"Even those ... who
are out of sympathy with Wielenberg's approach, and his
worldview, will find much that is worthwhile in this book.
It is written with verve and clarity, and is for the most
part highly accessible, yet densely packed with thoughtful
and often provocative ideas and arguments. It bears the
hallmark of having been forged in the lecture-room through
vigorous debate, and it should provoke equally vigorous
discussion among students and others. Altogether, it is a
useful addition to the new and exciting wave of
philosophical writing that is turning the skills of analytic
philosophy back upon ancient and central questions about the
meaning of human existence." - John Cottingham, Notre Dame
Philosophical Reviews
"Erik J. Wielenberg in Value and Virtue
in a Godless Universe ... respond[s] to the current
malaise in atheism by engaging in respectful and serious
debate with [his] opponents. Wielenberg presents an
analytical philosopher's argument, beautifully restrained
and precise." - Ronald Aronson,
Bookforum
"[T]here is plenty in this book to appeal to atheists,
theists, and agnostics alike. It is both readable and
rewarding; many interesting questions are raised, and at
times novel and compelling solutions to old chestnuts are
proposed. Furthermore, the author keeps things lively
by inserting creative stories, passages from literature, and
a breadth of commentaries from other thinkers who have
wrestled with the issues he addresses. Anyone
interested in the relationship between God, value, and
virtue would benefit from adding this book to her
collection." - Bradley Sickler, International Journal for
Philosophy of Religion
"Wielenberg’s rejection of arguments for the conclusion that
naturalism is false because of its ethical
implications—nihilism, relativism, hedonism, and/or
egoism—is both clear and thought-provoking. Value and
Virtue in a Godless Universe is written in a clear and
accessible style, such that it could be used as a text in an
undergraduate course in philosophy of religion or ethics.
However, it is not overly simplistic; the arguments
contained in the book are well-crafted and deserve careful
attention. Those who wish to defend the view that objective
morality and meaning require God’s existence will find much
to consider in this book." - Michael
Austin, Philosophia Christi
"Wielenberg has written a worthwhile book,
and he has done this with verve. His arguments are often
provocative." - Luc Aerts,
Ethical Perspectives
Journal Articles and Book Chapters:
1. "Goodness without Qualification," The Journal of Value Inquiry
32:1 (March 1998), 93-104.
2. "Omnipotence Again," Faith and Philosophy 17:1 (January 2000), 26-47.
Russian
translation in Philosophy of Religion: An Almanac 2006-2007, ed.
by V.K Schokhin (Moscow: Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of
Sciences, 2007), 181-211.
3. "Many Are Culled But Few Are Chosen," Religious Studies 36:1 (March 2000),
81-93.
4. "Pleasure as a Sign of Moral Virtue in the Nicomachean Ethics,"
The Journal of Value Inquiry 34:4 (December 2000), 439-449.
5. "The New Paradox of the Stone Revisited," Faith and Philosophy
18:2 (April 2001), 261-268.
6. "How to be an Alethically Rational Naturalist," Synthese 131:1
(April 2002), 81-98.
7. "Pleasure, Pain, and Moral Character and Development," Pacific Philosophical
Quarterly 83:3 (September 2002), 282-299.
8. "A Morally Unsurpassable God Must Create the Best," Religious Studies
40:1 (March 2004), 43-62.
9. "Egoism and Eudaimonia-Maximization in the Nicomachean
Ethics," Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy 26 (Summer
2004), 277-295.
10. "Aslan the Terrible: Painful Encounters with Absolute Goodness,"
in The Chronicles of Narnia and Philosophy, edited by
Gregory Bassham and Jerry Walls (Chicago: Open Court Press, 2005),
221-230.
11. "Saving Character," Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 9:4
(August 2006), 461-491.
12. "Response to Maria Antonaccio," Conversations in
Religion and Theology 4:2 (November 2006), 219-224.
