Overview
What is religion? How do religious people think? Where do their ideas come from? Are any of them true? These and other questions are addressed.
We look at traditional arguments for and against the existence of God: Ontological, Cosmological, Teleological, and the argument from evil. We then look at some implications of the existence of God for the nature of reality, and for the nature of knowledge. Religions often attest to the existence of miracles, but if a miracle is defined as a violation of a law of nature, how is that possible? God is often claimed to be eternal. What does that mean? On one account, God exists at every time, and on another, God is timeless. What implications do each of these have for the nature of time? If God is all-knowing, how is that compatible with our having free will? Many religions believe in life after death. What are the implications of that for personal identity? Is theological anti-realism, or the idea of a religion without God, workable? What is faith, and how does it relate to reason?
About this paper
| Paper title | Reason, Belief and the Sacred |
|---|---|
| Subject | Philosophy |
| EFTS | 0.15 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 2 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $1,103.10 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- One PHIL paper or 72 points
- Restriction
- PHIL 210 and PHIL 329
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music
- Eligibility
- Suitable for all students who have an interest in philosophical questions. No previous philosophical knowledge is required, but students will be expected to read widely and write clearly.
- Contact
- More information link
View more information on the Philosophy Programme's website.
- Teaching staff
Course Co-ordinator: Professor Stuart Brock
- Paper Structure
- Arguments for and against the existence of God;
- God and Time (eternity; freedom and foreknowledge; God, death and time);
- Religious language, religious experience, pragmatic arguments for the existence of God, faith and reason.
- Teaching Arrangements
One 50-minute lecture and one 1-hour and 50-minute lecture/seminar per week.
- Textbooks
Course materials will be made available. Textbooks and recommended readings will be available on eReserve.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Scholarship, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Research, Self-motivation.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the paper will:
- The ability to present and assess philosophical arguments (both written and verbal) to an acceptable standard, in the area of the philosophy of religion.
- A broad awareness and grasp of what is at issue in debates in the philosophy of religion.
- A demonstrated ability to explain and assess philosophical positions and arguments, and to think critically and independently about them.
- Assessment details
Pop Quizzes 20%
First Test 40%
Second Test 40%
Overview
What is religion? How do religious people think? Where do their ideas come from? Are any of them true? These and other questions are addressed.
We look at traditional arguments for and against the existence of God: Ontological, Cosmological, Teleological, and the argument from evil. We then look at some implications of the existence of God for the nature of reality, and for the nature of knowledge. Religions often attest to the existence of miracles, but if a miracle is defined as a violation of a law of nature, how is that possible? God is often claimed to be eternal. What does that mean? On one account, God exists at every time, and on another, God is timeless. What implications do each of these have for the nature of time? If God is all-knowing, how is that compatible with our having free will? Many religions believe in life after death. What are the implications of that for personal identity? Is theological anti-realism, or the idea of a religion without God, workable? What is faith, and how does it relate to reason?
About this paper
| Paper title | Reason, Belief and the Sacred |
|---|---|
| Subject | Philosophy |
| EFTS | 0.15 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 2 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for 2027 have not yet been set |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- One PHIL paper or 72 points
- Restriction
- PHIL 210 and PHIL 329
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music
- Eligibility
- Suitable for all students who have an interest in philosophical questions. No previous philosophical knowledge is required, but students will be expected to read widely and write clearly.
- Contact
- More information link
View more information on the Philosophy Programme's website.
- Teaching staff
Course Co-ordinator: Professor Stuart Brock
- Paper Structure
- Arguments for and against the existence of God;
- God and Time (eternity; freedom and foreknowledge; God, death and time);
- Religious language, religious experience, pragmatic arguments for the existence of God, faith and reason.
- Teaching Arrangements
One 50-minute lecture and one 1-hour and 50-minute lecture/seminar per week.
- Textbooks
Course materials will be made available. Textbooks and recommended readings will be available on eReserve.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Scholarship, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Research, Self-motivation.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the paper will develop:
- The ability to present and assess philosophical arguments (both written and verbal) to an acceptable standard, in the area of the philosophy of religion.
- A broad awareness and grasp of what is at issue in debates in the philosophy of religion.
- A demonstrated ability to explain and assess philosophical positions and arguments, and to think critically and independently about them.
- Assessment details
Test 20%
Essay 20%
Final Exam 60%