AUTHOR: Steven M. Cahn TITLE: Reason and Religions: Philosophy Looks at the World s Religious Beliefs

Transcription

1 SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS Voyage: Fall 2013 Discipline: Philosophy PHIL 1610: Philosophy of Religion Division: Lower Faculty: Louise Harmon Prerequisites: One lower division philosophy course COURSE DESCRIPTION The purpose of this class is to consider central philosophical questions arising from the nature of religious belief. We will explore such matters as the nature and existence of God, the character of the miraculous, differing conceptions of immortality found among the world s religions, and the problems posed by religious pluralism. Throughout the class will emphasize the importance of reason and argument---the significance of analyzing arguments both for and against the existence of God, for example. We will be covering a variety of issues in the philosophy of religion, including the arguments about the existence of God, the problem of evil, the phenomenology of religious experience and mysticism, prudential and psychological arguments for believing in God, shamanism and primitive religions, issues of verification of the miraculous, the function and efficacy of prayer, the afterlife in different religious traditions, as well as the overall diversity of religious thought. COURSE OBJECTIVES 1) To learn about the various philosophical arguments for and against the existence of God; 2) To learn about the various philosophical arguments in favor of atheism and agnosticism; 3) To wrestle with the problem of evil; 4) To explore competing interpretations of divine attributes, such as eternality, omnipotence, or omniscience; 5) To examine whether primitive shamanistic beliefs qualify as religion ; 6) To explore the challenges raised by religious diversity, as well as to foster awareness of the various conceptions of divinity and immortality in the world s religions. REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS AUTHOR: Beverley Clack & Brian R. Clack TITLE: The Philosophy of Religion: A Critical Introduction PUBLISHER: Polity Press ISBN #: DATE/EDITION: 2nd edition, 2008 AUTHOR: Steven M. Cahn TITLE: Reason and Religions: Philosophy Looks at the World s Religious Beliefs 1

2 PUBLISHER: Cengage / Wadsworth ISBN #: DATE/EDITION: 1st edition, 2013 Films we will watch in class: The Seventh Seal; Darwin s Dilemma, The Intelligent Design Collection; Healers of Ghana; Krishnamurti: Meditation and the Thinking Machine; Islam (Religions of the World). Wikipedia articles: Normally, Wikipedia is not considered a serious academic resource. However, students on Semester at Sea may use Wikipedia for free on their computers, so we are going to use several Wikipedia articles to provide some historical and socio/economic background on various religious traditions. Course Requirements: The student will be required to write two take-home essays, as well as to write one reflection piece based upon our field lab in Saint Petersburg. The take-home essays will test for knowledge of the readings, lectures and class discussions. Furthermore, there will be two multiple choice quizzes, one in the middle of the course, and one at the end, designed to test your basic knowledge of the course materials. The first quiz will be held in class, and the second quiz will be administered during the time regularly scheduled for the final exam. Each take-home essay will consist of a 7-9 page (typewritten; double-spaced; 12 pt. font, one inch margins) essay about an assigned topic. (You will have at least a week on board to complete each take-home essay.) See the schedule below for the two take-home exams and the multiple choice portions. Unexcused late assignments will have points deducted from the grade two points for each day the paper is late. If you believe that you have an excused absence, it is up to the student to request an extension; for illness, a doctor s note from the clinic will be required. Only extenuating circumstances will justify turning in a late paper. Rules concerning plagiarism apply. I will take attendance each day, and students are expected to be on time. Each take-home essay will count for 25% of your grade, for a total of 50%. The two multiple choice quizzes will each count for 15% of your grade, for a total of 30%, and your reflective journal on the required Field Lab will count for 20% of your grade. Here is the schedule for your take-home essays, your reflective journal and the multiple choice quizzes: Reflective Journal: This journal, which should be between 4-6 pages, is due on A5- September 11th. Take-Home Essay # 1 Will be assigned on A-10, October 11 th, and will be due on A-13, October 22nd. First Multiple Choice quiz: A-14, October 25 th Take-Home Essay # 2---Will be assigned on A-18, November 10 th, and will be due on A-21, November 30th 2

