AP/PHIL2090 3.0 M: Intro. to the Philosophy of Religion
Offered by: PHIL
(Cross-listed to: AP/RLST2090 3.0M )
Session
Winter 2024
Term
W
Format
LECT
Instructor
Calendar Description / Prerequisite / Co-Requisite
Does God exist? Can religious belief be explained away? What is the relationship between faith and reason? Through a selection of classic readings, this course provides a survey of some central topics in the philosophy of religion.
Course Start Up
Course Websites hosted on York's "eClass" are accessible to students during the first week of the term. It takes two business days from the time of your enrolment to access your course website. Course materials begin to be released on the course website during the first week. To log in to your eClass course visit the York U eClass Portal and login with your Student Passport York Account. If you are creating and participating in Zoom meetings you may also go directly to the York U Zoom Portal.
For further course Start Up details, review the Getting Started webpage.
For IT support, students may contact University Information Technology Client Services via askit@yorku.ca or (416) 736-5800. Please also visit Students Getting Started UIT or the Getting Help - UIT webpages.
Professor Jim Vernon
jvernon@yorku.ca
Office Location: S427 Ross Building
Phone Number: (416) 736-2100 Ext. 33519
Office Hours: TBA
This is not a course on philosophy in religion, i.e. it does not treat any or all of the various world religions and their philosophical viewpoints. Rather, this course provides a survey of some central topics in the philosophy of religion. In other words, this course deals not with any specific religious tradition or text, but with philosophical questions regarding the general nature of religious belief, experience and practice.
Through a selection of classic readings, we will explore four fundamental ‘religious’ questions: 1) Can we know whether God exists? 2) What is the relationship between faith and reason? 3) What is the relationship between faith and morality? 4) Can the persistence of religious belief be explained away?
Course kit, edited by the instructor
Mid-Term Exam 25%
Term Paper 35%
Final Exam 40%
Lecture/Reading Schedule:
Wed. Jan. 10th
Course Intro.
Section 1: The Existence of God
Wed. Jan. 17th
Anselm ‘God truly exists’; Gaunilo, ‘What someone, on behalf of the fool, replies to these arguments’; Anselm, ‘Reply to Gaunilo’; Aquinas ‘The Existence of God’
Wed. Jan. 24th
Aquinas ‘The Existence of God’ (cont.); Hume, selections from Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion
Wed. Jan 30th
Hume, selections from Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (cont.); Mackie, ‘Evil and Omnipotence’
Wed. Feb. 7th
Mackie, ‘Evil and Omnipotence’ (cont.); mid-term review
Wed. Feb. 14th
Mid-Term Exam (term paper questions uploaded to eClass)
Wed. Feb. 21st
No Class (‘Reading’ Week)
Section 2: Faith and/or Reason?
Wed. Feb 28th
Pascal, selections from Pensées; Locke, selections from An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
Wed. Mar. 7th
Kierkegaard, ‘The Knight of Faith and the Knight of Infinite Resignation’
Section 3: Faith and/or Morality?
Wed. Mar. 14th
Plato, Euthyphro
Wed. Mar. 21st
Kant, selections from Critique of Practical Reason
Section 4: Explaining Faith Away
Wed. Mar. 28th
Freud, ‘Future of an Illusion’
Term Paper due (on turnitin.com)!
Wed. Apr. 4th
Marx, ‘Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right’; Carvaka, selected writings
Final Exam (scheduled by university, during the exam period)
Familiarize students with varied philosophical responses to core concepts in Western religious traditions; to sharpen critical thinking, essay writing, as well as editing skills.
- Academic Honesty
- Student Rights and Responsibilities
- Religious Observance
- Grading Scheme and Feedback
- 20% Rule
No examinations or tests collectively worth more than 20% of the final grade in a course will be given during the final 14 calendar days of classes in a term. The exceptions to the rule are classes which regularly meet Friday evenings or on Saturday and/or Sunday at any time, and courses offered in the compressed summer terms. - Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
