Seminar in Philosophy of Religion- Spring 2013
PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION
SPRING, 2013
The goal of this course is to introduce students to philosophical issues raised by the fundamental common claims of western religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam). Some introductory attention will be paid to non-western religions. The course has three major sections. The first considers the contrast between secular and religious views on a variety of topics. The second looks in a more detailed fashion at the meaning of major components of the religious world view. The final section considers special issues raised by the diversity of religions. The objective of each section is to promote critical reflection on the issues raised by that section.
There will be two major assignments in this course, an exam covering the first half of the course and an exam covering the second half of the course. There will also be a short assignment handed out at the end of January, primarily designed to give you some early feedback on how well you are doing. The two majors exams will count equally (45%) to determining your grade, while the short assignment will count only 10%,
In preparing for the exams, you may review the material with your fellow students and consult the readings and your notes. You can do none of that once you open the exam. These are closed book exams.
The syllabus below contains links to all of the readings. My plan is to use material in the public domain, obtainable through the web, so as to avoid the cost of textbooks and so as to maximize my flexibility in choosing the best material that I can find for use in this course.
I will usually be in my office all day on Wednesdays. You can always reach me by email at [email protected] , and you can reach Chris Dohna, the TA, at [email protected] Chris and I will meet individually with students who do poorly on the short assignment to identify problems and solutions. . I will meet with all of you after the midterm is handed back to review your progress in the course.
TOPICS AND READINGS FOR PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION
Unit I- Traditional Theism versus Secularism
January 8- Overview
A Secular Overview
http://www.americanhumanist.org/Humanism/Humanist_Manifesto_I
Three Religious Credos
http://www.ou.org/torah/rambam.htm
http://www.creeds.net/rcc/credo_paul6.htm
http://d1.islamhouse.com/data/en/ih_books/single/en_The_Muslim_Creed_Aqeedatut-Tahaawiyyah.pdf
January 10- Theistic Views of the Existence of the Universe Thomas Aquinas, The Cosmological Argument
http://www.newadvent.org/summa/1002.htm
Big Bang and the Cosmological Argument
http://www.leaderu.com/truth/3truth11.html
January 15 – SecularViews of the Existence of the Universe
Two Humanist Discussions of the Origin of the Universe
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/cosmological-argument/
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/cosmology-theology/
January 17 - Theistic Views of Order and Harmony in the Universe
Paley, The Teleological Argument
http://philosophyfaculty.ucsd.edu/faculty/rarneson/Courses/1philreadingpaley.pdf
Davis, DAVIS
Davis, The Design Argument, Cosmic Fine-Tuning and the Anthropic Principle
http://www.springerlink.com/content/k110746744q55526/fulltext.pdf
January 22- SecularViews of Order and Harmony in the Universe
Walker and Circovic, Astrophysical Fine Tuning, Naturalismand the Contemporary Design Argument
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02698590600960945
January 24 – Secular Views of Evil as a Challenge to Theism
Russell, The Persistent Problem of Evil
http://www.pdcnet.org.ezproxy.rice.edu/collection/authorizedshow?id=faithphil_1989_0006_0002_0121_0139&pdfname=faithphil_1989_0006_0002_0003_0021.pdf&file_
January 29 – Theistic Responses to that Challenge
Stump, The Problem of Evil
http://www.pdcnet.org.ezproxy.rice.edu/collection/authorizedshow?id=faithphil_1985_0002_0004_0392_0423&pdfname=faithphil_1985_0002_0004_0064_0095.pdf&file_
Adams and Sutherland, Horrendous Evils and the Goodness of God
http://punzel.org/ReligionF11/Adams-HorrendousEvils.pdf
January 31 – Conflicting Views on Faith
The Clifford-James Debate
http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/w_k_clifford/ethics_of_belief.html
http://educ.jmu.edu//~omearawm/ph101willtobelieve.html
February 5- Theistic Views of the Mind and Body and the Meaning of Death
Overview of Views of Survival
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/afterlife/
February 7 – Secular Views of the Mind and Body and the Meaning of Death
Kaufman, Death without Dread
http://taimur.org/kaufmann/death-without-dread/
Nagel, Death
http://www.jstor.org/stable/2214297
.