3 Second Multiple Choice quiz: A24, December 8th Your three writing assignments will be evaluated on the basis of two criteria: Form and Content. Matters of form include grammar, spelling, punctuation, clarity and organization. Matters of content include understanding of the material, use of texts to support positions, thoroughness, originality, and overall quality of thought. I expect you to present the philosophical theories in a clear, succinct fashion, and then to make strong arguments in support of your positions. FIELD LAB: August 29 th in Saint Petersberg, our first day in port. Attendance and participation in the Field Lab is MANDATORY and counts for 20 % of your grade. Our field lab in Saint Petersberg will have two parts. In the morning, we will be visiting one of the world s most famous art museums, the Hermitage. Founded by Catherine the Great in the late eighteenth century to house her vast collection of western art, the Hermitage houses many famous paintings. The Russian Orthodox tradition values the visual arts, via the concept of the icon, as a mode of creating a private sacred space and a two-way street between the individual and divinity. You will see many icons while you are in Russia, although most of the art icons are located in the Russian Museum. However, the Hermitage has its own share of famous religious art from western masters: Leonardo da Vinci s Madonna Litta; Rembrandt s Return of the Prodigal Son and Abraham s Sacrifice; and Lucas Cranach the Elder s Venus and Cupid. Students will also see secular paintings by Picasso, Matisse, Gaugin, Monet, and many others. In the field lab reports, students may reflect on any of these questions: How do you think the artist viewed his creative process in relation to divinity? How does a religious picture function as a vehicle for prayer or other divine communion? What other roles might visual images play in religious communities? In what ways can looking at, or experiencing, visual art become a spiritual experience; Does visual art have to depict a religious subject to enhance or promote a spiritual experience? Did you have any such experiences while looking at art at the Hermitage? If viewing the art at the Hermitage stimulated other questions and answers, please feel free to explore them in your field lab reports. In the afternoon, after lunch in a restaurant, we will be visiting the Dostoyevsky memorial apartment and museum in order to have some insight into our primary author/philosopher on the subject of evil. We are going to be reading some of Dostoyevsky s account of evil from his novel The Brothers Karamozov. This was the last apartment where Dostoyevsky lived in Saint Petersburg from 1878 to 1881, and the apartment is still filled with memorabilia relating to his life and work. Dostoyevsky based many of his stories and novels in Saint Petersburg, particularly in the Vladimirsky region of the city where the apartment is located. The second part of our field lab will be a visit to the Winter Palace, the official residence of the Russian monarchs. A tour of the Winter Palace will give students insight into Russian history, as well as provide a basis for additional discussion on the problem of evil. 3

4 Here are some examples of issues that you might write about. What insights did you learn about Fyodor Dostoyevsky that would help you understand his philosophy in the Brothers Karamazov? What was Dostoyevsky s theory about the afterlife, and what impact did those beliefs have on his theory of evil? Dostoyevsky lost a son during the writing of the Brothers Karamozov---how did grief shape the philosophy articulated in the book? What role does grief or suffering play in the development or strengthening of religious beliefs? Is there a difference between evil and suffering? There is a murder of a father in this book---does the killing of a parent violate natural law? In what way? Should divine punishment, if there is such a thing, be harsher if the person murdered created the life of the person who murdered? What would a secular argument in favor of punishing parricide more harshly look like? If you are familiar with the Hindu and Buddhist notion of karma, how does that notion manifest itself in Dostoyevky s book? From the perspective of the Romanov children who were eventually assassinated, how would you analyze the problem of evil? Note: The student may choose to write about either one of the two portions of the field lab, or both---it s up to the author of the paper! TOPICAL OUTLINE FOR THE COURSE A-1-August 26: What is Religion? How is the concept of religion to be defined? Is there are an essence of religion underlying all the various manifestations of religion in the world? How might that essence best be understood? READING: Clack & Clack, chapter 1:1; William Alston, What is Religion?, in Cahn A-2 August 28 th:: Dostoyevsky s Challenge and the Problem of Evil. The single biggest challenge facing the rationality of belief in the God of monotheistic faith is the problem of evil. In this session we will consider the structure of the problem of evil, particularly as this is presented both by David Hume and by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. This session will also provide the background for the St Petersburg field lab. READING: Clack & Clack, chapter 3:1; David Hume, Dialogues, Parts X & XI, in Cahn; Fyodor Dostoyevsky, selections from The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment (available in electronic course folder); Wikipedia: Fyodor Dostoyevsky and the Winter Palace. A-3-September 3: Theological responses to the Problem of Evil. In this session we look at the standard theological responses to evil: theodicies and the free will defense. READING: Clack & Clack, chapter 3:1; Cahn, sections A-4-September 9 th: The Concept of God: Omnipotence and Omniscience. In this session we look at two central attributes and consider the philosophical problems associated with each. READING: Clack & Clack, chapter 2:2; Cahn, sections 2,3,

5 A-5-September 11 th: The Concept of God: Eternity and Immutability--Two further attributes of God are analyzed. REFLECTIVE JOURNAL ON FIELD LAB IS DUE READING: Clack & Clack, chapter 2:2; Cahn, sections 4 & 5. A-6- September 18th: The Ontological Argument for the Existence of God READING: Clack & Clack, chapter 2:1, pp ; Cahn, sections A-7-September 24 th : The Teleological Argument for the Existence of God READING: Clack & Clack, chapter 2:1, pp ; Cahn, sections A-8 September 26 th The Islamic Tradition in Philosophy of Religion and the Kalam Argument for the Existence of God. We will be watching the documentary Islam in class in preparation for Morocco. READING: Clack & Clack, chapter 2:1, pp ; Cahn, sections Wikipedia: Islam A-9 October 8 th : Further Arguments for the Existence of God: Morality and Religious Experience READING: Clack & Clack, chapter 2:1, pp ; Cahn, sections 26 & 27. A-10 October 11 th. We will be watching the film The Seventh Seal in class---it will serve as the basis for your first take-home essay. TAKE-HOME ESSAY IS ASSIGNED A-11- October 13: Arguments against the Existence of God: Hume s Natural History of Religion; Tylor, Frazer and Primitive Religion We will consider those arguments against the existence of God, which stress the epistemically disreputable manner in which religious beliefs arise: either from primitive thought processes, class conflict, or wish-driven thinking. In preparation for Ghana, and an introduction to primitive thought processs, we will watch the film Healers of Ghana about possession and shamanism. READING: Clack & Clack, chapter 3:2, pp Wikipedia: Shamanism A-12-October 20 th : Prudential Arguments: Pascal and James. We consider here prudential (or strategic) arguments for believing in God. Rather than advancing a proof of God s existence, these arguments suggest that belief in God is, in one way or another, a better bet than atheism. READING: Clack & Clack, chapter 2:1, pp ; Cahn, sections A13- October 22: Arguments against the Existence of God: Feuerbach and Marx FIRST TAKE HOME ESSAY DUE We will be watching Darwin s Dilemma, from the Intelligent Design Collection in class. 5

