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Course Offerings: Fall 2008

PHILOSOPHY 370: PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION

TUESDAY
SECTION 1, 6:00 - 8:40 P.M.

PROFESSOR MYLAN ENGEL JR.

REQUIRED TEXTS
Rowe, Philosophy of Religion: An Introduction
Pojman, Philosophy of Religion: An Anthology
Freud, The Future of an Illusion

COURSE CONTENT
This course seeks to determine whether a belief in God's existence is rationally defensible. We will begin by examining various traditional arguments for and against God's existence, including the teleological argument, the cosmological argument, the ontological argument, and the logical and evidential arguments from evil. We will then look at various contemporary versions of the ontological argument. We will also examine arguments from religious experience and from purportedly miraculous occurrences. Next, we will consider the rationality of belief without evidence. Here we will explore the relationship between faith and justification. We will conclude by examining various pragmatic justifications for belief in God.

COURSE FORMAT
Lecture and discussion. Requirements include: mandatory attendance, a midterm exam (essay and short answer), a series of journal entries, a series of quizzes based on the course readings, and a cumulative final exam (essay and short answer).