Schedule Phil 201 

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Readings marked “PR” are in Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings, 4th Ed. (our textbook).

 

All other readings are in the google folder under the file for that week. So, for example, week 2 readings that are not in PR are in the Week 2 folder.

 

 

Week 1 - What is Religion? Religious Realism and Non-Realism

 

June 24 No class, Professor at Workshop Reading AND Assignment for June 24 on Google drive Week 1, Day 1 folder

 

June 25 No class, Professor at Workshop Reading AND Assignment for June 24 on Google drive Week 1, Day 2 folder

 

June 26  Dennett, PR: Dennett, “An Evolutionary Account of Religion” (p. 10-18)

 

June 27 James, “Religious Experience as Feelings Forming the Root of Religion” (p. 43-50)

 

*I expect students to read the introduction to each part as we cover it (for example, p. 35-39 for Part Two), but doing so is not required.

 

 

Week 2 Sources of Religious Ideas: Experience and Reason

 

July 1 PR: Alston, “Religious Experience as Perception of God” (p. 51-58)

 

July 2 PR: Martin, “Critique of Religious Experience” (p. 68-78)

 

July 3 PR: Aquinas, “God is Omnipotent” (p. 138-140) and Pike, “Divine Omniscience and Voluntary Action” (p. 144-149)

 

July 4 No Class

 

Week 3 Classical Arguments for Belief In God

 

July 8  PR: Boethius, “God is Timeless” (p. 150-152) and The Upaniṣads, “Ātman is Brahman” (p. 160-162)

 

July 9  Aquinas, “The Classical Cosmological Argument” (p. 184-186) and PR: Mackie, “Critique of the Cosmological Argument” (p. 205-211)

 

 

July 10 Pick your favorite argument for God’s Existence Day and Explain it

 

July 11 The Problem of Evil:  PR: Hume, “Evil Makes a Strong Case Against God’s Existence” (p. 276-281);  PR: Hick, “Soul-Making Theodicy” (p. 316-323); PR: Rowe, “The Evidential Argument from Evil” (p. 324-332)

 

Week 4 Assume there are Problems with Religious Belief: What and How Should We Believe?

 

July 15 James “Will to Believe” (p. 104-110)

 

July 16 PR: Ruether, “Sexism and God-Talk” (p. 404-408) and D2L: Tsomo, “Buddhist Feminist Reflections”

 

July 17 PR: Gould, “Two Separate Domains” (p. 515-522) and PR: Dawkins, “Science Discredits Religion” (p. 523-526)

 

July 18  PR: Hick, “Religious Pluralism” (p. 597-604)

 

Week 5 Religious Diversity 

 

July 22 "Sacred Metaphysics" Anne Waters in Google Drive folder  "Week 5 Reading Options"

 

July 23 "Silence Will Change the World:  Kierkegaard, Derrida and Sufism" in Philosophy of Spirituality, book in in the Google Drive Folder "Week 5 Reading Options"

 

July 24 "From the Margins: West African Spirituality and Aesthetics" in Philosophy of Spirituality, book in in the Google Drive Folder "Week 5 Reading Options"

 

July 25 Gender and North American Indigenous Thought:  Reading TBD

 

Week 6 Student Presentations

 

July 29 Topic 1 & 2

 

July 30 Topic 3 & 4

 

July 31 Topic 5 & 6

 

Aug 1 Final Thoughts