February 12 –A Theistic Accounts of Morality
Thomas Aquinas, The Natural Law
http://www.newadvent.org/summa/2.htm (questions 90-97)
\February 14 – A Secular Account of Morality
Haidt, Moral Psychology and the Misunderstanding of Religion
http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/haidt07/haidt07_index.html (read the follow up material linked at the bottom of the article)
February 19 - Do Human Beings Have a Special Moral Status? A Debate
Singer, Speciesism and Moral Status
http://ps4ps6lm2r.scholar.serialssolutions.com/?sid=google&auinit=P&aulast=Singer&atitle=Speciesism+and+moral+status&id=doi:10.1111/j.1467-9973.2009.01608.x&title=Metaphilosophy&volume=40&issue=3%E2%80%904&date=2009&spage=567&issn=0026-1068
Fletcher, In God’s Image
http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/1123550
February 21 – Review Session
LAST WEEK OF FEBRUARY—SPRING BREAK
Unit II- Conceptual Issues in Traditional Theistic Belief
March 5- God as Eternal vs Everlasting
Sturch, The Problem of Divine Eternity
http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/20005211.pdf
March 7- - Creation in Time
Craig, God and the Beginning of Time
http://www.leaderu.com/offices/billcraig/docs/time.html
March 12-14-Foreknowledge and Freedom
Rowe, Predestination, Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom
http://spot.colorado.edu/~heathwoo/phil1600/rowe.pdf
Hall and Sanders, A Debate on Divine Providence
http://www.bakerbooks.com/media/mediamanager/hall.future.pdf
March 19- Miracles
Hume on Miracles
http://www.bartleby.com/37/3/14.html
The Purported Miracles at Lourdes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lourdes_Medical_Bureau
March 21 Petitionary Prayers
Young, Petitioning God
http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/20009534.pdf?acceptTC=true
Stump, Petitionary Prayer
http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/20009745.pdf?acceptTC=true
Unit III- DIVERSITY OF RELIGIONS AND INTERRELIGIOUS RESPECT
.
.MARCH 26- Buddhism (I)
March 28 No Class
APRIL 2: Buddhism (II)
APRIL 4 Religious Pluralism as a Response to Diversity
Two Presentations of Hick’s Pluralism
http://www.johnhick.org.uk/article2.pdf
http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/20005778
APRIL 9- Respect as a Response to Diversity
http://www.law.uchicago.edu/files/file/275.bl_.liberty.pdf
April 11- Toleration as a Response to Diversity
Mill on tolerating a diversity of opinions
http://www.utilitarianism.com/ol/two.html
APRIL 16- Limits of Toleration and Respect
A debate on the Danish cartoon controversy (some may find one paragraph in the O’Leary article offensive in its very negative image of Islam-feel free to skip the entire article if you prefer to do so)
http://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/socialchange/research/social-change/summer-workshops/documents/thedanishcartoonaffair.pdf
.
APRIL 18- Review Session
SPRING, 2013
The goal of this course is to introduce students to philosophical issues raised by the fundamental common claims of western religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam). Some introductory attention will be paid to non-western religions. The course has three major sections. The first considers the contrast between secular and religious views on a variety of topics. The second looks in a more detailed fashion at the meaning of major components of the religious world view. The final section considers special issues raised by the diversity of religions. The objective of each section is to promote critical reflection on the issues raised by that section.
There will be two major assignments in this course, an exam covering the first half of the course and an exam covering the second half of the course. There will also be a short assignment handed out at the end of January, primarily designed to give you some early feedback on how well you are doing. The two majors exams will count equally (45%) to determining your grade, while the short assignment will count only 10%,
In preparing for the exams, you may review the material with your fellow students and consult the readings and your notes. You can do none of that once you open the exam. These are closed book exams.
The syllabus below contains links to all of the readings. My plan is to use material in the public domain, obtainable through the web, so as to avoid the cost of textbooks and so as to maximize my flexibility in choosing the best material that I can find for use in this course.
I will usually be in my office all day on Wednesdays. You can always reach me by email at [email protected] , and you can reach Chris Dohna, the TA, at [email protected] Chris and I will meet individually with students who do poorly on the short assignment to identify problems and solutions. . I will meet with all of you after the midterm is handed back to review your progress in the course.
