Course Director: Dr. Alexandru Manafu alexman@yorku.ca  I prefer direct communication over email. If you must email me, then do it from the same email address that's associated with your Moodle/ York account.

Office hours: Office hours will happen virtually, on Moodle/Zoom. More information about office hours will be made available on Moodle. Students will be able to book video meetings with the course director, via Moodle/Zoom.

This course investigates the extent to which the available scientific evidence supports the materialist view of the world over the theistic one. The questions addressed include: Does the scientific evidence concerning the origin and nature of the Universe, or of life and biological species better support scientific naturalism, or theism? Do the current cosmological models eliminate the need of a transcendent cause of the Universe? Is the Universe fine-tuned for life? Does life exhibit “irreducible complexity”, as the proponents of Intelligent Design have claimed? Do claims of miracles or anomalous psychological processes, as well as religious or mystical experiences (including near-death experiences) pose a theistic challenge to scientific naturalism? Do scientific explanations of religious experience and behaviour pose a naturalistic threat to theism? Are miracles compatible with the laws of nature, particularly with the law of conservation of energy? Is the scientific enterprise committed to, or even compatible with, scientific naturalism? The readings are from the philosophy of science (philosophy of physics, biology, and cognitive science), as well as from scientifically-informed philosophy of religion.

Time: Thursdays 11:30am-2:30pm. (Mandatory meetings, via Zoom)

The meetings are mandatory, and they will take place on Zoom, at fixed times: Thursday 11:30am-2:30pm. Students are expected to attend all seminar meetings; it is expected that students will appear on video during every seminar meeting, give one presentation via Zoom, and be active during the seminar meetings. In addition to stable, high-speed Internet connection, students will need a computer with webcam and microphone.

Please note that this is a course that depends on remote teaching and learning. There will be no in-person interactions or activities on campus. The entire course, including the submission of assignments and participation/discussion, will take place on Moodle/Zoom.

No textbook. A selection of readings that will be made available on Moodle, in pdf.

Participation: 10%

10 critical comments on the readings, each worth 1%: 10%

Presentation: 15%

Paper outline: 20%

Final paper: 45%

Participation involves sharing personal viewpoints, bringing up questions, answering to questions, making connections, making observations, and in general being active in the seminar.

Before each seminar session, you will have the opportunity to write a critical comment on the readings for that week. Your comments must engage deeply with the readings; in devising them, you are expected to use your philosophical creativity. You should devote a considerable amount of time creating these comments. Each submitted comment is worth 1%, which will be awarded to all and only to those submissions that are reasonably well prepared and that meet a reasonably high standard of scholarship. Zero marks or fraction marks are also possible. No late critical comments will be accepted.

The paper will be due at the end of the term. Around the middle of the term you will be expected to choose a topic for your paper, and write-up a detailed outline for your paper. Before submitting your outline, you will have a 20-minute individual consultation with me to discuss your outline and improve it. More details will be made available on Moodle.

Every student will be expected to give one presentation, on a reading in the course. Students are responsible for having a functional computer with a web-cam, as well as some presentation software which will be used in conjunction with Zoom.

Late penalty for papers: 10% of the value of the paper/ each 24 hours.

NOTE: The grading scheme will be respected strictly. I do not typically go back and revise the grades of students, nor do I allow students to do extra work to boost their marks. The main reason for this is my commitment to treat all students equally.

Seminar (via Zoom)

By the end of this course, you will:

• Understand and explain the following ideas and interpret their relevance for the naturalism-theism debate: Big-Bang, singularity, multiverse, fine-tuning, irreducible complexity, intelligent design, religious experience and behaviour, miracles and laws of nature, miracles and conservation of energy, etc.
• Analyze, summarize, and critically evaluate scientifically-informed arguments relevant to the naturalism-theism debate, as well as the relevant empirical evidence from cosmology, biology and cognitive science.
• Articulate your own philosophical standpoints and arguments concerning the scientific evidence relevant to naturalism and theism, as well as express them cogently, both orally and in writing.
• Recognize the empirical and philosophical assumptions present in your own beliefs about naturalism and theism, as well as in the beliefs of others; be able to reflect critically on these assumptions, and engage constructively with opposing viewpoints.