Talks:
1. "Comments on 'Why Species Extermination is Wrong', by Ben
Bradley," UMass Philosophy Graduate Student Colloquium,
October 31, 1997.
2. "A New Approach to Omnipotence," 1998 Eastern Regional meeting
of the Society of Christian Philosophers, University of Delaware,
April 2-4, 1998.
3. "Moral Perfection and the No Best World Defense," 1999 Midwest
Regional meeting of the Society of Christian Philosophers,
Marquette University, March 25-27, 1999.
4. "Pleasure, Pain, and Moral Character," fall meeting of the Indiana
Philosophical Association, Franklin College, Franklin, Indiana,
November 4, 2000.
5. "Aristotelian Love-Making," (i) Fifty-Second Annual Northwest
Conference on Philosophy, Pacific University, Forest Grove, Oregon, November 10-11, 2000; (ii) Society for the
Philosophy of Sex and Love at the Eastern Division meeting of the
American Philosophical Association in New York, December
27-30, 2000.
6. "Comments on Edward Wierenga's 'Trinity and Polytheism'", Sixth
Biennial UMass Alumni Philosophy Conference, October 13, 2001.
7. "How to Be an Alethically Rational Naturalist," (i) Eastern Division
meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Atlanta, Georgia,
December 27-30, 2001; (ii) central division meeting
of the Society of Christian Philosophers at Bethel College, St. Paul,
Minnesota, March 7-9, 2002; (iii) 2002 Atlantic Region Philosophy Conference,
University of Prince Edward Island, October 18-19, 2002.
8. "C.S. Lewis vs. the Atheists," DePauw University Faculty Research Colloqium, November 22, 2002.
9. "A Morally Unsurpassable God Must Create the Best," (i) 2003 Hawaii
International Conference on Arts and Humanities, Honolulu, Hawaii, January 12-15, 2003;
(ii) Central Division meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Cleveland, Ohio,
April 23-26, 2003.
10. "Wielenberg and His Mass (Comments on Kaufman),"
Seventh Biennial UMass Alumni Philosophy Conference,
October 11, 2003.
11. "Aristotelian Egoism and Richard Kraut's Argument
From Ostracism," Indiana Philosophical Association meeting,
Ball State University, November 1, 2003.
12. "Egoism and
Eudaimonia-Maximization in the Nicomachean Ethics," meeting of
the Society for Ancient
Greek Philosophy at the Central Division meeting of the
American Philosophical Association, Chicago, Illinois, April
22-25, 2004.
13. "Aquinasizing the Impeded-Function Argument (Comments
on Sullivan)," Indiana Philosophical Association meeting, DePauw
University, May 1, 2004.
14. "Author Meets Critics: Value and Virtue in a Godless Universe,"
Eighth Biennial UMass Alumni Philosophy Conference, October 8, 2005.
15. "Having Your Cake and Eating it Too: Objective Ethical Truth
without God," (i) Forum on Religious Issues, University of Wisconsin-Parkside,
March 6, 2006 (invited); (ii) West Virginia University, March 28, 2006
(invited); (iii) Florida Southern College, March 30, 2006 (invited); (iv)
Wabash College, April 6, 2006 (invited); (v) Hanover College, May 17, 2006
(invited).
16. "Bertrand Russell and C.S. Lewis: Two Peas in a Pod?" Bertrand
Russell Society meeting at the Central Division meeting of the American
Philosophical Association, Chicago, Illinois, April 27, 2006.
17. "God and Morality," University School, Cleveland, Ohio, January 9,
2007 (invited).
18. "Objective Ethics in a Godless Universe,"
(i) Center for Inquiry
Transnational, Amherst, New York, April 13, 2007 (invited); (ii)
The Jefferson Center, Ashland,
Oregon, April 26, 2007 (invited); (iii) Lawrence University, April 30,
2007 (invited); (iv) Centenary College, Shreveport, Louisiana, February
25, 2008 (invited).
19. "Skeptical Theism and Divine Lies," DePauw Faculty Forum, October
11, 2007.