Phil 841- Science and Religion Fall 2016 Course # office hours: MWF, 12pm-1pm, and by appointment. Course Description: Texts

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1 Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 3-3:50pm Room: Biddle 252 Instructor: Dr. Derek Leben Phil 841- Science and Religion Fall 2016 Course #29319 office hours: MWF, 12pm-1pm, and by appointment 223B Biddle Hall Course Description: This course will address the question: what is the relationship between science and religion? The content will be divided into three units. The first unit will compare arguments for the following positions about science and religion: they are either (1) mutually supportive, (2) completely unrelated, or (3) incompatible. The second unit will consider specific topics where science and religion have historically clashed: the creation of the universe, the nature of mind, historical claims, ethics, and the question of design in nature. Finally, the third unit will focus on debates surrounding the foundations of both scientific methods and religious faith. Texts Science and Religion: A Historical Introduction ed. Gary Gerngren Rocks of Ages by Faith vs. Fact by God: The Failed Hypothesis by Attendance and Participation (5%) Presentations (10%) Paper 1 (35%) Paper 2 (35%) Final Exam (15%) Requirements: Note: The total points tally on courseweb does NOT take these weights into account. If you want to keep track of your grade, take the percent signs off all the numbers above and multiply your percentage on each assignment by that number, then add those numbers up and divide by 100 (or the current total possible points, whichever is lower).

2 Presentations: Every class, a student will start the discussion by summarizing the readings for that day Presentations can be around 5 minutes; just a basic summary Presentations will be on a rotating roster in alphabetical order (last name) Graded on a 1-0 basis: all competent presentations will get full credit, but if you miss your presentation you will get a 0, and it cannot be made up. Papers: Papers must be ed to: lebenphilosophy@gmail.com Late papers will be assessed a one-third-grade penalty per day (a B+ will become a B, a B will become a B-, etc.). In special circumstances, a student may prior to the due date request an extension. It is the responsibility of students to understand what constitutes plagiarism and what its consequences are. If you re in doubt, please ask. Plagiarists will be dealt with harshly. Try to avoid referring to your own attitudes or using the term: I feel. Here is a list of 101 expressions to use instead of feels: Rubric for Papers: A: Clear support, research, examples, objections, and replies are presented to the arguments B: Arguments are presented that are relevant and effective C: Material is presented accurately and without error D: Paper is complete F: None of the above Grading Standards A = % A- = % B+ = % B = % B- = % C+ = % C = % C- = % D+ = % D = % D- = % F = < 59.4% Students with disabilities and special needs: If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and the Office of Health & Wellness (OHW), G-10 Student Union Building, (814) to schedule an appointment as early as possible in the term. OHW will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course

3 Readings and Schedule: Readings from the Science and Religion text are indicated by S&R Readings with an asterisk (*) are provided by instructor through courseweb Week Date Topics Required Readings Optional Readings 1 M 8/29 Introduction and Definitions W 8/31 What is a Scientific Theory? The Value of Laws (*) Rudolph Carnap Science at the Bar (*) Michael Ruse F 9/2 Conjectures and Refutations (*) Karl Popper 2 M 9/5 No class W 9/7 What are Religious Beliefs? The Ethics of Belief (*) W.K. Clifford Reason and Faith (*) Lara Buchak F 9/9 The Will to Believe (*) William James 3 M 9/12 S&R are Mutually Supportive Excerpts from Summa Theologica (*) Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholicism since Trent Steven Harris (S&R ch.19) W 9/14 Mechanical Philosophy Margaret Osler (S&R ch.11) F 9/16 Isaac Newton Richard Westfall (S&R ch.12)

4 4 M 9/19 S&R are Non- Overlapping Rocks of Ages, ch.1 W 9/21... Rocks of Ages, ch.2 F 9/23 Rocks of Ages, ch.3 5 M 9/26 W 9/28 S&R are Incompatible Faith vs. Fact, ch.1 Faith vs. Fact, ch.2 ch.1 F 9/30 Faith vs. Fact, ch.3 6 M 10/3 The Creation of the Universe Excerpts from Summa Theologica (*) Thomas Aquinas Excerpts from Timeus (*) Plato The Copernican Revolution Owen Gingrich (S&R ch.7) W 10/5 ch.4 F 10/7 Souls and Afterlives ch.3 7 M 10/10 Historical Claims ch.6 W 10/12 Class cancelled F 10/14 Class cancelled

5 8 T 10/18 W 10/19 F 10/21 Ethics and Religion Euthyphro (*) Plato God? A Debate Between a Christian and an Atheist (*) Craig and Sinnott- Armstrong ch M 10/24 Design vs. Evolution: A history Aristotle and Aristotelianism Edward Grant (S&R, ch.3) W 10/26 Geology and Paleontology Rupke (S&R, ch. 14) Natural History Hess (S&R, ch.15) F 10/28. Charles Darwin Moore (S&R ch.16) Evolution Bowler (S&R ch.17) 10 M 10/31 Varieties of Creationism Creationism Since 1859 Numbers (S&R, ch.21) Evangelicalism and Fundamentalism Noll (S&R, ch.20) The Scopes Trial Larson (S&R, ch.22) W 11/2 The Design Argument William Dembski (S&R, ch. 26) F 11/4 Fine-Tuning Argument (TBA)

6 11 M 11/7 Arguments Against Design Excerpt from The God Delusion (*) Richard Dawkins W 11/9 ch. 2 F 11/11 ch M 11/14 W 11/16 F 11/18 The Foundations of Science. Science and Myth (*) Paul Feyerabend Faith vs. Fact, ch.4 The Social Construction of Science Stephen Weldon (S&R, ch.29) Postmodernism Stephen Weldon (S&R, ch.30) 13 M 11/21 The Foundations of Religious Beliefs The Case of the Intellectually Sophisticated Theist (*) William Hasker W 11/23 No Class Experience, Proper Basicality, and Belief in God (*) Robert Pargetter F 11/25 No Class 14 M 11/28 Debunking Arguments The Future of an Illusion (*) Sigmund Freud W 11/30 F 12/2 Breaking the Spell (*) Dan Dennett Religion is Natural (*) Paul Bloom Religious Thought and Behavior as By-Products of Brain Function (*) Pascal Boyer

7 15 12/5 Concluding Thoughts Rocks of Ages, ch.3 12/7 ch /9 Faith vs. Fact, ch.5 Final Exam TBA Biddle 252