Philosophy of Religion

Philosophy of Religion (Spring 2016)

INSTRUCTOR: Jeff Tolly

CONTACT: jtolly@nd.edu

OFFICE HOURS: @ AuBonPan in the Hesburgh Library, Mondays 1:30PM-2:30PM; Wednesdays 1:30PM-3:30PM; or by appointment

TEXT: Philosophy of Religion: An Anthology (7 th edition), Edited by Louis P. Pojman and Michael Rea

-additional selected papers to be made available online on the class website

SCHEDULE

1/13: Introduction

Validity and Arguments 101
Introduction to the Problem of Evil

1/18: The Problem of Evil (part 1)

Excerpts from J.L. Mackie -- "Evil and Omnipotence"

1/20: The Problem of Evil (part 2)

Excerpts from Alvin Plantinga -- "The Free Will Defense"
Excerpts from John Hick -- "Evil and Soul Making"

1/25: The Problem of Evil (part 3)

Fyodor Dostoevsky -- "Rebellion"
Excerpts from William Rowe -- "The Problem of Evil and Some Varieties of Atheism"

1/27: The Problem of Evil (part 4)

Laura Ekstrom -- "Suffering as Religious Experience"

2/1: Fine Tuning (part 1)

Robin Collins -- "A Scientific Argument for God's Existence"

2/3: Fine Tuning (part 2)

2/8: Against a theistic basis for morality

Peter Singer -- video: "Ethics without Religion" up to 41:00

2/10: For a theistic basis for morality

George Mavrodes -- "The Queerness of Morality"

2/15: Can faith be rational?

Lara Buchak -- "Can it be Rational to have Faith?"

2/17: Does one need arguments to have rational theistic belief?

Michael Bergmann -- "Rational Religious Belief Without Arguments"

2/22: Rationality and religious belief wrap-up

2/24: Hell: What is it, and is it justified? (part 1)

Ted Sider -- "Hell and Vagueness"

2/29: Hell: What is it, and is it justified? (part 2)

Excerpts from C.S. Lewis -- The Great Divorce

3/2: Hell wrap-up

3/5-3/13: Spring Break

3/14: What is faith? (part 1)

Excerpts from Daniel Howard-Snyder -- "Propositional Faith: What It Is and What It Is Not"

3/16: What is faith? (part 2)

3/21: God exists inside of time

Excerpts from Stephen T. Davis -- Logic and the Nature of God

3/23: God exists outside of time

Hugh J. McCann -- "The God Beyond Time"

3/25-3/28: Easter Break

3/30: Omniscience rules out human freedom

Excerpts from Nelson Pike -- "Divine Omniscience and Voluntary Action"

4/4: Omniscience is consistent with human freedom

Excerpts from Alvin Plantinga -- God, Freedom and Evil

4/6: Does God have freedom? (part 1)

Excerpts from William Rowe -- "Can God be Free?"

4/11: Does God have freedom? (part 2)

Edward Wierenga -- "The Freedom of God"

4/13: Hindu Metaphysics

Excerpts from Sushanta Sen -- "The Vedic-Upanisadic Concept of Brahman (The Highest God)"

4/18: Emptiness and Buddhist Ethics

Excerpts from Christopher Ives -- "Emptiness: Soteriology and Ethics in Mahayana Buddhism"

4/20: Testimony and Miracles (part 1)

Excerpts from David Hume -- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

4/25: Testimony and Miracles (part 2)

Peter van Inwagen -- "Of 'Of Miracles'"

4/27: Closing discussion and paper writing workshop

5/2: Final paper presentation conference