Divine and Human Providence
Philosophical, Psychological and Theological Approaches
Routledge Science and Religion Series

This volume offers an original perspective on divine providence by examining philosophical, psychological, and theological perspectives on human providence as exhibited in virtuous human behaviours. Divine providence is one of the most pressing issues in analytic theology and philosophy of religion today, especially in view of scientific evidence for a natural world full of indeterminacies and contingencies. Therefore, we need new ways to understand and explain the relations of divine providence and creaturely action.

The volume is structured dynamically, going from chapters on human providence to those on divine providence, and back. Drawing on insights from virtue ethics, psychology and cognitive science, the philosophy of providence in the face of contingent events, and the theology of grace, each chapter contributes to an original overall perspective: that human providential action is a resource suited specifically to personal action and hence related to the purported providential action of a personal God.

By putting forward a fresh take on divine providence, this book enters new territory on an age-old issue. It will therefore be of great interest to scholars of theology and philosophy.

Introduction-Simon Maria Kopf and Ignacio Silva; 1 Prudence and Human Providence: Love and Wisdom-Craig Boyd; 2 The Interaction Between Human and Divine Providence-Timothy Pawl; 3 Human Providence and Indeterminism: A Libertarian Approach-Neal Judisch 4 Divine Providence and Natural Contingency-Ignacio Silva; 5 Cognitive Psychology of Memory and Decision-Making and Human Providence-Connie Svob;6 A Child Developmental Perspective: Understanding Human and Supernatural Limitation and Providence-Emily R.R. Burdett;7 Providence and Predestination-Andrew Pinsent; 8 God, Providence and Personhood-Francisco O’Reilly; 9 Technology’s ‘Invisible Hand’?: An Account of Divine Providence and the Techno-Scientific Myth of Progress-Michael Burdett

Ignacio Silva is Associate Professor of Science and Theology at the Philosophy Institute, Austral University, Argentina, and an Associate Member of the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion, University of Oxford, UK.

Simon Maria Kopf is Visiting Lecturer at the International Theological Institute in Trumau, Austria.