6 READING: Clack & Clack, chapter 3:2, pp ; selections from Feuerbach and Marx (available in electronic course folder). A14- October 25: Arguments against the Existence of God: Freud FIRST MULTIPLE CHOICE QUIZ READING: Clack & Clack, chapter 3:2, pp ; Sigmund Freud, selections from The Future of an Illusion & Civilization and its Discontents (available in electronic course folder). A15- November 2nd: Problems of Religious Language (I): The next two sessions explore the peculiarities of religious language, for example how words drawn from the human realm can refer to God, and whether religious discourse lacks any cognitive significance. READING: Clack & Clack, chapter 3:3, pp ; Cahn, sections A-16-November 5 Problems of Religious Language: (II): Verification READING: Clack & Clack, chapter 3:3, pp ; Cahn, section 68. A-17-November 7 th Prayer and Miracles READINGS: Clack and Clack, chapter 5:1, Cahn, sections 39, 40, 41, 42 A-18- November 10 th Issues of Religious Diversity. We will be watching a documentary of talks by Krishnamurti to introduce us to an eastern religious tradition. This documentary will be the basis of your second take-home essay. SECOND TAKE HOME ESSAYASSIGNED READING: Cahn, sections Wikipedia; Jiddu Krishnamurti A19- November 19: Non-Supernatural Religion READING: Clack & Clack, chapters 4 & 6; Cahn, sections A20- November 28: Life after Death (I): Bodily Resurrection and the Survival of the Disembodied Soul Our final sessions will address differing conceptions of life after death. We will look at the details of each conception, and assess the plausibility and desirability of each. READING: Clack & Clack, chapter 5:2; Cahn, sections 77-79; H. H. Price, Two Conceptions of the Next World (available in electronic course folder). A-21-November 30 th Life after Death (II): Reincarnation and Nirvana SECOND TAKE HOME ESSAY DUE. READING: Cahn, sections

7 A22- December 3 rd : Life after Death (III): Heaven and Hell READING: Cahn, sections A23 December 5 th on December 8 th. Final wrap up of the course---no new assignments; review for second quiz RESERVE LIBRARY LIST AUTHOR: Sigmund Freud TITLE: The Future of an Illusion PUBLISHER: Norton ISBN #: DATE/EDITION: 1989 AUTHOR: David Hume TITLE: Dialogues and Natural History of Religion PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press ISBN #: DATE: AUTHOR: John Hick TITLE: An Interpretation of Religion PUBLISHER: Yale University Press ISBN #: DATE/EDITION: Second edition, 2005 AUTHOR: Chad Meister and Paul Copan TITLE: The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Religion PUBLISHER: Routledge ISBN #: DATE: 2012 ELECTRONIC COURSE MATERIALS AUTHOR: Fyodor Dostoyevsky CHAPTER TITLE: Part II, book V, chapter 4 titled, Rebellion BOOK TITLE: The Brothers Karamazov PUBLISHER: Penguin ISBN #: AUTHOR: Fyodor Dostoyevsky CHAPTER TITLE: Part I, chapter 5. BOOK TITLE: Crime and Punishment PUBLISHER: Penguin ISBN #: PAGES:

8 AUTHOR: Sigmund Freud CHAPTER TITLE: Chapter 6 BOOK TITLE: Future of an Illusion Any edition AUTHOR: Sigmund Freud CHAPTER TITLE: Chapter 2 BOOK TITLE: Civilization and its Discontents Any edition AUTHOR: H.H. Price CHAPTER TITLE: Two Conceptions of the Next World BOOK TITLE: Essays in the Philosophy of Religion EDITION: Oxford University Press, 1972 PAGES: HONOR CODE Semester at Sea students enroll in an academic program administered by the University of Virginia, and thus bind themselves to the University s honor code. The code prohibits all acts of lying, cheating, and stealing. Please consult the Voyager s Handbook for further explanation of what constitutes an honor offense. Each written assignment for this course must be pledged by the student as follows: On my honor as a student, I pledge that I have neither given nor received aid on this assignment. The pledge must be signed, or, in the case of an electronic file, signed [signed]. 8