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SPITZER, Robert J. New Proofs for the Existence of God: Contributions of Contemporary Physics and Philosophy. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010. xiii + 319pp. Paper, $28.00 - It is often said of the new atheism of the past few decades that it offers no new arguments against theism. One might inquire about the reverse, asking whether there are any new arguments in support of the existence of a theistic God. Jesuit philosopher Robert Spitzer claims that contemporary developments in quantum physics, big-bang cosmology, and mathematics show that there are. Thus, Spitzer joins the chorus of philosophers who, since ancient times, have provided rational arguments for theism based on what is known of the physical universe.
A major inspiration for this book comes from contemporary developments in physical cosmology. Spitzer admits that his book could not have been written before 2003 when physicists Arvind Borde, Alan Guth, and Alexander Vilenkin established that any possible inflationary model of the universe must be temporally grounded in a singularity. Yet, Spitzer is also inspired by recent discussions concerning the possibilities for and against an anthropic universe, a reconsideration of traditional cosmologica! arguments grounded in inclusive notions of causality, Hilbertian infinities, and the work of Bernard Lonergan. As a whole, then, the...