Between Orthodox Theism and Materialist Atheism

Tim Mulgan’s aim is to explore two alternatives that occupy a middle ground between orthodox theism and atheism, and are intended to be preferable to either of these extremes. Ananthropocentric theism posits a morally perfect creator God who has no interest in the fate of individual human beings, but the position incorporates its own “nonhuman-centered non-natural values.” Axiarchism is non-theistic in the sense that it involves reference to impersonal goodness rather than to a personal God, and Mulgan adds to it an ananthropocentric dimension as a way of dealing with the problem of evil. The chapter argues that defending a plausible middle ground in this context is a central philosophical task, and that it is inextricably tied up with the question of value. It explains how expansive naturalism makes room for a loving God and offers some reasons for favoring it over Mulgan’s position.