Philosophy of Religion 80-276

http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/kk3n/religionclass/religionpage2005.html




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Emergency service:  Johnson text linked below for those who couldn't buy the book at the bookstore. 


Instructor: Kevin T. Kelly.

Texts:

Requirements:

10% reading questions and class participation.

30% first paper project

30% second paper project

30% final paper project


Description:

We start with a short survey illustrating the complex historical relationship between philosophy and religion. Then we examine the standard arguments for and against religious belief in the context of more recent scientific and logical developments. Finally, we examine the questions of immortality and the meaning of life.

Class time will involve a short introductory lecture by the instructor that lays out the issues and provides essential background material not mentioned in the reading. The remaining class time will be devoted to clear-headed, critical discussion. Whether or not the class is a success will depend largely on student preparation. Daily reading questions provide a fair way of giving you credit for your preparation time. They are designed to be easy if you do the reading. Three short essay assignments will provide an avenue for your original thinking concerning the course material. The short length will press you to be succinct and to strive for quality in the short space available.  Think in terms of writing a ten page paper and then cutting out all the fluff. 


Course Outline

Introduction

I. Religion and Philosophy

  1. Plato
  2. The Upanishads
  3. Buddhism
  4. First paper assignment: Design your own religion

II. Arguments for the existence of God

  1. Anselm's ontological argument 1
  2. Plantinga's ontological argument 2
  3. The cosmological argument (pro)
  4. The cosmological argument (con)
  5. God and physical cosmology
  6. The design argument
  7. Darwin and creationism
  8. Complexity theory's response to creationism
  9. Second paper assignment.
  10. The argument from history
  11. The argument from miracles
  12. The argument from mystical experience
  13. Mystical experience II.
  14. The argument from morality
  15. Final paper assignment

III. The problem of evil

  1. Statement of the problem
  2. The free will defense
  3. Foreknowledge and Freedom
  4. Thanksgiving holiday
  5. Omnipotence

IV. Faith and evidence

  1. The will to believe
  2. Religious foundations

V. Immortality and the meaning of life

  1. The immaterial soul
  2. Material survival  
  3. Final paper due

I. Religion and Philosophy


Plato

9-1 Reading Assignment:  Click on the following link and read Plato's Phaedo . Another Phaedo site.  Yet another Phaedo site.

Precursors to Plato::

  1. What does Socrates take to be the one aim of those who practice philosophy?
  2. What must we do to obtain true knowledge?
  3. What keeps the body attached to the soul?
  4. Why does Socrates think we should believe his story about rewards for virtue in the afterlife?
  5. List a few striking similarities between Plato's views and those of the Orphists and Pythagoreans


The Upanishads

9-6 Read down through "Early Buddhist Developments" and "Vedanta" in the Indian philosophy outline (Britannica site is accessible only if you access the web through a CMU connection) and then to look at snippets from some of the Upanishads.

Reading questions:
  1. How does Buddhism differ from the mystical position presented in the Upanishads?
  2. Compare Atman to the Platonic soul.
  3. What is Sankara's Advaita Vedanta?
  4. How do the Upanishads differ from the Vedas?.
Here are some extra references for the curious.
Pro Advaita page: real people who are devoted to Shankara's philosophy
Dvaita (anti-advaita page).  
Here are full texts of lots of Upanishads.



First paper assignment

5 pages, double spaced, 12 pt. Times font.

Design your own religion!
Due 9-15. 

Grading criteria:

Keep a disk copy. The top three will be put on the web!


II. Arguments for the Existence of God


The Ontological Argument 1

Note: Reading assignments in the Rowe volume are indicated by section number, subsection title, and author name. Thus, Rowe I: Necessary Being: Anselm-Findlay indicates that you should read all the articles from Anselm through Findlay in section I of Rowe, in the subsection entitled Necessary Being.

Reading assignment
Due 9-13.

Reading questions:
  1. State the ontological argument as clearly and simply as you can.
  2. What is Gaunilo's objection?
  3. What is Kant's objection?
  4. What is a necessary being?
Notes on Anselm

Anselm's text is on the web: Anselm.



9-15  First paper assignment due in class.  No reading assignment.  Today it's real: you have to try and convert your classmates before they convert you!. 



The Ontological Argument 2

Reading assignment
Due 9-20

Reading questions:
  1. What is a "possible being", according to Plantinga?
  2. Does Plantinga think his argument is sound? Does he think it is a proof?
  3. What fallacy vitiates the standard version of the argument?
  4. How does "greatness" differ from "excellence"?
Notes on Plantinga

The cosmological argument (pro):

Reading assignment:
Due 9-22

Reading questions:
  1. List the ``five ways'' by name.
  2. How does Aquinas know that the universe was created in time?
  3. Which of Aquinas' five ways is closest to Clarke's version?
  4. What is the distinction between a causal series per se and per accidens?
For interested students: the whole Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas is online! For our readings, look at the section on sacred doctrine. Those who are interested in medieval culture may consult the Medieval Sourcebook. Especially, check out the section on the 13th century.



The cosmological argument (con):

Reading assignment:
Due 9-27

Reading questions:
  1. What are Hume's objections to the cosmological argument?
  2. What is Russell's objection?
  3. What is the principle of sufficient reason?
  4. What is Rowe's response to Russell?
Those interested in Hume's underlying empiricist philosophy may consult his Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding.




Physical cosmology

Reading assignment:
Due  9-29

Reading questions:
  1. Why did physicists dislike the idea of a singular beginning to the universe?
  2. List  four responses invented by theorists to avoid the big bang singularity.
  3. Would St. Augustine find any of this to be of religious significance?
  4. What did Goedel prove?

The argument from design

Reading assignment:
Due 10-4

Reading questions:
  1. How does Philo compare the design argument to Copernican astronomy?
  2. How do the shipbuilders arrive at the complex plan of a ship?
  3. What is the point of Philo's animal body analogy?
  4. What is the point of the vegetable analogy?

Darwin vs. Creationism

Reading assignment due
Due 10-6

Reading questions:
  1. What is the fossil problem?
  2. What is the orthodox neo-Darwinist response?
  3. What is Gould's response?
  4. What three sorts of thestic theories are consistent with the fossil record?
Other web resources on this topic, including some bibliographies:

Order for Free

Reading assignment
Due 10-11

Reading questions:
  1. What is Hoyle's metaphor for self-organization?
  2. What is an autocatalytic network?
  3. What is supposed to knock your socks off?
  4. How is Kaufmann's program supposed to be a response to the argument from design?
For more details, with extensive references to technical articles, see Kaufmann's book Origins of Order. For more information on Kaufmann's and similar work, check out the web page of the Santa Fe Institute.

Second paper assignment  Due  10-18.

4 pages, double spaced, 12 pt. Times font.

Discuss one of the following:

  1. The ontological argument
  2. The cosmological argument
  3. The design argument
  4. The argument from history

Final paper assignment: (due last day of class): Late penalty: 1/2 letter grade per day). Five pages maximum+ references, 12 pt. Times font double spaced.

Topic: Any topic covered in class.  Subject to prospectus approval.  Grading critera are the same as those for the second paper.