PHS 508 Compendium of Scholastic Philosophy II Spring 2016 Fr. Michel Legault, M.S.A

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1. COURSE DESCRIPTION PHS 508 Compendium of Scholastic Philosophy II Spring 2016 Fr. Michel Legault, M.S.A. mlegault@holyapostles.

1 1. COURSE DESCRIPTION PHS 508 Compendium of Scholastic Philosophy II Spring 2016 Fr. Michel Legault, M.S.A This course provides a philosophical survey of the Scholastic Philosophy, especially the Aristotelian-Thomistic approach to main philosophical questions. Topics include the elements of metaphysics (being, transcendentals, substance and subsistence, causality), epistemology (knowledge, truth and falsity, evidence and certitude), natural theology (proofs of God s existence, God s essence, entitative and operative attributes, divine causality, the problem of evil), and ethics (moral philosophy, the human act, the ends of human act, voluntarity and involuntarity, morality and responsibility, law and right reason, the life of virtue, justice and rights). 2. ENVISIONED LEARNING OUTCOMES Students will demonstrate a sufficient, though elementary, knowledge of the principal teachings of Aristotle and Saint Thomas about metaphysical questions, epistemological issues, main notions of natural theology and ethics. Students will articulate this information through active class participation and testing through examinations. Students will demonstrate an acquisition of a rich vocabulary and the important notions which will enable them study philosophy and theology more fruitfully. 3. COURSE SCHEDULE The program to be covered is the following: Metaphysics Being and necessity of analogy in the study of being The transcendentals Principles of being, act and potency, essence and existence Substance, subsistence and person Causality Metaphysics as wisdom 1

2 Epistemology Nature of knowledge Knowledge and consciousness Truth and falsity Evidence and certitude Natural Theology Participation and the act of being Analogy of attribution and proportionality Proofs of God s existence God s essence, and entitative and operative attributes God s Providence and omnipotence Divine causality, creation and divine conservation Divine concurrence and human freedom The problem of evil Ethics Moral philosophy Nature and subject of ethics, The human act, habit, virtue and vice, An analysis of the human act: end, means and execution Voluntariness actual, virtual, habitual and interpretative intention, foreseen consequences of voluntary acts, modifiers of voluntariness (ignorance, passion, fear, force, habit) Morality and responsibility The sources of morality: the act itself, the end (motives) and the circumstances The principle of double effect Law and right reason nature of law, principles of morality, law and freedom, Kind of laws: divine, human, civil, natural and eternal law The life of virtue cardinal virtues intellectual virtues Justice and right: commutative, general or legal, and distributive justice, natural rights, rights and duties, components of a right, right and might, opinions of Kant, Hobbes, Rousseau and Hegel, conflict of rights and duties The numbers correspond to the paragraphs of the text book: of Fr. William A. Wallace, O.P. The Elements of Philosophy, A Compendium for Philosophers and Theologians. 2

3 Lectures Week Jan. 12 Week Jan. 19 Outline of Topics Pages Wallace Chapter 5. Metaphysics #30. Metaphysics #31. Being #32. Transcendentals #33. Principles of being Subject Week Jan. 26 Week Feb. 2 Week Feb. 9 Week Feb. 16 Week Feb. 23 Week 8 Mar. 2 SPRING March 9 BREAK Week Mar. 16 Week Mar. 22 Week Mar. 29 Week Apr. 5 Week Apr. 12 Week Apr. 19 Week 15 Apr #34. Substance and Subsistence #35. Causality #36. Wisdom Chapter 6. Epistemology #37. Epistemology #38. Knowledge #39. Truth and Falsity #40. Evidence and Certitude Chapter 7. Natural Theology #41. Natural Theology #42. Participation and the Act of Being #43. Proofs of God s Existence (St. Thomas, Summa. Third article, Whether God exists? (text ad hoc). #44. God s Essence and Attributes R. Garrigou-Lagrange, Synthesis of St. Thomas Demonstration (text ad hoc) Assignments Take-Home exam Mid-Term Examination on Metaphysics and Epistemology (weeks 1 5) No Class #45. Entitative Attributes #46. Operative Attributes #47. Divine Causality #48. The Problem of Evil Chapter 8. Ethics #49. Moral Philosophy #50. The Human Act #51. The End of Human Action #52. Voluntarity and Involuntarity #53. Morality and Responsibility #54. Law and Right Reason #55. The Life of Virtue #56. Justice and Rights Final Examination on Philosophy of God and Ethics 4. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Class attendance and active participation in the course: 10% Mid-Term examination: 40% Final examination: 40% 3

