PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGI ON

PHILOSOPHY 370 SPRING 2011 Office Hours: 12-1 TR on the Main Floor of Michener (somewhere cozy on the West side) Jeffs E-mail: whatisatlas@gmail.com Zachs Email: mart2009@bears.unco.edu

DESCRIPTION

This is not a survey of world religions. In this course we will examine the reasons often given for and against belief in a God. We will cover topics such as the fundamental nature of reality, assumptions concerning Gods identity and characteristics, what belief and language about God entail, challenges to God-belief like the problem of evil and the problem of divine hiddenness, and traditional and contemporary arguments for God-belief. We will spend little to no time in class reviewing the articles assigned. I will assume you have read and we will spend the majority of our time discussing the claims at hand. I hope to cover a large spectrum of material this year and though the articles are fairly short most are 4-12 pages please assume going in that the work will be weighty and require your best thinking. Set aside in your mind now that this class will require more time than average.
GRADES

You will be graded on 11 one page papers, and one final paper of no more than 15 pages. You need to keep track of the number of one page papers you turn in.

REQUIRED TEXTS

Philosophy of Religion: An Anthology. Louis P Pojman. 3rd Edition. ISBN 0-534-52956-9 The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Religion. Ed. William J. Wainwright. ISBN 978-0-19-533135-6 *The books are available online or at The Book Stop (10th ave and 16th st ) not at B&N. ** All other readings will be copied by Jeff for the class.

SCHEDULE Week 1-2

I.
Draper Cook Week 3-4

W HY S HOULD I C ARE IF A G OD E XISTS?

Introduction (Syllabus Thursday) God, Science, and Naturalism Debris and Glasses HB Emailed

II.
Rowe Mann Cook CS Lewis

W HO IS T HIS G OD ?
Divine Attributes: Goodness, Power, and Knowledge HB Divine Sovereignty and Aseity HB On the Bible and Koran Lecture Beyond Personality Online http://www.full-proof.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Mere-Christianity-Lewis-chapters.pdf

Week 5-7

III.
Pojman Lewis Hasker Phillips Westphal Weeks 8-10

B ELIEF, G OD , AND L ANGUAGE

Can Religious Belief be Rational Obstinacy of Belief Analytic Philosophy of Religion Wittgensteinianism: Logic, Reality, and God Continental Philosophy of Religion Pojman Pojman HB HB HB

IV.

T RADITIONAL A RGUMENTS FOR B ELIEF IN G OD

Pojman Pojman Pojman Pojman Pojman

Cosmological Week 8 Aquinas The Five Ways WL Craig The Kalam Cosmological Argument Draper A Critique of The Kalam Argument Moral - Week 9 Mavrodes Religion and the Queerness of Morality Teleological Week 10 Swinburne The Argument from Design Week 10-12

V.
Van Inwagen A. Plantinga Morriston W. Rowe Adams J. Hick Week 13-15

Evil
The Problem of Evil Free Will Defense What is So Good about Moral Freedom The Inductive Argument Problem of Evil Must God Create the Best? Evil and Soul Making HB Pojman Online Pojman Email Pojman**

VI.

C ONTEMPORARY A RGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST B ELIEF IN G OD

E-Mailed HB HB Copied by Jeff for the Class E-Mailed

Plantinga/Draper Evolutionary critique of Naturalism Debate Jeffery Jordan Pragmatic Arguments: Wager and James Will to Believe Wolterstorff Religious Epistemology Van Inwagen What is the Problem of Divine Hiddenness Cook The Desires of God and the Divine Hiddenness Argument