Peter Richard Haddow Forrest (born 1948) is an Australian philosopher.

Early life and education

Forrest was born in 1948 in

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

, England, and was educated at

Ampleforth College Ampleforth College is a co-educational independent day and boarding school in the English public school tradition located in the village of Ampleforth, North Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1802 as a boys' school, it is situated in the groun ...

. His undergraduate work was at

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the ...

, in mathematics, and he gained a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

(PhD) degree in mathematics from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. After moving to Australia he gained a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...

degree in philosophy at the

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College (University of Tasmania), Christ College, one of the unive ...

, then in 1984 a PhD degree at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public university, public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one o ...

, where he was influenced by philosophers David Stove and

David Armstrong David or Dave Armstrong may refer to: Politicians *David H. Armstrong (1812–1893), US Senator from Missouri * David L. Armstrong (1941–2017), American lawyer and politician * David Malet Armstrong (1926–2014), Australian philosopher * David ...

. He was Professor of Philosophy at the

University of New England University of New England may refer to: * University of New England (Australia), in New South Wales, with about 18,000 students * University of New England (United States), in Biddeford, Maine, with about 3,000 students See also *New England Colle ...

from 1987 to 2010.

Academic career

In the

philosophy of religion Philosophy of religion is "the philosophical examination of the central themes and concepts involved in religious traditions". Philosophical discussions on such topics date from ancient times, and appear in the earliest known Text (literary theo ...

, Forrest's books ''God Without the Supernatural'' and ''Developmental Theism'' defend a speculative view of God which resembles traditional

theism Theism is broadly defined as the belief in the existence of a supreme being or deities. In common parlance, or when contrasted with ''deism'', the term often describes the classical conception of God that is found in monotheism (also referred ...

in regarding God as an entity beyond the world, having creative powers, but also takes God not to violate natural laws and to develop from a state of pure power to a state of pure love. In the

philosophy of time 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. S ...

, Forrest defends the growing block theory, according to which the present and the past are real, but not the future. He is a Fellow of the

Australian Academy of the Humanities The Australian Academy of the Humanities was established by Royal Charter in 1969 to advance scholarship and public interest in the humanities in Australia. It operates as an independent not-for-profit organisation partly funded by the Austra ...

. He is married, with four children.

Books

* 1986, ''The Dynamics of Belief: A Normative Logic'', Oxford: Blackwell, ; * 1988, ''Quantum Metaphysics'', Oxford: Blackwell, ; * 1996,
God Without the Supernatural: A Defense of Scientific Theism
', Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press ; * 2007,
Developmental Theism: From Pure Will to Unbounded Love
', Oxford: Clarendon Press, ; * 2012,
The Necessary Structure of the All-Pervading Aether
', Frankfurt: Ontos Verlag, . * 2021,
Intellectual, Humanist and Religious Commitment: Acts of Assent
', London: Bloomsbury,

References

External links

Peter Forrest home pagePhilpapers listingCloser to Truth series of interviews
1948 births Living people People educated at Ampleforth College Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Australian philosophers Philosophers of religion University of Sydney alumni Academic staff of the University of New England (Australia) Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Fellows of the Australian Academy of the Humanities Philosophical theists {{reli-philo-bio-stub