Philosophy of Religion
In this course, we look at the most important classical problems in the Philosophy of Religion, from both a historical and a contemporary perspective. We consider whether we can meaningfully talk about God; how to think about religious belief in general; about whether God exists, and if so, what characteristics God may have. We will also look at the problem of evil, some issues is religious practices, and the connection (if any) between religion and morality.
Earlier Semesters
2023 Spring syllabus; course site (with slides, etc.)
Assignments, 2024 Spring
Class Schedule, 2024 Spring
| Date | Topic | Readings |
|---|---|---|
| 15/01 | Introduction; how to talk about God |
Maimonides, The Guide of the Perplexed, chs. 52–58 Swinburne, The Coherence of Theism, ch. 2 |
| 22/01 | Religious belief |
Clifford, "The Ethics of Belief" William James, "The Will to Believe" |
| 29/01 | Arguments for God's existence 1: The ontological argument |
Anselm, Proslogion, chs. 1–5 Gaunilo's reply to Anselm's argument |
| 05/02 | Arguments for God's existence 2: The cosmological argument |
Aquinas, Summa theologiae I.2.3 Rowe, "The Cosmological Argument" |
| 12/02 | No arguments? Wager! |
Pascal, Pensées, 233 Martin, "Pascal's Wager as an Argument for Not Believing in God" |
| 19/02 | Reading week | (No class) |
| 26/02 | Divine omniscience and human freedom |
Boethius, Consolation of Philosophy, V Pike, "Divine Omniscience and Voluntary Action" |
| 04/03 | Creation, East and West |
Aquinas, Summa theologiae I.45.1-2 Sim, "The Question of Being, Non-Being and 'Creation ex Nihilo' in Chinese Philosophy" |
| 11/03 | God and Evil |
Mackie, "Evil and Omnipotence" Stump, "The Problem of Evil: Analytic Philosophy and Narrative" |
| 18/03 | Religious practice and mysticism |
Marguerite of Porete, The Mirror of Simple Souls 131–138 Van Dyke, Hidden Wisdom, ch. 1 |
| 25/03 | Religion and morality |
Kant, Critique of Practical Reason V–VIII Nielsen, "Ethics without Religion" |