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Publications and Talks

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 Books authored:

1. Value and Virtue in a Godless Universe, Cambridge University Press, 2005.

Part of chapter 2 of Value and Virtue appears as “God and Morality” in Ethical Theory: An Anthology (Wiley-Blackwell, 2007), edited by Russ Shafer-Landau, pp. 267-278.

"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

Click here to read a synopsis of the book.


2. God and the Reach of Reason: C.S. Lewis, David Hume, and Bertrand Russell, Cambridge University Press, 2007.



"God and the Reach of Reason is an enjoyable and informative read. ... Wielenberg's presentation of what he takes to be the views and arguments is extremely clear, and his criticisms of them fair and charitable. ... [T]he objections he offers are sound. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a critical interpretation and assessment of C.S. Lewis's views on religion." - Bruce Russell, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

“Readers who have appreciated the work of Lewis will be gratified by Wielenberg's suggestion, which is itself a major point of this book, that Lewis should be taken seriously as a philosopher.  He argues despite often being skeptical of Lewis's success, that Lewis contributed to twentieth-century thought in a number of important areas.  On the whole, God and the Reach of Reason is a thought-provoking work that touches on a number of interesting topics.” - John Giannini, Religious Studies Review

"A very interesting book creating a dialogue between C.S. Lewis, David Hume, and Bertrand Russell. ... One of the great strengths of the book is its systematic presentation of the arguments as a series of interrelated propositions, so that the reader can grasp exactly what is at stake.  A very worthwhile book for philosophically minded readers." - David Lorimer, Network Review
Book co-edited:
1. New Waves in Philosophy of Religion, co-edited with Yujin Nagasawa, Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.



Journal Articles:
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.  "Saving Character," Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 9:4 (August 2006), 461-491.

11. "Response to Maria Antonaccio," Conversations in Religion and Theology 4:2 (November 2006), 219-224 (invited).

12. "In Defense of Non-Natural, Non-Theistic Moral Realism," Faith and Philosophy 26:1 (January 2009), 23-41.

13. "Dawkins's Gambit,  Hume's Aroma, and God's Simplicity," Philosophia Christi 11:1 (Summer 2009), 111-125.

Book Reviews:
1. Review of Providence Lost, by Genevieve Lloyd, The Philosophers’ Magazine 45:2nd quarter, 2009, pp. 106-107.

2. Review of The Clarity of God's Existence: The Ethics of Belief after the Enlightenment, by Owen Anderson, Reviews in Religion and Theology 16:4 (2009), pp. 573-575 (invited).

Non-academic Publications:
1. "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.

2. "I Think, Therefore I Am Misunderstood" -- "My Turn" essay for Newsweek, October 16, 2006.

3. Op-ed piece on objective morality without God in the Shreveport Times, February 23, 2008.

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," (i) DePauw Faculty Forum, October 11, 2007; (ii) Fourth Annual Philosophy of Religion Conference, Baylor University, February 5-7, 2009; (iii) Pacific Division meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Vancouver, British Columbia, April 8-12, 2009.

20. "On the Evolutionary Debunking of Morality," Second Annual Rocky Mountain Ethics Congress, University of Colorado, Boulder, August 6-9, 2009.