Owen Anderson
Professor,
School of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies
Other ASU affiliations
Partnership for Community Development
Faculty Affiliate,
Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict
Instructor,
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
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ASU Tempe, AZ 85281
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Mail code: 2151Campus: West
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Student Information
Undergraduate StudentJewish Studies
The College of Lib Arts & Sci
Long Bio
Owen Anderson has been teaching philosophy and religious studies for 21 years and is a professor of philosophy and religious studies at Arizona State University. His research focuses on general revelation and related questions about reality, value, and knowledge. He has been a fellow at Princeton University, a visiting scholar at Princeton Seminary, and a fellow at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has published several books including "Job: A Philosophical Commentary" (2021) "The Declaration of Independence and God" (2015) and "The Natural Moral Law" (2013). He regularly teaches Philosophy of Religion, Introduction to Philosophy, Applied Ethics, World Religions, Western Religious Traditions, and Religion in America.
Education
- Ph.D. Philosophy, Arizona State University 2006
- M.A. Religious Studies, Arizona State University 2002
- M.A. Philosophy, Arizona State University 2000
- B.A. Philosophy (Magna Cum Laude), Arizona State University 1999
- B.A. History (Magna Cum Laude), Arizona State University 1999
Research Interests
Epistemology, the ethics of belief, intellectual history, religious pluralism.
Publications
- Owen Anderson. Reason and Faith at Early Princeton. (2014).
- . Christian Philosophers at the Secular University. (2014).
- Owen Anderson. Reason and Faith in the Theology of Charles Hodge: American Common Sense Reaslism. (2013).
- Owen Anderson. Native American Religion. American Indians at Risk (2013).
- religious leaders who have advocated and engaged in violence. Jeffrey Ian Ross and Owen Anderson. Religious Leadership: A Reference Handbook (2013).
- Owen Anderson. Augustine and the Ethics of Belief. New Blackfriars (2010).
- Owen Anderson. Normative Ethics. Ethics: A University Guide (2010).
- Anderson, Owen. Sacrifice, Animal. Encyclopedia of Religion and Violence (2008).
- Andeson, Owen. Philosophical Issues in Religion and Violence. Encyclopedia of Religion and Violence (2008).
- Anderson, Owen. Moral Objectivity and Responsibility in Ethics: A Socratic Response to Hume’s Legacy in the 20th Century. Heythrop Journal (2008).
- Owen Anderson. The Presuppositions of Religious Pluralism. Sophia (2008).
- Anderson, Owen. Reason and Worldviews: Warfield, Kuyper, Van Til and Plantinga on the Function of Apologetics. (2008).
- Anderson, Owen. The Clarity of God's Existence: The Ethics of Belief After the Enlightenment. (2008).
- Anderson, Owen. Evangelicals and the Crisis of Education. (2008).
- Owen Anderson. Charles Lyell, Uniformitarianism, and Interpretive Principles. Zygon: Journal of Science and Religion (2007).
- . . Review of: Altruism in World Religions (2007).
- . . Review of: American Providence: A Nation with a Mission (2007).
- . . Review of: The Spiritual Dimension: Religion, Philosophy and Human Value (2007).
- Anderson, Owen. Charles Lyell, Uniformitarianism, and Interpretive Principles. (Re)creating Science in Nineteenth-Century Britain: An Interdisciplinary Approach (2007).
- Anderson, Owen. Arguing about Gods. (2007).
- Anderson, Owen. Kant and the New Philosophy of Religion. (2007).
- Owen Anderson. Metaphysical Foundations for Natural Law. New Blackfriars (2006).
- . . Review of: A Concise Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Religion (2006).
- . . Review of: A Short Course in Christian Doctrine (2006).
- . . Review of: Hegel and Christian Theology (2006).
- . . Review of: In Defense of Natural Theology: A Post-Humean Assessment (2006).
- . . Review of: Patristic Theology (2006).
- Anderson, Owen. Deciphering Rabbinic Judaism. (2006).
- Anderson, Owen. Islamic Legal, Ethical, and Political Theory: The Search for the Good Society and the Moral Law. (2006).
- Anderson, Owen. Islamic Legal, Ethical, and Political Theory: The Search for the Good Society and the Moral Law. (2006).
- Anderson, Owen. Benjamin B. Warfield and Right Reason. (2005).
- . . Review of: Cultivating Citizenship (2005).
- . . Review of: The Death of God and the Meaning of Life (2005).
- . . Review of: The Good in the Right (2005).
- . . Review of: Varieties of Religious Experience and William James and a Science of Religions (2005).
- . . Review of: William James and a Science of Religions (2005).
- . . Review of: Darwin's God: Evolution and the Problem of Evil (2004).
- . . Review of: Does God Have a Future: A Debate on Divine Providence (2004).
- . . Review of: God's Book of Works: The Nature and the Theology of Nature (2004).