4 Reflection Paper (2 or 3 pages) on a subject taken from Philosophy of God or Ethics: 10% 5. REQUIRED READINGS and RESOURCES: William A. Wallace, O.P. The Elements of Philosophy, A Compendium for Philosophers and Theologians. New York, Alba House, p. ISBN $ SUGGESTED READINGS and RESOURCES: Metaphysics and Epistemology Benignus, F.S.C., Nature, Knowledge and God, An Introduction to Thomistic Philosophy. Milwaukee, The Bruce Publishing Company, pages. George P. Klubertanz, S.J., The Philosophy of Human Nature. New York, Appleton-Century- Crofts, Inc., pages Gerard Smith, S.J. Metaphysics New York, 5 th printing. The Macmillan Company, p. Natural Theology Aquinas, St. Thomas, Treatise on God. Texts Selected and Translated by James F. Anderson. Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall, Inc., p. Robert J. Spitzer S.J., New Proofs for the Existence of God: Contributions of Contemporary Physics and Philosophy, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan ISNB (19.04$) Jules A. Baisnee, S.S., Readings in Natural theology, Selected with Introduction and Commentary. Coll. The College Readings Series, No.7. Westminster, Maryland, The Newman Press p. Celestine, N. Bittle, O.F.M. Cap., God and His Creatures, Theodicy. Milwaukee, The Bruce Publishing Company p. Bernardino Bonansea, M., O.F.M., God and Atheism: A Philosophical Approach to the Problem of God. Washington, D.C., The Catholic University of America Press, p. R. Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P., God, His Existence and His Nature. A Thomistic Solution of Certain Agnostic Antinomies. Translated from French by Dom Bede Rose, O.S.B. Vol. I. 7 th printing. St. Louis, Mo. B. Herder Book Co p. Brother Benignus Gerrity, F.S.C., Nature, Knowledge and God, An Introduction to Thomistic Philosophy. The Bruce Publishing Company, Milwaukee p. Etienne Gilson, God and Philosophy. 3 rd edition. New Haven Yale University Press., p 4

5 Etienne Gilson, The Christian Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas. Translated from French by L.K. Shooks. C.S.B. New York, Random House p. Charles Hartshorne and William L. Reese, Philosophers Speak of God. Chicago, The University of Chicago Press, p. Maurice R. Holloway, S.J., An Introduction to Natural Theology. New York, Appleton- Century-Crofts, Inc., p. Msgr. Regis Jolivet, The God of Reason, translated from French by Dom Mark Pontifex. Hawthorn Books Publishers, New York p. E. D. Klemke, To Believe or Not To Believe: Readings in the Philosophy of Religion. New York, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers, p. Bernard Lonergan, S.J., Philosophy of God, and Theology. Philadelphia, The Westminster Press, p. Jacques Maritain, Approach to God. Translated by Peter O Reilly. Collection Word Perspectives, vol. 1. New York, Harper & Brothers Publishers, p. Jacques Maritain, God and The Permission of Evil. Milwaukee, The Bruce Publishing Company, p. John Francis McCormick, S.J., Scholastic Metaphysics, Part II, Natural Theology. Chicago, Loyola University Press, p. Henri Renard, S.J., The Philosophy of God. Milwaukee, The Bruce Publishing Company, p. Gerard Smith, S.J., Natural Theology, Metaphysics II. New York, 5 th printing. The Macmillan Company, p. Fernand van Steengerghen, Hidden God; How Do We Know That God Exists? Translated from French by Theodore Crowley, O.F.M. Saint Louis, B. Herder Book Co., p. Bernard Turrel, S.J., Bernard Lonergan s Philosophy of God. Notre Dame, Indiana, University of Notre Dame Press p. Ethics Celestine N.Bittle, Man and Morals, Ethics. Milwaukee, The Bruce Publishing Co. Austin, Fagothey, S.J. Right and Reason. Ethics in Theory and Practice. Reviewed by Milton A. Gonsalves, S.J. New York, Prentice-Hall. Austin Fagothey, Right and Reason an Anthology. St. Louis, The C.V. Mosby Co. Thomas J. Higgins, S.J. Man as Man. The Science and Art of Ethics. Milwaukee, Bruce Publishing Co. 5

