REDEEMING PHILOSOPHY

A God-Centered Approach to the Big Questions

VERN S. POYTHRESS

wheaton, illinois

Redeeming Philosophy: A God-Centered Approach to the Big Questions

Copyright © 2014 by Vern S. Poythress

Published by Crossway

1300 Crescent Street

Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law.

Cover design: Erik Maldre

First printing 2014

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. 2011 Text Edition. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-3946-6

PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-3947-3

Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-3948-0

ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-3949-7

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Poythress, Vern S.

Redeeming philosophy : a God-centered approach to the big questions / Vern S. Poythress.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-4335-3946-6 (tp)

1. Christian philosophy. I. Title.

BR100.P65 2014

261.5'1—dc23

2014003912

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

To John Frame,

my teacher, colleague, and friend

Contents

part 1

Basic Issues in Exploring Big Questions

1 The Big Questions about Life

2 The Bible as a Resource

3 Opposite Approaches to Philosophy

part 2

Metaphysics: What Is There?

4 Inadequate Philosophies

5 Christian Metaphysics

part 3

Perspectives

6 Introducing Perspectives

7 Multiperspectivalism

8 Perspectives on God

9 Perspectives on the World

10 Perspectives through Language

11 Implications for Theology

part 4

Examples of Metaphysical Analysis

12 Metaphysics of an Apple

13 Metaphysics of Walking

14 Metaphysics of a Bookmark

15 Perspectives in Combination

part 5

Other Subdivisions of Philosophy

16 Ethics

17 Epistemology

18 The Soul, the Mind, and Psychology

19 Logic

20 Aesthetics

21 Specialized Branches of Philosophy

part 6

Interacting with Defective Philosophies

22 The Challenge of Philosophies

23 Immanuel Kant

24 Edmund Husserl

25 Analytic Philosophy

Conclusion

Appendix A: Cosmonomic Philosophy

Appendix B: Perspectives on the Trinity

Appendix C: The Structure of a Bookmark

Bibliography

General Index

Scripture Index

PART 1

Basic Issues in Exploring Big Questions

1

The Big Questions about Life

Life has big questions: Who are we as human beings? What is unique about being human? Does our existence have a purpose, and does the world have a purpose? How should we conduct our lives? What are moral standards, and where do they come from? Why does anything exist? What is the nature of the world? How do we know anything? Is there a God? Are there many gods? Is there an afterlife? What is it like?

In the history of the Western world, ...