Meta

Meta chronicles the journey of Andrew Murtagh and Adam Lee in their uncommon exchange turned friendship. Why is there something rather than nothing? Does God exist? What of goodness, free will, and consciousness - what is the ultimate nature of reality and how does that extend into the public square? In this treatise, two young corporate professionals aim to change the way the discussion is being had from the vantage points of Christianity and atheism. Is theism or atheism more compelling? If theism, why Christianity? Did Jesus even exist? After theism/atheism, then what? What is the good life? Is morality objective? What does abortion, education, and healthcare look like in the just city? Embarking on a quest for truth on the big questions, their worldviews clash in a philosophical tour de force. In their discord, a blossoming friendship; in their agreement, vows to change the world...Andrew Murtagh and Adam Lee provide a model of how conversations in day-to-day life can be touched by the philosophical spirit--one that seeks actual reasons for accepting or rejecting various claims, that acknowledges the limitations of one's own perspective, and that is open to altering one's views in the evolving endeavor to discern what is true and to order one's life accordingly... Meta provides a refreshing break from philosophy written in the professional mode. It is clear, accessible, and relevant. It represents the kind of attitude that those of us who practice philosophy professionally hope to embody in our research, and that we hope will rub off on our students.-- William Jaworski, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Fordham University, author of Structure and Metaphysics of Mind Meta is a welcome contribution to the philosophical literature. It is not written by professional philosophers, but by two friends who take seriously Socrates' dictum that the unexamined life is not worth living. In this lies both its charm and its significance, for the authors, Andrew Murtagh and Adam Lee, provide a model of how conversations in day-to-day life can be touched by the philosophical spirit. --Randal Rauser, from the ForewordPerhaps you have grown tired of scholarly dialogues that regularly lose the audience in technicalities, or where opponents scream over each other so neither can be heard. If you enjoy dialogues but refuse to pay these prices, try this discussion between Andrew Murtagh (a Christian) and Adam Lee (an atheist). They befriended each other, stay kind throughout, and actually talk like they are buddies. As they wade through one important and technical topic after another, they use the verbiage that lay people (like themselves) understand. Check it out. It just may be your cup of tea!--Gary R. Habermas, Distinguished Research Professor and Chair, Department of Philosophy, Liberty Baptist Theological SeminaryAndrew Murtagh and Adam Lee are both corporate professionals, authors, and activists. Andrew's background is in biomedical engineering and he works in the med tech industry; Adam a software engineer working in that sector. In their free time, both blog at Patheos on the big questions; Andrew at Soapbox Redemption, Adam at Daylight Atheism. Andrew is the author of Proof of Divine (2013), Adam the author of Daylight Atheism (2012). In their theological discord, they became friends, and have teamed up to end human trafficking.