Brian Evan Anthony Davies (born 1951) is a British philosopher,
Roman Catholic priest
The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...
, and
friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ol ...
. He is Distinguished Professor of
Philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
,
Fordham University
Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...
(since 1995), and author of ''An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion'', now in its fourth English edition, which has been translated into five languages.
Education
Brian Davies studied theology at the
University of Bristol
, mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'')
, established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter
, type ...
[Philosophy of Religion]
/ref> (BA 1972) and undertook graduate studies at King's College London
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...
(MTh, 1973; Tutorial Assistant, 1974–6; PhD, 1976).[Fordham Philosophy Department]
/ref>
Teaching
He spent the period 1982–95 at the University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
. Throughout those years he was lecturer in theology and philosophy at Blackfriars, Oxford
Blackfriars Priory (formally the Priory of the Holy Spirit) is a Dominican religious community in Oxford, England. It houses two educational institutions: Blackfriars Studium, the centre of theological studies of the English Province of the D ...
. Davies was also Tutor in Theology, St Benet's Hall and a member of the Faculty of Theology (1983–95); Regent of Studies of the English Dominican Province (1988–95); University Research Lecturer (1993–95); and member of the Sub-Faculty of Philosophy (1994–95).[
In 1994 Davies was appointed Regent of ]Blackfriars Blackfriars, derived from Black Friars, a common name for the Dominican Order of friars, may refer to:
England
* Blackfriars, Bristol, a former priory in Bristol
* Blackfriars, Canterbury, a former monastery in Kent
* Blackfriars, Gloucester, a f ...
and, as a Head of House, received the degree of Master of Arts by Special Decree by the University of Oxford. In 1995 he took up his current appointment at Fordham University
Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...
.[ He held Visiting Professorships at the ]Beda College
The Pontifical Beda College ( it, Pontificio Collegio Beda) is a college in Rome. It was founded as the ''Collegio Ecclesiastico'' at the Palazzo dei Convertendi in 1852 by Pope Pius IX and is intended for older men, often convert clergymen, wi ...
, Rome (Spring 1987 and Spring 1988), Fordham University
Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...
(July–August 1987, July–August 1988, and Fall 1994), and Candler School of Theology
Candler School of Theology is one of seven graduate schools at Emory University, located in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. A university-based school of theology, Candler educates ministers, scholars of religion and other leaders. It is also one ...
, Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...
(Spring 1993).[
]
Problem of evil
Davies takes influence from Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wi ...
and is a proponent of classical theism
Classical theism is a form of theism in which God is characterized as the absolutely metaphysically ultimate being, in contrast to other conceptions such as pantheism, panentheism, polytheism, deism and process theism.
Classical theism is a for ...
. To solve the problem of evil
The problem of evil is the question of how to reconcile the existence of evil and suffering with an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient God.The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy,The Problem of Evil, Michael TooleyThe Internet Encyclope ...
, Davies has argued that God is not a person or moral agent and is therefore not responsible for evil. God the creator and sustainer of the universe is not existent among others so cannot be expected to conform to moral standards external to himself. In 2008, Davies stated:
Notable writings and editorial work
;As author
''An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion''
(Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1982; revised edition, 1993; 3rd edition 2003; 4th edition 2020; Korean translation, 1996; Romanian translation, 1996; Ukrainian translation, 1996; Hungarian translation, 1999; Polish translation 2006)
*''Thinking About God'' (Geoffrey Chapman: London, 1985)
*''The Thought of Thomas Aquinas'' (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1992)
*''Aquinas'' (Continuum: London and New York, 2002)
*''Aquinas: An Introduction'' (Continuum: London and New York, 2003)
*''The Reality of God and the Problem of Evil'' (Continuum: London and New York, 2006)
*''Thomas Aquinas on God and Evil'' (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2011)
He has also contributed:
* more than twenty chapters or articles to books
* more than seventy articles in scholarly journals including ''New Blackfriars'', ''The Downside Review'', ''The Clergy Review'', ''Irish Theological Quarterly'', ''The Monist
''The Monist: An International Quarterly Journal of General Philosophical Inquiry'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal in the field of philosophy. It was established in October 1890 by American publisher Edward C. Hegeler.
History
Init ...
'', ''Philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
'', ''Theology'', '' Cogito'', ''International Philosophical Quarterly
The ''International Philosophical Quarterly'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal edited by a group of academics at Fordham University
Fordham University () is a private Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and n ...
'', '' Sophia'', '' Revue Internationale de Philosophie'', and ''Think
In their most common sense, the terms thought and thinking refer to conscious cognitive processes that can happen independently of sensory stimulation. Their most paradigmatic forms are judging, reasoning, concept formation, problem solving, an ...
''
* book reviews in ''Anglican Theological Review'', ''Faith and Philosophy'', ''Journal of Theological Studies'', ''The Philosophical Review
''The Philosophical Review'' is a quarterly journal of philosophy edited by the faculty of the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University and published by Duke University Press (since September 2006).
Overview
The journal publishes original ...
'', ''Theology Today'', and ''The Thomist''
* numerous contributions in ''The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'', ''The Tablet
''The Tablet'' is a Catholic international weekly review published in London. Brendan Walsh, previously literary editor and then acting editor, was appointed editor in July 2017.
History
''The Tablet'' was launched in 1840 by a Quaker convert ...
'', and the ''Times Literary Supplement
''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp.
History
The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...
''.