TOPICS AND READINGS FOR PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION
Unit I- Traditional Theism versus Secularism
January 8- Overview
A Secular Overview
http://www.americanhumanist.org/Humanism/Humanist_Manifesto_I
Three Religious Credos
http://www.ou.org/torah/rambam.htm
http://www.creeds.net/rcc/credo_paul6.htm
http://d1.islamhouse.com/data/en/ih_books/single/en_The_Muslim_Creed_Aqeedatut-Tahaawiyyah.pdf
January 10- Theistic Views of the Existence of the Universe Thomas Aquinas, The Cosmological Argument
http://www.newadvent.org/summa/1002.htm
Big Bang and the Cosmological Argument
http://www.leaderu.com/truth/3truth11.html
January 15 – SecularViews of the Existence of the Universe
Two Humanist Discussions of the Origin of the Universe
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/cosmological-argument/
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/cosmology-theology/
January 17 - Theistic Views of Order and Harmony in the Universe
Paley, The Teleological Argument
http://philosophyfaculty.ucsd.edu/faculty/rarneson/Courses/1philreadingpaley.pdf
Davis, DAVIS
Davis, The Design Argument, Cosmic Fine-Tuning and the Anthropic Principle
http://www.springerlink.com/content/k110746744q55526/fulltext.pdf
January 22- SecularViews of Order and Harmony in the Universe
Walker and Circovic, Astrophysical Fine Tuning, Naturalismand the Contemporary Design Argument
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02698590600960945
January 24 – Secular Views of Evil as a Challenge to Theism
Russell, The Persistent Problem of Evil
http://www.pdcnet.org.ezproxy.rice.edu/collection/authorizedshow?id=faithphil_1989_0006_0002_0121_0139&pdfname=faithphil_1989_0006_0002_0003_0021.pdf&file_
January 29 – Theistic Responses to that Challenge
Stump, The Problem of Evil
http://www.pdcnet.org.ezproxy.rice.edu/collection/authorizedshow?id=faithphil_1985_0002_0004_0392_0423&pdfname=faithphil_1985_0002_0004_0064_0095.pdf&file_
Adams and Sutherland, Horrendous Evils and the Goodness of God
http://punzel.org/ReligionF11/Adams-HorrendousEvils.pdf
January 31 – Conflicting Views on Faith
The Clifford-James Debate
http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/w_k_clifford/ethics_of_belief.html
http://educ.jmu.edu//~omearawm/ph101willtobelieve.html
February 5- Theistic Views of the Mind and Body and the Meaning of Death
Overview of Views of Survival
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/afterlife/
February 7 – Secular Views of the Mind and Body and the Meaning of Death
Kaufman, Death without Dread
http://taimur.org/kaufmann/death-without-dread/
Nagel, Death
http://www.jstor.org/stable/2214297
.
February 12 –A Theistic Accounts of Morality
Thomas Aquinas, The Natural Law
http://www.newadvent.org/summa/2.htm (questions 90-97)
\February 14 – A Secular Account of Morality
Haidt, Moral Psychology and the Misunderstanding of Religion
http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/haidt07/haidt07_index.html (read the follow up material linked at the bottom of the article)
February 19 - Do Human Beings Have a Special Moral Status? A Debate
Singer, Speciesism and Moral Status
http://ps4ps6lm2r.scholar.serialssolutions.com/?sid=google&auinit=P&aulast=Singer&atitle=Speciesism+and+moral+status&id=doi:10.1111/j.1467-9973.2009.01608.x&title=Metaphilosophy&volume=40&issue=3%E2%80%904&date=2009&spage=567&issn=0026-1068
Fletcher, In God’s Image
http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/1123550
February 21 – Review Session
LAST WEEK OF FEBRUARY—SPRING BREAK
Unit II- Conceptual Issues in Traditional Theistic Belief
March 5- God as Eternal vs Everlasting
Sturch, The Problem of Divine Eternity
http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/20005211.pdf
March 7- - Creation in Time
Craig, God and the Beginning of Time
http://www.leaderu.com/offices/billcraig/docs/time.html
March 12-14-Foreknowledge and Freedom
Rowe, Predestination, Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom
http://spot.colorado.edu/~heathwoo/phil1600/rowe.pdf
Hall and Sanders, A Debate on Divine Providence
http://www.bakerbooks.com/media/mediamanager/hall.future.pdf
March 19- Miracles
Hume on Miracles
http://www.bartleby.com/37/3/14.html
The Purported Miracles at Lourdes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lourdes_Medical_Bureau
March 21 Petitionary Prayers
Young, Petitioning God
http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/20009534.pdf?acceptTC=true
Stump, Petitionary Prayer
http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/20009745.pdf?acceptTC=true
Unit III- DIVERSITY OF RELIGIONS AND INTERRELIGIOUS RESPECT
.
.MARCH 26- Buddhism (I)
March 28 No Class
APRIL 2: Buddhism (II)
APRIL 4 Religious Pluralism as a Response to Diversity
Two Presentations of Hick’s Pluralism
http://www.johnhick.org.uk/article2.pdf
http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/20005778
APRIL 9- Respect as a Response to Diversity
http://www.law.uchicago.edu/files/file/275.bl_.liberty.pdf
April 11- Toleration as a Response to Diversity
Mill on tolerating a diversity of opinions
http://www.utilitarianism.com/ol/two.html
APRIL 16- Limits of Toleration and Respect
A debate on the Danish cartoon controversy (some may find one paragraph in the O’Leary article offensive in its very negative image of Islam-feel free to skip the entire article if you prefer to do so)
http://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/socialchange/research/social-change/summer-workshops/documents/thedanishcartoonaffair.pdf
.
APRIL 18- Review Session