6aanb025 philosophy of religion - king's college … · 6aanb025 philosophy of religion course...
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6AANB025 Philosophy of Religion
Course title Philosophy of Religion
Course code 6AANB025
Value 15 Credits
Course
convenor
Name: Dr Chris Hughes
Room: Room 709, Philosophy Building
KCL Tel: (020 7848) 2228
Teaching tutors: Carlo Rossi ([email protected]);
Aims and learning outcomes
Aims
The aim of this course is to give students an understanding of the contemporary debate in the
philosophy of religion. Religious beliefs raise many distinctive philosophical issues which relate
to central areas of philosophy, especially epistemology, metaphysics, and ethics. For example,
Philosophy of Religion deals with the rationality of religious belief, proofs of God‘s existence,
the possibility of miracles, the problem of evil, divine command theories of ethics, and religious
language. This module covers a selection of such issues. It intends to encourage students to think
critically about different approaches to central questions in the philosophy of religion, and to
show how contemporary philosophy of religion relates to traditions of philosophical thought
about God and religious truth.
Learning outcomes
Generic skills
By the end of the course the student will be able to demonstrate an advanced ability:-
to analyse texts and arguments
to summarise and present arguments
to research, plan and present essays to specified deadlines
Course specific skills
Students should become familiar with some key thinkers in contemporary philosophy of religion;
understand contemporary theories on religious belief; understand the main strengths and
weaknesses of contemporary arguments in philosophy of religion in the light of past
philosophical traditions.
Teaching arrangements
This level 6 module is taught in Semester II with 1 hour weekly lectures and 1 hour weekly
seminars.
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Course description and teaching plan
In the first five weeks of the course we will be looking at natural atheology. We will be
considering what might be called "arguments via naturalism" against the existence of God, along
with traditional "arguments from evil". (Arguments via naturalism arrive at the nonexistence of
God via some version of the premise that all there are, are atoms and the void). Although
reference will be made to some historical sources (e.g. Aquinas), for the most part, readings will
be taken from contemporary sources (e.g. Mackie, Sainsbury, Plantinga, Shalkowski). The last
five weeks of the course will focus on contemporary religious epistemology (e.g. Alston, Hick,
Plantinga, Swinburne). Students will gain an understanding of the contemporary debate on
religious epistemology through an analytical survey of some of the most important answers to
the question of how, if at all, belief in God can be rationally justified.
The course will be taught over 10 weeks (exclusive of reading week).
First part of the course
Week 1: Atheism and the Burden of Proof
N. R. Hanson, "What I Don't Believe", in Hanson, Norwood Russell. 1971. ―What I Don‘t
Believe.‖ In S. Toulmin and H. Woolf (eds.), What I Do Not Believe and Other Essays, pp.
309–31. Dordrecht: D. Reidel Publishing Company.
Scott Shalkowski, "Atheological Apologetics", American Philosophical Quarterly 26, 1,
1989.
Week 2: Atheism and Naturalism
Armstrong, "Naturalism, Materialism, and First Philosophy", Philosophia 8 (2-3):261-
276
Week 3: The Logical Argument from Evil and the Free Will Defence
Mackie, "Evil and Omnipotence", Mind 64, 254 (1955)
Plantinga, ―The Free Will Defence‖. In God, Freedom, and Evil, Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publishing, 1974
Week 4: The Logical Argument from Evil and Redeeming Goods
R. M. Sainsbury, ―Benevolence and Evil‖, Australasian Journal of Philosophy 58, Issue
2, 1980
Week 5: The Evidential Argument from Evil and "Skeptical Theism"
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William Rowe, "The Problem of Evil and Some Varieties of Atheism", in Adams and
Adams, eds. The Problem of Evil (Oxford University Press)
S. Wykstra, ―Rowe‘s Noseeum Arguments from Evil" (in Howard-Snyder ed., The
Evidential Argument from Evil, John Wiley and Sons, 1996).
W. Alston, ―Some (Temporarily) Final Thoughts on the Evidential Arguments from Evil"
(in The Evidential Argument from Evil)
Second part of the course
Week 6
Introduction: the rational justification of religious belief.
Natural Theology. Richard Swinburne.
‗Introduction‘ in R. Douglas Geivett and Brendan Sweetman (eds.), Contemporary
Perspectives on Religious Epistemology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993.
Richard Swinburne, The Existence of God, Second Edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press,
2004, ch. 1.
Week 7
The epistemology of religious experience I (Richard Swinburne and John Hick).
Richard Swinburne, Faith and Reason, Second Edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press,
2005, pp. v-vi; 1-3 (‗Preface‘ and ‗Introduction‘).
