Lecture 1: Worldviews and Religion (Exclusivism, antipathy, subjectivism, pluralism, inclusivism, and henofideism) (pp. 29-43) Lecture 2: Religious Metaphysics without God (Argument from impermanence in Buddhism) (pp. 44-59) Lecture 3: Religious Metaphysics with God (St. Anselm's ontological argument and the 5 Ways of God's existence in St. Thomas Aquinas) (pp. 60-93) Lecture 4: The Problem of Evil (The Augustinian theodicy, Irenaean soul-making theodicy, the Leibnizian theodicy) (pp. 94-109) Lecture 5: Embodiment, Gender and God (the feminine divine metaphors of Sallie McFague, St. Teresa of Avila, the archetypes of Carl Jung, and the power of symbolic language in Paul Tillich) (pp. 110-123) Lecture 6: Life after Death (Cartesian dualism and the problem of the self versus the Buddhist teaching of no self) (pp. 124-142) Lecture 7: Religious Experience (argument from scriptural authority and the mystical characteristics of Otto, William James, and Kant's argument for rational religion) (pp. 143-158) Lecture 8: Using Science to Argue Against Religion (The atheism of Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins, and Feuerbach vs. the physics of compatible model of Einstein, Paul Davies, Karen Armstrong) (159-171) Lecture 9: Morality, Ethics and Religion (the deontological ethics of Kant, the consequentialist ethics of Mill, and the moral argument for God's existence) (pp. 172-191) Lecture 10: Prudential Arg. (Pascal's wager, religion as a live option in James, and the prudential argument for the eightfold path in Buddhism) (192-203) Lecture 11: The argument from love (eros, philia and agape love in Tillich, John of the Cross, and King, and the universal love of Mo Tzu) (222-231) Lecture 12: The meaning of life (the existentialist responses of Camus, Fromm, Merton, and the XIV Dalai Lama) (216-221) REQUIRED TEXT: Runzo, Joseph. Global Philosophy of Religion. Oneworld, 2001. RECOMMENDED LIST: Heschel, Abraham J. I Asked for Wonder. Edited by Samuel H. Dresner, Crossroad, 1983. His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Path of Wisdom, Path of Peace. Translated by Christine M. Grimm, Crossroad, 2005.
|
Global Philosophy of Religion Vyučující: C. Serran-Pagan Topics: This course will examine basic problems of religious belief and will offer critical analysis of proposed solutions to some of these problems. In a global society like ours we need to learn and also to understand different philosophical approaches to religion, especially using Eastern (Hindu and Buddhist) and Western (Judeo-Christian and Muslim) schools of thought. The purpose of this course is to explore Eastern and Western philosophical and religious beliefs in their particular historical contexts and their major impact in today's world. We will address important issues such as: religious pluralism and interfaith dialog; God's existence; the problem of evil; gender, sex and the language of God; life after death; religious and mystical experience; religion and modernity; the interface of science and religion (ecology); morality and ethics (war and peace); religion and politics; reason and faith; love and the meaning of life (the quest after happiness). Each seminar class will cover a major argument and possible themes in the academic study of philosophy of religion.
COURSE OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course, students will: 1. Demonstrate first-hand knowledge of Eastern and Western philosophical and religious thinking. 2. Explain and discuss major Eastern and Western philosophical and religious themes and motifs in the academic study of philosophy of religion. 3. Collect data and cite good examples of similarities and differences between Eastern and Western worldviews in the academic study of philosophy of religion. 4. Critically address the major philosophical problems encountered in the academic study of religion, especially by taking greater responsibility for one's own learning through the demonstration of curiosity, motivation, and risk-taking characteristics. 5. Utilize information technology to do research, specifically the Internet, and express themselves clearly, logically, and precisely in writing and in speaking. 6. Analyze and synthesize a broad range of material (including ability to make meaningful connections between various academic disciplines). 7. Produce an original work as part of a final oral presentation based on their ability to formulate a problem, develop a plan of action, and prove or disprove a hypothesis.
|