Edith Wyschogrod
stedith@rice.edu
Department of Religious Studies
Rice University Private,
Liberal Arts, 2800 undergraduate enrollment
What do we mean by religion, philosophy, and the philosophy of religion? Can we reflect critically and cross-culturally upon the meanings of these terms? What do we mean by religious experience? How is the search for the sacred interpreted in selected Western and Asian traditions? What role does language play in articulating religious beliefs and practices? What are the connections between religious traditions and the good life? Responses of Plato, Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Hume, selected contemporary philosophers, the Vedanta, Jain and Buddhist perspectives will be considered
Two short papers, midterm exam and take-home final. Fasmiliarity with readings will be expected. Questions will be designed to encourage you to express your views and to argue effectively for them. Classroom discussion of isues raised by the readings is an important part of this course. Your participation is expected.
1. Introduction: What, exactly, are we studying when we study the philosophy of religion?
2. Euthyphro's Dilemma: What makes something holy?
3. What do the gods love and why?
4. The Philosopher and the immortal soul
5. The Sage and the deathless Atman
6. Who is God?
7. Brahman as Ultimate Reality: Samkara's Monism
8. From an idea to God's existence: The Ontological Proof
9. From world to God: The Cosmological Argument
10. The Evolving World: Subject and Nature in Samkhya
11. MIDTERM EXAM
12. Explaining Religious Experience: From James to Proudfoot
13. Encounters with the sacred
14. Yoga and the goal of spiritual freedom
15. Buddhism and the end of suffering.
16. Some sceptical arguments: Hume
17. Materialism and scepticism: Carvaka
18. Life after Death
19. Knowledge and the everlasting: Jainism
20. The Holy Life: St. Francis of Assisi
21. The Life of the Sage: The arhat ideal
22. The Problem of Evil
23. Doing right and wrong: the yogas of the Gita
24 The Gita (continued)
This course was designed 1. to familiarize students with standard Western arguments in the philosophy of religion and in selected Asian schools of thought. 2. To consider the philosophical and religious contexts of these arguments.
In teaching relatively traditional courses, I have often used newsgroups and developed various Internet projects, e.g. breaking up into small groups to consider websites devoted to a theme or thinker, evaluating material and presenting findings in class. The aim of this course was to consider complex arguments best achieved through class discussion and several short papers.
Standard questionnaire showed that course was rated about 1.3 (1 is highest rating), well above the mean. Written comments by students (freshmen and sophomores, perhaps somewhat higher percentage of prospective math and science majors than is the norm) were uniformly enthusiastic.