6 Jacques Maritain. Moral philosophy; a Historical and Critical Survey of the Great Systems. New York, Scribner. Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics. St. Thomas Aquinas. Commentary on Aristotle s Nicomachean Ethics, translated by C.I. Litzinger, O.P. Notre Dame, Ind. Dumb Ox Books. 7. EVALUATION GRADING SCALE: A ; A ; B ; B 84-86; B ; C ; C 74-76; C D 60-69; F 59 and below Grading Rubric for the oral exams and personal reflection CONTENT 1 (F) 2 (D) 3 (C) 4 (B) 5 (A) Absence of Understanding Posting shows no awareness of the concepts addressed in the topic by shifting off-topic Misunderstanding Posting demonstrates a misunderstanding of the basic concepts addressed in the topic through an inability to reexplain them Adequate Understanding Posting demonstrates an adequate understanding of the basic concepts addressed in the topic by a reexplanation of them Solid understanding Posting demonstrates an understanding of the basic concepts addressed in the topic and uses that understanding effectively in the examples it provides Insightful understanding Posting demonstrates an understanding of the basic concepts of the topic through the use of examples and by making connections to other concepts RESEARCH 1 (F) 2 (D) 3 (C) 4 (B) 5 (A) Missing Research Paper shows no evidence of research: citation of sources missing. Inadequate research and/or documentation Over-reliance on few sources; poor quality of chosen sources; spotty Adequate research and documentation but needs improvement Good choice of sources but could Solid research and documentation A number of relevant scholarly sources revealing solid research; sources Excellent critical research and documentation Critically selected and relevant scholarly sources demonstrating 6

7 documentation of facts in text; pattern of citation errors. be improved with some additions or better selection; did not always cite sources; too many citation errors. appropriately referenced in paper; only a few minor citation errors. extensive, in-depth research; sources skillfully incorporated into paper at all necessary points; all citations follow standard bibliographic format. 8. DISABILITIES ACCOMMODATIONS POLICY Holy Apostles College & Seminary is committed to the goal of achieving equal educational opportunities and full participation in higher education for persons with disabilities who qualify for admission to the College. Students enrolled in oncampus courses who have documented disabilities requiring special accommodations should contact Bob Mish, the Disability Resource Center ADA Coordinator, at rmish@holyapostles.edu or In all cases, reasonable accommodations will be made to ensure that all students with disabilities have access to course materials in a mode in which they can receive them. 9. ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY Students at Holy Apostles College & Seminary are expected to practice academic honesty. Avoiding Plagiarism In its broadest sense, plagiarism is using someone else's work or ideas, presented or claimed as your own. At this stage in your academic career, you should be fully conscious of what it means to plagiarize. This is an inherently unethical activity because it entails the uncredited use of someone else's expression of ideas for another's personal advancement; that is, it entails the use of a person merely as a means to another person s ends. Students, where applicable: Should identify the title, author, page number/webpage address, and publication date of works when directly quoting small portions of texts, articles, interviews, or websites. Students should not copy more than two paragraphs from any source as a major component of papers or projects. Should appropriately identify the source of information when paraphrasing (restating) ideas from texts, interviews, articles, or websites. Should follow the Holy Apostles College & Seminary Stylesheet (available on the Online Writing Lab s website at Consequences of Academic Dishonesty: Because of the nature of this class, academic dishonesty is taken very seriously. Students participating in academic dishonesty may be removed from the course and from the program. 7

10. ATTENDANCE POLICY Students are expected to attend class during its scheduled times. Excessive absence may result in a lowered course grade. 11.