Richard Swinburne, The Existence of God, ch. 13: ‗the argument from religious
experience‘ (esp. pp. 303-327 ‗the principle of credulity and the principle of testimony‘).
John Hick, ‗The Rationality of Religious Belief‘, ch. 22 in Geivett – Sweetman,
Contemporary Perspectives on Religious Epistemology or ch. 13 in John Hick, An
Interpretation of Religion. Second edition, Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004.
John Hick, An Interpretation of Religion, Second edition, pp. 1-17.
Week 8
The epistemology of religious experience II (William Alston).
William Alston, ‗Religious Experience and Religious Belief‘ in Geivett – Sweetman,
Contemporary Perspectives on Religious Epistemology.
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William Alston, Perceiving God: the Epistemology of Religious Experience. Ithaca:
Cornell University Press, 1991, ‗Introduction‘, pp. 1-8; pp. 194-7 (in ch. 5); ch. 8 (pp.
286-307).
Week 9
Reformed epistemology I (Alvin Plantinga: The ‗proper basicality‘ of religious beliefs).
Alvin Plantinga, ‗Is Belief in God Properly Basic?‘, ch. 9 in Geivett – Sweetman,
Contemporary Perspectives on Religious Epistemology.
N. Kretzmann. ‗Evidence and Religious Belief‘ ch. 5 in B. Davies, B. Philosophy of
Religion: a Guide and Anthology. New York - Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Week 10
Reformed epistemology II (Alvin Plantinga: the notion of ‗warrant‘).
Alvin Plantinga, Warranted Christian Belief, pp. vii-xvi (‗Preface‘) and ch. 6 (pp. 167-
198).
Richard Swinburne, ‗Review of Alvin Plantinga, Warranted Christian Belief‘ in
Religious Studies 37 (2001): 203-214.
Second part of the course
Week 6
Introduction: the rational justification of religious belief.
Natural Theology. Richard Swinburne.
‗Introduction‘ in R. Douglas Geivett and Brendan Sweetman (eds.), Contemporary
Perspectives on Religious Epistemology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993.
Richard Swinburne, The Existence of God, Second Edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press,
2004, ch. 1.
Week 7
The epistemology of religious experience I (Richard Swinburne and John Hick).
Richard Swinburne, Faith and Reason, Second Edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press,
2005, pp. v-vi; 1-3 (‗Preface‘ and ‗Introduction‘).
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Richard Swinburne, The Existence of God, ch. 13: ‗the argument from religious
experience‘ (esp. pp. 303-327 ‗the principle of credulity and the principle of testimony‘).
John Hick, ‗The Rationality of Religious Belief‘, ch. 22 in Geivett – Sweetman,
Contemporary Perspectives on Religious Epistemology or ch. 13 in John Hick, An
Interpretation of Religion. Second edition, Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004.
John Hick, An Interpretation of Religion, Second edition, pp. 1-17.
Week 8
The epistemology of religious experience II (William Alston).
William Alston, ‗Religious Experience and Religious Belief‘ in Geivett – Sweetman,
Contemporary Perspectives on Religious Epistemology.
William Alston, Perceiving God: the Epistemology of Religious Experience. Ithaca:
Cornell University Press, 1991, ‗Introduction‘, pp. 1-8; pp. 194-7 (in ch. 5); ch. 8 (pp.
286-307).
Week 9
Reformed epistemology I (Alvin Plantinga: The ‗proper basicality‘ of religious beliefs).
Alvin Plantinga, ‗Is Belief in God Properly Basic?‘, ch. 9 in Geivett – Sweetman,
Contemporary Perspectives on Religious Epistemology.
N. Kretzmann. ‗Evidence and Religious Belief‘ ch. 5 in B. Davies, B. Philosophy of
Religion: a Guide and Anthology. New York - Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Week 10
Reformed epistemology II (Alvin Plantinga: the notion of ‗warrant‘).
Alvin Plantinga, Warranted Christian Belief, pp. vii-xvi (‗Preface‘) and ch. 6 (pp. 167-
198).
Richard Swinburne, ‗Review of Alvin Plantinga, Warranted Christian Belief‘ in
Religious Studies 37 (2001): 203-214.
Seminars: weekly meetings for 10 weeks (excluding reading week). See above for weekly
reading.
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Assessment
The assessment consists of two parts:
1. Summative assessment: 1 x 2-hour exam in May/June (Period II).
2. Formative assessment: 2 x 1,000-word essays, to be submitted to your teaching tutor.
1. Exam:
The course will be assessed through one 2-hour unseen written examination (100% of final
grade).