- . . Review of: Nathaniel Taylor, New Haven Theology, and the Legacy of Jonathan Edwards (2004).
- . . Review of: Reality: A Scientific Theology (2004).
- . . Review of: The Methodists and Revolutionary America, 1760-1800: The Shaping of an Evangelical Culture (2004).
- Anderson, Owen. Divine Foreknowledge and Freedom of the Will. (2004).
- Anderson, Owen. John Hick, Philosophy of Religion, and the Clarity of God's Existence. (2004).
- Anderson, Owen. New Books on Darwinism Look at the Religious and Rhetorical Aspects of Evolutionary Theory. (2004).
- . . Review of: America's God: From Jonathan Edwards to Abraham Lincoln (2003).
- . . Review of: Humble Apologetics (2003).
- . . Review of: Intelligent Design: Creationism and its Critics (2003).
- . . Review of: Morals from Motives (2003).
- . . Review of: Warrior Politics (2003).
- Anderson, Owen. Science and Faith: New Books with the same Skepticism. (2003).
- . . Review of: Darwin's God (2002).
- . . Review of: Facing Up: Science and its Cultural Adversaries (2002).
- . . Review of: Icons of Evolution (2002).
- . . Review of: The Edge of Meaning (2002).
- . . Review of: The God Who May Be (2002).
- . . Review of: Why God Won't Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief (2002).
- . . Review of: The Question of Christian Philosophy Today (2001).
- Owen Anderson. Quakers. Encyclopedia of Religion and Violence (0).
- Owen Anderson. South America. Encyclopedia of Religion and Violence (0).
- . . Review of: Agnostic Inquirer: Revelation from a Philosophical Standpoint (0).
- . . Review of: Revolutions in Worldview: Understanding the Flow of Western Thought (0).
Research Activity
- Anderson,Owen*. Science and Faith: Darwin's 200th Birthday. (6/10/2009 - 12/1/2009).
- Anderson,Owen*. Civil Discourse Through Public Debate. (6/14/2008 - 12/31/2008).
Courses
2026 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| REL 100 | Religions of the World |
| PHI 105 | Intro to Ethics |
2025 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| REL 100 | Religions of the World |
| IAS 450 | Issues in Death and Dying |
| IAS 450 | Issues in Death and Dying |
| PHI 450 | Issues in Death and Dying |
| REL 450 | Issues in Death and Dying |
| REL 493 | Honors Thesis |
2025 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| IAS 406 | Moral Dilemmas |
| PHI 406 | Moral Dilemmas |
| REL 321 | Religion in America |
| FOR 406 | Moral Dilemmas |
| MAS 598 | Special Topics |
2025 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| PHI 105 | Intro to Ethics |
| REL 100 | Religions of the World |
| REL 492 | Honors Directed Study |
2024 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| IAS 480 | Capstone/Practices/Approaches |
| REL 321 | Religion in America |
| IAS 450 | Issues in Death and Dying |
| IAS 450 | Issues in Death and Dying |
| PHI 450 | Issues in Death and Dying |
| REL 450 | Issues in Death and Dying |
2024 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| IAS 406 | Moral Dilemmas |
| PHI 406 | Moral Dilemmas |
| REL 321 | Religion in America |
| FOR 406 | Moral Dilemmas |
| MAS 598 | Special Topics |
2024 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| PHI 101 | Introduction to Philosophy |
| REL 321 | Religion in America |
2023 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| PHI 101 | Introduction to Philosophy |
| REL 321 | Religion in America |
2023 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| IAS 406 | Moral Dilemmas |
| PHI 406 | Moral Dilemmas |
| REL 321 | Religion in America |
| FOR 406 | Moral Dilemmas |
| MAS 598 | Special Topics |
2023 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| REL 321 | Religion in America |
| PHI 318 | Philosophy of Religion |
2022 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| PHI 101 | Introduction to Philosophy |
| IAS 480 | Capstone/Practices/Approaches |
| REL 321 | Religion in America |
2022 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| IAS 406 | Moral Dilemmas |
| PHI 406 | Moral Dilemmas |
| REL 321 | Religion in America |
| FOR 406 | Moral Dilemmas |
| MAS 598 | Special Topics |
2022 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| REL 321 | Religion in America |
| PHI 318 | Philosophy of Religion |
2021 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| PHI 101 | Introduction to Philosophy |
| PHI 318 | Philosophy of Religion |
Presentations
- Owen Anderson. Faith and Inexcusability. Evangelical Philosophical Association (Apr 2014).
- Owen Anderson. Natural Religion. American Philosophical Association Pacific Division (Mar 2013).
- Owen Anderson. Contemporary Solutions to the Problem of Evil: Nothing New Under the Sun. Annual Meeting (Apr 2012).
