From beginner-friendly introductions to classic philosophy books on the existence of God, this page features books to suit any learning style. It’s important to note that there is no single best book on the existence of God. The best book for you will depend heavily on your preferred learning style and the amount of time/energy you’re willing to spend reading.
It’s also worth noting that it is not a list of personal recommendations. Personal book recommendations tend to be highly subjective, idiosyncratic, and unreliable. This list is part of a collection of over 100 philosophy reading lists which aim to provide a central resource for philosophy book recommendations. These lists were created by searching through hundreds of university course syllabi, internet encyclopedia bibliographies, and community recommendations. Links to the syllabi and other sources used to create this list are at the end of the post. Following these links will help you quickly find a broader range of options if the listed books do not fit what you are looking for.
Here are the best philosophy books on the existence of God in no particular order.
An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion – Brian Davies
Category: General Introduction | Length: 344 pages | Published: 2004 (3e)
Publisher description: The third edition of An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion provides a critical examination of some fundamental questions posed by religious belief: What does belief in God amount to? Can God’s existence be proved? Is there life after death?
Brian Davies considers these questions and many others, sometimes offering provocative answers of his own, but more often giving readers room to each independent conclusions. He explains how a range of thinkers have approached the subject — including Anselm, Aquinas, Descartes, Leibniz, Hume, and Kant — and also discusses how contemporary author now engage with the issues involved. Completely revised to cover the latest developments in the field, the new edition of this established textbook will prove the ideal introduction for all students of the philosophy of religion.
Arguing about Gods – Graham Oppy
Category: General Introduction | Length: 472 pages | Published: 2009
Publisher description: In this book, Graham Oppy examines arguments for and against the existence of God. He shows that none of these arguments is powerful enough to change the minds of reasonable participants in debates on the question of the existence of God. His conclusion is supported by detailed analyses of the arguments as well as by the development of a theory about the purpose of arguments and the criteria that should be used in judging whether or not arguments are successful. Oppy discusses the work of a wide array of philosophers, including Anselm, Aquinas, Descartes, Locke, Leibniz, Kant, Hume and, more recently, Plantinga, Dembski, White, Dawkins, Bergman, Gale and Pruss.
Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Religion – C. Meister & P. Copan
Category: Comprehensive Textbook | Length: 848 pages | Published: 2012 (2e)
Publisher description: The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Religion, Second edition is an indispensable guide and reference source to the major themes, movements, debates and topics in philosophy of religion. Considerably expanded for the second edition, over seventy entries from a team of renowned international contributors are organized into nine clear parts:
- philosophical issues in world religions
- key figures in philosophy of religion
- religious diversity
- the theistic conception of God
- arguments for the existence of God
- arguments against the existence of God
- philosophical theology
- Christian theism
- recent topics in philosophy of religion. …
Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion – David Hume
Category: Classic | Length: 160 pages | Originally Published: 1779
Publisher description: In the posthumously published Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, the Enlightenment philosopher David Hume attacked many of the traditional arguments for the existence of God, expressing the belief that religion is founded on ignorance and irrational fears. Though calm and courteous in tone – at times even tactfully ambiguous – the conversations between Hume’s vividly realized fictional figures form perhaps the most searching case ever mounted against orthodox Christian theological thinking and the ‘deism’ of the time, which pointed to the wonders of creation as conclusive evidence of God’s Design. Hume’s characters debate these issues with extraordinary passion, lucidity and humour, in one of the most compelling philosophical works ever written.
Five Proofs of the Existence of God – Edward Feser
Category: Contemporary | Length: 336 pages | Published: 2017
Publisher description: This book provides a detailed, updated exposition and defense of five of the historically most important (but in recent years largely neglected) philosophical proofs of God’s existence: the Aristotelian, the Neo-Platonic, the Augustinian, the Thomistic, and the Rationalist.
It also offers a thorough treatment of each of the key divine attributes—unity, simplicity, eternity, omnipotence, omniscience, perfect goodness, and so forth—showing that they must be possessed by the God whose existence is demonstrated by the proofs. Finally, it answers at length all of the objections that have been leveled against these proofs. …
The Miracle of Theism: Arguments For and Against the Existence of God – J. L. Mackie
Category: Contemporary | Length: 288 pages | Published: 1983
Publisher description: This book discusses, carefully but in a way that the general reader can follow, the main arguments for and against the existence of God. These include the traditional ontological, cosmological, and design arguments, the arguments from consciousness and from morality, and on the other side the problem of evil.
The following sources were used to build this list:
University Course Syllabi:
- Philosophy of God – Notre Damn Seminary
Bibliographies:
- Bibliography for the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article on Concepts of God
- Bibliography for the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy article on Western Conceptions of God
Other Recommendations:
- Do you believe in a god? Are there any books that support the idea of a god that I should read?
- Can anyone recommend any books which are Atheistic?
- What’s a good ANALYTICAL book on god’s existence
- Beginner of philosophy, curious about God’s existence
Additional Resources
You might also be interested in the following reading lists:
- The Best Introductory Philosophy Books
- The Best Books on the Philosophy of Religion
- The Best Philosophy Books on Atheism
- The Best Introductory Books on Metaphysics
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A History of Western Philosophy in 500 Essential Quotations – Lennox Johnson
Category: Reference | Length: 145 pages | Published: 2019
Publisher’s Description: A History of Western Philosophy in 500 Essential Quotations is a collection of the greatest thoughts from history’s greatest thinkers. Featuring classic quotations by Aristotle, Epicurus, David Hume, Friedrich Nietzsche, Bertrand Russell, Michel Foucault, and many more, A History of Western Philosophy in 500 Essential Quotations is ideal for anyone looking to quickly understand the fundamental ideas that have shaped the modern world.