource for reading as well as research purposes. Its quite technical at times so not for the average reader. More for the serious researcher.