;As editor
*''Language, Meaning and God: Essays in honour of Herbert McCabe O.P.'' (Geoffrey Chapman: London, 1987)
*With G.R. Evans, ''Anselm of Canterbury: The Major Works'' (Oxford University Press: Oxford,1998)
*''Philosophy of Religion: A Guide to the Subject'' (Geoffrey Chapman: London, 1998)
*''Philosophy of Religion: A Guide and Anthology'' (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2000)
*''The De Malo of Thomas Aquinas'' (tr. Richard Regan; ed., Introduction, and Notes Brian Davies) (Oxford University Press: New York and Oxford, 2001)
*''Thomas Aquinas: Contemporary Philosophical Perspectives'' (Oxford University Press: New York and Oxford, 2002)
*With Brian Leftow
Brian Leftow (born 1956) is an American philosopher specializing in philosophy of religion, medieval philosophy, and metaphysics. He is the William P. Alston Professor for the Philosophy of Religion at Rutgers University. Previously, he held the N ...
, ''The Cambridge Companion to Anselm'' (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 2004)
*''Aquinas's “Summa Theologiae”: Critical Essays'' (Rowman and Littlefield: Lanham, Boulder, New York, Toronto, Oxford, 2005)
*With Brian Leftow, ''Aquinas: “Summa Theologiae”, Questions on God'' (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge 2006)
*With Eleonore Stump, '' The Oxford Handbook of Aquinas'' (Oxford University Press, 2012)
Davies also edits the ''Outstanding Christian Thinkers'' series (Continuum: London and New York, 1989–2004), having overseen the publication of twenty-eight volumes, and of the ''Great Medieval Thinkers'', published by Oxford University Press. He was Book Reviews Editor for ''New Blackfriars'' (1979–95) and a member of the editorial board for ''Religious Studies'' (2000–6). He is now Associate European Editor (since 1992) for the ''International Philosophical Quarterly''.
As literary executor for the late Herbert McCabe
Herbert John Ignatius McCabe (2 August 192628 June 2001) was a Dominican priest, theologian and philosopher.
Life
Herbert McCabe was born in Middlesbrough in the North Riding of Yorkshire. He studied chemistry at Manchester University, bu ...
(died 2001), Davies edited and published five volumes of work that McCabe left at the time of his death: ''God Still Matters'' (Continuum: London and New York, 2002); ''God, Christ and Us'' (Continuum: London and New York, 2003); ''The Good Life: Ethics and the Pursuit of Happiness'' (Continuum: London and New York, 2005); ''Faith Within Reason'' (Continuum: London and New York, 2007); and ''On Aquinas'' (Continuum: London and New York, 2008).
Bibliography
Books
* ''An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion'' (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1982)[Revised edition, 1993; 3rd edition 2003; 4th edition 2020; Korean translation, 1996; Romanian translation, 1996; Ukrainian translation, 1996; Hungarian translation, 1999; Polish translation 2006)]
* ''Thinking About God'' (Geoffrey Chapman: London, 1985)
* ''The Thought of Thomas Aquinas'' (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1992)
* ''Aquinas'' (Continuum: London and New York, 2002)
* ''Aquinas: An Introduction'' (Continuum: London and New York, 2003)
* ''The Reality of God and the Problem of Evil'' (Continuum: London and New York, 2006)
* ''Thomas Aquinas on God and Evil'' (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2011)
* ''Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologiae: A Guide and Commentary'' (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2014)
;Edited
* ''Language, Meaning and God: Essays in honour of Herbert McCabe O.P.'' (Geoffrey Chapman: London, 1987)
* With G.R. Evans, ''Anselm of Canterbury: The Major Works'' (Oxford University Press: Oxford,1998)
* ''Philosophy of Religion: A Guide to the Subject'' (Geoffrey Chapman: London, 1998)
* ''Philosophy of Religion: A Guide and Anthology'' (Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2000)
* ''The De Malo of Thomas Aquinas'' (tr. Richard Regan; ed., Introduction, and Notes Brian Davies) (Oxford University Press: New York and Oxford, 2001)
* ''Thomas Aquinas: Contemporary Philosophical Perspectives'' (Oxford University Press: New York and Oxford, 2002)
* With Brian Leftow
Brian Leftow (born 1956) is an American philosopher specializing in philosophy of religion, medieval philosophy, and metaphysics. He is the William P. Alston Professor for the Philosophy of Religion at Rutgers University. Previously, he held the N ...
, ''The Cambridge Companion to Anselm'' (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 2004)
* ''Aquinas's “Summa Theologiae”: Critical Essays'' (Rowman and Littlefield: Lanham, Boulder, New York, Toronto, Oxford, 2005)
* With Brian Leftow, ''Aquinas: “Summa Theologiae”, Questions on God'' (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge 2006)
* With Eleonore Stump, '' The Oxford Handbook of Aquinas'' (Oxford University Press, 2012)
Articles
*
———————
;Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Brian
1951 births
Living people
20th-century British philosophers
20th-century British Roman Catholic theologians
20th-century English Roman Catholic priests
21st-century British philosophers
21st-century English Roman Catholic priests
21st-century British Roman Catholic theologians
Academics of the University of Oxford
Alumni of King's College London
Alumni of the University of Bristol
Analytic philosophers
Catholic philosophers
English Dominicans
Fordham University faculty
New Blackfriars people
Philosophers of religion
Regents of Blackfriars, Oxford
Thomists