Not offered 2007-2008
PHIL 281 Philosophy of Religion (Same as Religion 281)
Our goal in this course will be to try to determine how far reason can justify belief in God. We will spend roughly half of the semester examining well-known philosophical arguments
for and against the existence of God (including the ontological argument, the cosmological
argument, the teleological argument, the argument from religious experience, the argument
from evil, and the argument from religious disagreement). In each case, we will consider
both historically important formulations and contemporary reformulations in an effort to
identify, and then assess, the strongest version of the argument.
After working through these arguments, we will reflect in a more general way on the proper
roles of reason and faith in religious belief, asking when it is appropriate to rely on faith and
why. In the final section of the course we will examine the relationship between God,
morality, and politics. Here we will consider whether God could be the foundation of morality and what role people's religious beliefs should play in political decision making. Our
tools in this course will be logic and reason, even when we are trying to determine what the
limits of reason might be. Authors will include Plato, Anselm, Aquinas, Pascal, Paley,
Hume, Kant, Kierkegaard, Freud, Marx, and several contemporary philosophers.
Format: lecture/discussion. Requirements: two take-home exams, and several shorter assignments; attendance and active participation in class discussion.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 25. (expected: 20-25). Preference to first years and sophomores interested in majoring in Philosophy.
BARRY