PHIL 207 Philosophy of Religion - Course Outlines

Course Prescription

A study of the relationship between reason and faith; is belief in the Judaeo-Christian God reasonable? Topics include: the problem of evil, the meaningfulness of religious language, alternative concepts of God, Hume on miracles, and Kierkegaard and William James on faith and reason.

Course Overview

Philosophy of Religion deals with the key question whether it is justifiable to hold religious beliefs, and, if so, under what conditions. (Do the best ways of living require religious commitment – or do they just allow it, as an optional extra? Or ought we to ‘grow out of’ religious beliefs and practices altogether?) Do justifiable religious beliefs have to be ‘reasonable’ – and, if so, in what sense of ‘reasonable’? Religious beliefs are often claimed to be held ‘by faith’. What does that mean? If religious beliefs are a matter of faith, may they also be held reasonably?

Our key question concerns the justifiability of holding and acting on religious beliefs. But what are ‘religious’ beliefs? We will take as our main example the core beliefs of the theist religious traditions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), since these are the religious traditions which are most directly influential in Western philosophy. We will consider how to understand the concept of God as it functions in these ‘Abrahamic’ traditions, and examine Anselm’s ‘Ontological Argument’ which rests on the idea that God is that than which a greater cannot be thought.

We will next consider whether theist belief may be shown to be reasonable from an initially uncommitted perspective, by considering contemporary versions of two major arguments of natural theology (Teleological and Cosmological). We will then consider the prospects for showing the unreasonableness of theist belief, paying particular attention to the Argument from Evil (i.e., the argument that the existence of serious suffering counts against the reasonableness of belief in a morally perfect and omnipotent God). We will examine attempts to reply to this Argument by constructing theodicies, and by appealing to human cognitive limitation (‘skeptical theism’).

A case for holding the view that the evidence for and against God’s existence is ‘evidentially ambiguous’ will thus emerge. The remainder of the course deals with a range of possible responses to evidential ambiguity, including (1) taking a ‘non-realist’ turn by arguing that religious language should not be regarded as descriptive of mind-independent reality; (2) arguing that theist beliefs may be justifiably held as basically evident in experience (as urged by ‘Reformed Epistemologists’), (3) emphasising the importance of subjective decision (as urged by Kierkegaard); and (4) defending the permissibility under certain conditions of believing ‘by faith’ beyond the evidence (as urged by William James), which we will consider in relation to Pascal’s famous ‘Wager’ Argument for believing in God on practical grounds.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: 30 points in Philosophy Restriction: PHIL 327

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

Develop an understanding of the nature of faith and the relationship between faith and reason (Capability 1.1 and 2.1)
Understand both existential and intellectual problems of evil, and their significance for religious belief. (Capability 2.3 and 5.1)
Understand – especially in relation to the ‘Abrahamic’ traditions - that the worldviews and values of religions are open to differing interpretations, and develop evaluations of those differing interpretations. (Capability 2.2, 3.1 and 5.1)
Appreciate a principled basis for tolerance of different perspectives on religious faith, including the perspectives of those without religious belief or allegiance. (Capability 4.1, 4.2 and 6.3)

Assessments

Assessment Type	Percentage	Classification
Essay	50%	Individual Coursework
Final Exam	50%	Individual Examination
2 types	100%

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15-point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 2 hours of lectures and a 1 hour voluntary discussion session per week during the teaching semester, as well as 4 hours per week of reading and thinking about the content. Work on the essay assignment, and preparation for the exam will require additional hours, but is intended to be manageable within the 10 hours per week average allowance of time to be spent on the course.

Digital Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website at http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page (https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894), which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter (https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html).

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Capability 1:	Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2:	Critical Thinking
Capability 3:	Solution Seeking
Capability 4:	Communication and Engagement
Capability 5:	Independence and Integrity
Capability 6:	Social and Environmental Responsibilities

PHIL 207 : Philosophy of Religion

Arts

2020 Semester Two (1205) (15 POINTS)