- Owen Anderson. Committee on Public Philosophy: Is there hope? Has Philosophy Contributed to Progress?. annual meeting (Jan 2012).
- Owen Anderson. Science and Religion. Arizona Humanities Council Road Scholar Presentation (Dec 2009).
- Owen Anderson. Oh My God. Arizona Foundation for Contemporary Theology (Dec 2009).
- Owen Anderson. Natural Law After Modernity. Critical Legal Theory Conference (Sep 2009).
- Anderson, Owen. Uncaused Events, Being From Non-Being, and the Responsibility for Clarity. Evangelical Philosophical Society (Nov 2007).
- Anderson, Owen. Is It Clear That God Exists?. Evengelical Philosophical Society Annual Meeting (Nov 2006).
- Anderson, Owen. Teaching Philosophy. PVCC Philosophy Club Guest Lecture
Service
- Committee For Campus Inclusion Funding, committee member (2014 - Present)
- Committee for Campus Inclusion, committee member (2014 - Present)
- Ratio Christi, Faculty advisor (2014 - Present)
- Sabbatical Committee, committee member (2014 - Present)
- Princeton University/James Madison Program, Presenter (2014 - Present)
- Scottish Common Sense Philosophy Conference, presenter (2014 - Present)
- James Madison Program, student seminar, presenter (2014 - Present)
- H-Net, H-Ideas editor (2014 - Present)
- Sophia, reviewer (2014 - Present)
- Evangelical Philosophical Society's "Secular Academy" project, Editor (2013 - Present)
- Cambridge University Press, Reviewer (2013 - Present)
- Centgage Learning, Academic reviewer of texts in World Religions (2013 - Present)
- Ratio Christi, Faculty Advisor (2013 - Present)
- Faculty Mentor Writing Program for First Year Composition program, faculty mentor (2013 - Present)
- Faculty Mentor Writing Program for First Year Composition program, faculty mentor (2012 - Present)
- Talbot School of Theology, Invited speaker (2010 - Present)
- HARCS Div. Curriculum committee, committee member (2010 - Present)
- HARCS Div. Curriculum committee, committee member (2010 - Present)
- New College Undergraduate Inquiry and Research Program, committee member (2010 - Present)
- New College Undergraduate Inquiry and Research Program, committee member (2010 - Present)
- Arizona Humanities Society, Roads Scholar (2010 - Present)
- American Academy of Religion, respondent (2010 - Present)
- James Allen Show, guest speaker (2009 - Present)
- Biola University, Guest speaker (2009 - Present)
- Religious Studies and Applied Ethics Club, Faculty Advisor (2009 - Present)
- American Philosophical Association, Chair, Natural Religion Study Group (2009 - Present)
- American Philosophical Association, Chair, Natural Religion Group (2009 - Present)
- New Blackfriars, Editorial Board (2009 - Present)
- Reviews In Religion and Theology, Editorial Board (2009 - Present)
- Sophia, reviewer (2009 - Present)
- James Allen Show, guest speaker (2009 - Present)
- OLEG, member (2009 - Present)
- OLEG, member (2008 - Present)
- Philosophical Frontiers, senior editor for the philosophy of religion (2008 - Present)
- Heythrop Journal, reviewer (2008 - Present)
- New Blackbriars, Editorial board member (2008 - Present)
- Sophia, reviewer (2008 - Present)
- Religious Studies and Applied Ethics Program, Student Attention and Retention (2006 - Present)
- Institue for Humanities Research, co-principal (2006 - Present)
- Religious Studies and Applied Ethics, member of committee (2006 - Present)
- Reviews in Religion and Theology, Regular Contributor (2004 - Present)
- American Philosophical Association, Committee of Public Philosophy (2012 - 2014)
- Arizona Humanities Society, Roads Scholar (2010 - 2013)
- American Philosophical Association, Committee of Public Philosophy (2010 - 2013)
- American Philosophical Society, Member of Public Philosophy Committee (2010 - 2013)
- American Philosophical Society, Chair, Natural Religion Study Group (2009 - 2012)
- New College Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, member (2011 - 2012)
- New College Curriculum Committee, member (2011 - 2011)
- Articulation Task Force, IAS representative for Philosophy (2007 - 2008)
- Articulation Task Force, representative for IAS religious studies (2006 - 2008)
- American Academy of Religion Western Region, Chair, ethics section (2007 - 2008)
- Philosophy Club, moderator (2007)
- Religious Studies and Applied Ethics Program, Co-principal (2006 - 2007)
- American Academy of Religion Western Region, Chair of Ethics Section (2005 - 2007)
- World Religions Panel Discussion: Common Ground, organizer/participant (2006 - 2006)
- Paradise Valley CC Philosophy Club, Faculty Advisor (2003 - 2004)
- Lifelong Learning Program, presenter (Present)
- Religion and Applied Ethics Forum Committee, member/moderator (Present)