2. Formative Essays:
The mark does not count toward the final grade. However, students MUST submit two
formative essays (1,000 words each) by the deadlines indicated below. Students who do not
submit their essays will fail the module. Extensions can be granted only by the course
convenor, Dr Hughes, and only in exceptional circumstances (e.g. illness). If you need an
extension present your reasons to your teaching tutor who will contact Dr Hughes.
First Essay (1000 words) to be emailed to your teaching tutor by Monday 27 February.
Second Essay (1000 words) to be emailed to your teaching tutor by Friday 6 April.
Essay Titles
Atheism, Broad and Narrow
(1) What is naturalism? Does it imply atheism? Are there (on-balance) good reasons to be an
atheit?
(2) What is the strongest argument against the coherence of the concept of God? How good is it?
(3) Why, if at all, should one think that, even though there are no reasons to disbelieve in God,
there are reasons to disbelieve in a perfect (i.e. all-good, all-knowing, all-powerful, and entirely
practically rational) God?
Religious Experience and the Justification of Religious Belief
(1) Are there good (sola ratione) arguments for supernaturalism—that is, the view that reality
does not consist exclusively of things in nature (together with, perhaps, abstract entities)? If so,
are there good (sola ratione) arguments for the existence of God?
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(2) What is the principle of credulity? Does it play an essential role in the justification of
religious beliefs?
(3) What is ―epistemic circularity‖ (as Alston understands it)? Do attempts to justify religious
belief sooner or later exhibit epistemic circularity? If so, what implications, if any, does that have
for the justification of religious belief?
(4) ―Attempts to settle the question of the reasonability of belief in God, while leaving open the
question of its truth, are bound to fail.‖ Discuss.
BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR SECOND PART OF THE COURSE
Introductions and surveys
Brief introductions:
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://plato.stanford.edu/: Religion, epistemology of [by
Peter Forrest].
Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy (available on line: see University of London databases):
Religion and epistemology [A. Plantinga]; Internalism and externalism in epistemology [by W.
Alston].
Linda T. Zagzebski, Philosophy of Religion: An Historical Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell,
2007 (esp. ch. 3 and 10).
More advanced:
Quinn, P. L., "Epistemology in Philosophy of Religion" in The Oxford Handbook of
Epistemology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000, pp. 513-38
Nicholas Wolterstorff, ‗Religious Epistemology‘ (especially relevant for reformed epistemology
and Wittgensteinian fideism) in William J. Wainwright (ed) The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy
of Religion, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2005. See also ch. 13: C. Stephen Evans ‗Faith
and Revelation‘.
A. Plantinga, "Reformed Epistemology" in (ed.) P. L. Quinn & C. Taliaferro, A Companion to
the Philosophy of Religion (Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 1997), p.383-9
Anthologies
A number of papers which will be read during seminars are included in R. Douglas Geivett and
Brendan Sweetman (eds.), Contemporary Perspectives on Religious Epistemology. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 1993.
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Brian Davies, Brian (ed.) Philosophy of Religion: A Guide and Anthology. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2000.
Paul Helm (ed.) Faith and Reason. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Michael Peterson, et al. (eds.) Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2007.
J. Hick, (ed) Classical and Contemporary Readings in the Philosophy of Religion, Prentice Hall,
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1990.
Chad Meister (ed) The Philosophy of Religion Reader, Routledge, New York and Abingdon,
2008.
Journals
Some of the most important journals in the philosophy of religion are: International Journal for
Philosophy of Religion, Faith and Philosophy, Religious Studies and Sophia. JSTOR is
particularly useful for finding journal articles.
1) Natural theology
R. Swinburne, The Existence of God, Second Edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2004 (esp. chaps
1-6).
Richard Swinburne, Faith and Reason, Second Edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005
(amongst other things Swinburne engages with Plantinga and Hick‘s positions).
William P. Alston, ‗Swinburne and Christian Theology.‘ International Journal for Philosophy of
Religion 41/1 (1997): 35-57.
William Hasker. ‗Is Christianity Probable? Swinburne's Apologetic Programme.‘ Religious
Studies 38/3 (2002): 253-264.
John Hick, An Interpretation of Religion. Second edition. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan,
2004, pp. 104-110 (‗Swinburne‘s probability argument‘).
T. Penelhum, Problems of Religious Knowledge, London: Macmillan, 1971 (Ch. 3 ‗Not being
Able to Prove the Existence of God‘).
Steven M. Cahn ‗The Irrelevance to Religion of Philosophic Proofs for the Existence of God‘ in
Contemporary Perspectives on Religious Epistemology, ch. 17.
2) The Epistemology of Religious Experience
John Hick, Faith and Knowledge, 2nd ed., Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1996.
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John Hick, ‗The Rationality of Religious Belief‘, ch. 22 in Geivett – Sweetman, Contemporary
Perspectives on Religious Epistemology.
