Philosophical Approaches to the Devil

<p>This collection brings together new papers addressing the philosophical challenges that the concept of a Devil presents, bringing philosophical rigor to treatments of the Devil. Contributors approach the idea of the Devil from a variety of philosophical traditions, methodologies, and styles, providing a comprehensive philosophical overview that contemplates the existence, nature, and purpose of the Devil. While some papers take a classical approach to the Devil, drawing on biblical exegesis, other contributors approach the topic of the Devil from epistemological, metaphysical, phenomenological, and ethical perspectives. This volume will be relevant to researchers and scholars interested in philosophical conceptions of the Devil and related areas, such as philosophers of religion, theologians, and scholars working in philosophical theology and demonology.</p> <p>Introduction <i>Benjamin W. McCraw and Robert Arp</i> <b>Part I: Divergent Conceptions of the Devil</b> 1. Devil in the Details: Tracing the Biblical Genealogy and Origin of the Satan-Lucifer Myths <i>Adam D. Neal </i>2. Nietzsche, Satan, and the Romantics: The Devil as "Tragic Hero" in Romanticism <i>Siobhan Lyons </i>3. Satan, Romantic Hero or Just Another Asshole: The Desire to be God, the Devil, and the Demonic <i>James M. McLachlan </i>4. Wormwood Gets Promoted: A Devilish Look at Higher Education <i>J. Aaron Simmons </i><b>Part II: The Devil in Medieval and Modern Philosophy </b>5. The Devil and St. Anselm <i>Katherin A. Rogers </i>6. The Secret Joke of Satan’s Soul <i>Kevin Carnahan </i>7. "Behold, It is Cast into the Fire for Fuel": Jonathan Edwards on the Usefulness of the Wicked <i>David Reiter </i>8. Descartes’ Demon: More Powerful and Virtuous than God? <i>Joshua M. Hall </i><b>Part III: The Devil and Epistemology </b>9. A Theist’s Nightmare <i>Paul McNamara </i>10. "Now, Who Could it Be?": Satan and the Argument from Natural Evil <i>James F. Sennett </i>11. Reformed Demonology <i>Benjamin W. McCraw </i><b>Part IV: The Devil in Moral and Social Philosophy</b> 12. What’s Wrong with Satanic Temptation? <i>T. Ryan Byerly </i>13. The Devil’s Philosophy of Law: Obedience and Disobedience <i>Andre Santos Campos </i>14. If the Devil Did Not Exist, It May Be Necessary to Invent Him in Certain Contexts <i>Robert Arp</i></p>