8 10. ATTENDANCE POLICY Students are expected to attend class during its scheduled times. Excessive absence may result in a lowered course grade. 11. INCOMPLETE POLICY An Incomplete is a temporary grade assigned at the discretion of the faculty member. It is typically allowed in situations in which the student has satisfactorily completed major components of the course and has the ability to finish the remaining work without re-enrolling, but has encountered extenuating circumstances, such as illness, that prevent his or her doing so prior to the last day of class. To request an incomplete, distance-learning students must first download a copy of the Incomplete Request Form. This document is located within the Shared folder of the Files tab in Populi. Secondly, students must fill in any necessary information directly within the PDF document. Lastly, students must send their form to their professor via for approval. Approval should be understood as the professor responding to the student s in favor of granting the Incomplete status of the student. Students receiving an Incomplete must submit the missing course work by the end of the sixth week following the semester in which they were enrolled. An incomplete grade (I) automatically turns into the grade of F if the course work is not completed. Students who have completed little or no work are ineligible for an incomplete. Students who feel they are in danger of failing the course due to an inability to complete course assignments should withdraw from the course. A W (Withdrawal) will appear on the student s permanent record for any course dropped after the end of the first week of a semester to the end of the third week. A WF (Withdrawal/Fail) will appear on the student s permanent record for any course dropped after the end of the third week of a semester and on or before the Friday before the last week of the semester. 12. ABOUT YOUR PROFESSOR Father Michel Legault, priest of the Society of the Missionaries of the Holy Apostles 8

9 Life and activities Born in Montreal in 1935, Fr. Michel Legault studied first to become a teacher in the Province of Quebec, Canada. He taught 13 years as a Brother of Christian Instruction in public primary schools ( ) and private secondary schools ( ) [physics, chemistry, mathematics, Latin, Philosophy and music]. From 1964 to 1967, he taught philosophy in Normal School (College) in La Prairie, QC. In 1967, he entered the Society of the Holy Apostles and studied theology at St. Paul University in Ottawa. While studying theology, he taught General Ethics and Social Ethics at Ottawa University. He was elected as representative of the students on the Senate of Saint Paul University. In , he spent one year at the Institut d Études sociales of Institut Catholique de Paris. He was ordained a priest on July 10, Then he taught philosophy, sciences and music while being dean of studies at Holy Apostles Seminary, in Otele, Cameroon ( ). From 1982 to 1984, he completed his doctoral dissertation (The Philosophy of Education of UNESCO) at Institut Catholique de Paris. In August 1984, he was elected on the general council of this religious family. During his sojourn in Montreal he taught philosophy at Saint John Vianney College and was the director of the Vocational Residence (students discerning for priesthood and religious life). He returned to Cameroon from 1988 to He was rector of Holy Apostles Seminary in Otele. He founded a Seminary of Philosophy for the religious of Central Africa, Institut de Philosophie Saint-Joseph-Mukasa. He organized the propaedeutic year of spiritual formation before the Major Seminary for the Ecclesiastical Province of Yaoundé. He was one of the first teachers of philosophy who opened the Faculty of philosophy at Catholic University of Central Africa (Yaounde, Cameroon), and he initiated the teaching of Philosophy of Education and Pedagogy at the same University. Since 1998, Fr. Michel teaches philosophy at Holy Apostles College and Seminary, in Cromwell, Connecticut. Studies Baccalaureate of Arts (University of Montreal) Baccalaureate in Education (University of Montreal) Baccalaureate in Theology (University St. Paul, Ottawa) Licentiate in Philosophy (University of Ottawa) Master in Philosophy (Institut Catholique de Paris) Master in Divinity (Holy Apostles College and Seminary) Doctorate in Philosophy (Institut Catholique de Paris) Studies in Sociology (Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. and Institut d Études sociales, Paris) Publications La conception démocratique de l'éducation : John Dewey dans Démocratie et éducation] Yaoundé, Cameroun : Presses de l'université catholique d'afrique centrale, [2002] 9

10 Pour une philosophie de l éducation, Cahiers Jacques Maritain, no 14, Déc. 1986, pages 5-58 Une éducation libérale pour la démocratie: Jacques Maritain : pour une philosophie de l'éducation, Presses de l Université catholique de l Afrique centrale (Yaoundé, Cameroun), 2002, 62 pages Communication at the symposium on Jacques Maritain, Montréal, 1988, Métaphysique et éducation 10

PHS 415 Philosophy of God

PHS 415 Philosophy of God Spring 2016 Instructor Michel Legault legaultmsa@hotmail.com 860-632-3082 1. COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is a philosophical investigation of the human knowledge about God and