John Hick, An Interpretation of Religion. First edition, 1989. Second edition, Houndmills:
Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. (NB: the ‗Introduction to the second edition‘, pp. xvii-xlii
considers/replies to various criticisms).
R. Swinburne, The Existence of God, Second Edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2004 (esp. pp.
303-327).
William Alston, ‗Religious Experience and Religious Belief‘ in Geivett – Sweetman,
Contemporary Perspectives on Religious Epistemology.
William Alston, Perceiving God: the Epistemology of Religious Experience. Ithaca: Cornell
University Press, 1991.
William Alston, Epistemic Justification. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1989.
Jerome I. Gelman, Experience of God and the Rationality of Theistic Belief. Ithaca: Cornell
University Press, 1997.
Keith Yandell, The Epistemology of Religious Experience, Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 1993.
3) Reformed epistemology
A. Plantinga, ‗Is Belief in God Properly Basic?‘, ch. 9 in Geivett – Sweetman, Contemporary
Perspectives on Religious Epistemology.
P. L. Quinn, P. L., "In Search of the Foundations of Theism" in Faith and Philosophy 2 October
1985, p.469-86
A. Plantinga, "The Foundations of Theism: A Reply" in Faith and Philosophy 3 July 1986,
p.298-313
N. Kretzmann. ‗Evidence and Religious Belief‘ ch. 5 in B. Davies, B. Philosophy of Religion: a
Guide and Anthology. New York - Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
A. Plantinga, Warrant and Proper Function, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993.
A. Plantinga, Warrant: The Current Debate, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993.
A. Plantinga, Warranted Christian Belief, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. [Electronic
Resource].
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Richard Swinburne, ‗Review of Alvin Plantinga, Warranted Christian Belief‘ in Religious
Studies 37 (2001): 203-214.
Alvin Plantinga, ‗Rationality and Public Evidence: A Reply to Richard Swinburne‘. Religious
Studies 37/2 (2001): 215-222.
Nicholas Wolterstorff, ‗Is Reason Enough?‘, ch. 10 in Geivett – Sweetman, Contemporary
Perspectives on Religious Epistemology.
Stewart C. Goetz, ‗Belief in God Is Not Properly Basic,‘ ch. 12 in Geivett – Sweetman,
Contemporary Perspectives on Religious Epistemology.
L. Zagzebski (ed.), Rational Faith: Catholic Responses to Reformed Epistemology, Notre: Dame:
Notre Dame University Press, 1993.
Mark McLeod, Rationality and Theistic Belief: an Essay on Reformed Epistemology, Ithaca, N.
Y.: Cornell University Press, 1993.
A. Plantinga and N. Wolterstorff (eds.), Faith and Rationality: Reason and Belief in God, Notre
Dame: Notre Dame University Press, 1983.
W. P. Alston, W. P., "Plantinga's Epistemology of Religous Belief" in J. E. Tomberlin & P. Van
Inwagen (ed.), Alvin Plantinga (Dordrecht: D Reidel Publishing Co., 1985)
J. Beilby, J., Epistemology as Theology: An Evaluation of Alvin Plantinga's Religious
Epistemology (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2005)
--------------- "Plantinga's Model of Warranted Christian Belief" in D. Baker (ed.), Alvin
Plantinga (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007), p.125-65
L. Bonjour, L., "Plantinga on Knowledge and Proper Function" in J. L. Kvanvig (ed.), Warrant
in Contemporary Epistemology: Essays in Honour of Plantinga's Theory of Knowledge (London:
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1996), p.47-71
K. Lehrer, K., "Proper Function versus Systematic Coherence" in (ed.) J. L. Kvanvig, Warrant in
Contemporary Epistemology: Essays in Honour of Plantinga's Theory of Knowledge (London:
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1996), p.25-45
G. Oppy, "Natural Theology" in (ed.) D. Baker, Alvin Plantinga (Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2007), p.15-47
S. J. Wykstra, S. J., "Toward a Sensible Evidentialism: On the Notion of "Needing Evidence"" in
(ed.) W. L. Rowe & W. J. Wainwright, Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings (London:
Harcourt Brace & Company, 1998) p.481-91
INTUTE: THE BEST OF THE WEB http://www.intute.ac.uk/artsandhumanities/philosophy/
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INTUTE: Philosophy: ―Web resources for the study of ideas concerning the nature of reality,
value, and experience, as well as Philosophy's own history. … Each resource has been evaluated
and categorised by subject specialists based at UK universities.‖
MANY CLASSIC TEXTS IN PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION AVAILABLE ONLINE AT:-
http://www.epistemelinks.com/Main/MainText.aspx.