As mentioned in class, please carefully read the Stairs chapter on God and morality.
Read and write a detailed summary of the remaining sections of the Harvard book on writing. Due Friday 4/11 via Turnitin.
Write a well organized essay that (1) presents and explains an argument for the existence of God from the existence of morality, that is, that some actions are morally wrong and others are not-wrong, and (2) explains whether that argument is sound or not and why, and (3) has a proper, brief introduction and (4) has sections heading, to mark off the section so the paper, and (5) has a brief, proper conclusion. Due Monday 4/14 via Turnitin. NOTE CHANGE.
Friday, April 4, 2014
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Group Project
A group project assignment, due FRIDAY, April 25. NOTE CHANGE.
First, carefully read the Stairs chapter on arguments for the non-existence of God from the existence of certain kinds of evil.
Your assignment is to create an educational tool that will help people evaluating responses to the argument or problem of evil, i.e., an educational tool to help people evaluate theodicies.
Create your own group of 3 or 4 students. If you cannot find a group, you will be assigned to one.
Create a webpage or blog (on Blogger, Wordpress, Google Sites, wherever) where you do the following:
1. Explain the problem of evil or an argument for the non-existence of God from the existence of certain kinds of evils (do not consider an argument from the existence of evil in general: you need to focus on especially bad evils). That is, fully explain how someone might reason from the existence of certain kinds of evils - give examples - to the conclusion that God probably does not exist. You want to present the strongest version of this argument that you can, not a "straw man" version of the argument.
2. Identify least five critical responses to this argument, that is five theodicies. Please pick theodicies that you think are most important, most common and/or the strongest.
3. Critically evaluate these theodicies, in light of the following concerns:
- what outweighing good does the theodicy propose? (You will likely need to distinguish intrinsic goods and evils/bads versusinstrumental goods and evils/bads: e.g. something can be intrinsically bad but instrumentally good)
- how good is that good, compared to the bad of the evil(s) in question? Is the good great enough to "outweigh" the evil in question?
- could that good have been achieved in some other way, without that evil, or as much of the evil, in question? That is, is that evilnecessary for that good, or could that good have been achieved without that evil (especially by an an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-good being?)?
- so does this theodicy succeed in showing what would morally justify an all-knowing, all-powerful, all good being in allowing that evil to occur? Does this theodicy succeed or fail?
4. Your page should have an introduction and a conclusion. Your conclusion should state and explain what you think someone should think about the argument from evil (and its implications for God's existence), in light of your evaluation of the theodicies that you discuss.
It should be developed in a way that someone interested in these important issues would be able to learn how to better attempt to rationally evaluate theodicies and think more philosophically -- i.e., critically, creatively and with an open mind -- about philosophy of religion.
5. Your page should be creative and look good!! :) The writing should be clear and straightforward and people should be able to learn from it.
Please email your link to Dr. Nobis, print it out and bring to class and post your link as a comment on this blog.
Relevant readings:
- Stairs chapter on the argument from evil
- Vuletic, A Tale of 12 Officers http://www.vuletic.com/hume/at/12.html
Daniel Howard Snyder, "Theodicy," in ed. Kelly James Clark, Readings in the Philosophy of Religion (Broadview 2008, 2nd edition)
First, carefully read the Stairs chapter on arguments for the non-existence of God from the existence of certain kinds of evil.
Your assignment is to create an educational tool that will help people evaluating responses to the argument or problem of evil, i.e., an educational tool to help people evaluate theodicies.
Create your own group of 3 or 4 students. If you cannot find a group, you will be assigned to one.
Create a webpage or blog (on Blogger, Wordpress, Google Sites, wherever) where you do the following:
1. Explain the problem of evil or an argument for the non-existence of God from the existence of certain kinds of evils (do not consider an argument from the existence of evil in general: you need to focus on especially bad evils). That is, fully explain how someone might reason from the existence of certain kinds of evils - give examples - to the conclusion that God probably does not exist. You want to present the strongest version of this argument that you can, not a "straw man" version of the argument.
2. Identify least five critical responses to this argument, that is five theodicies. Please pick theodicies that you think are most important, most common and/or the strongest.
3. Critically evaluate these theodicies, in light of the following concerns:
- what outweighing good does the theodicy propose? (You will likely need to distinguish intrinsic goods and evils/bads versusinstrumental goods and evils/bads: e.g. something can be intrinsically bad but instrumentally good)
- how good is that good, compared to the bad of the evil(s) in question? Is the good great enough to "outweigh" the evil in question?
- could that good have been achieved in some other way, without that evil, or as much of the evil, in question? That is, is that evilnecessary for that good, or could that good have been achieved without that evil (especially by an an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-good being?)?
- so does this theodicy succeed in showing what would morally justify an all-knowing, all-powerful, all good being in allowing that evil to occur? Does this theodicy succeed or fail?
4. Your page should have an introduction and a conclusion. Your conclusion should state and explain what you think someone should think about the argument from evil (and its implications for God's existence), in light of your evaluation of the theodicies that you discuss.
It should be developed in a way that someone interested in these important issues would be able to learn how to better attempt to rationally evaluate theodicies and think more philosophically -- i.e., critically, creatively and with an open mind -- about philosophy of religion.
5. Your page should be creative and look good!! :) The writing should be clear and straightforward and people should be able to learn from it.
Please email your link to Dr. Nobis, print it out and bring to class and post your link as a comment on this blog.
Relevant readings:
- Stairs chapter on the argument from evil
- Vuletic, A Tale of 12 Officers http://www.vuletic.com/hume/at/12.html
Daniel Howard Snyder, "Theodicy," in ed. Kelly James Clark, Readings in the Philosophy of Religion (Broadview 2008, 2nd edition)
Monday, March 31, 2014
Believing on the basis of:
-
“Epistemic
/ epistemological reasons”:
o
reasons and evidence that support thinking that some belief is true:
§ sensory
experience: a posteriori evidence;
empirical
§ thinking;
reasoning; reflection: a priori
evidence
§ memory;
§ scientific
evidence: statistical information.
§ Recognizing
a tradition.
-
On the
basis of more or less nothing!
o
“No clue.”
o
“Just because!” “Just cuz!”
o
#NewMATH
-
“Pragmatic
or prudential reasons”: Whether a belief is useful or not, pragmatic
or not.
Pascal’s Wager:
|
J
|
God exists
|
God does not exist
|
|
Believe in God
|
Infinite reward! J
|
Wasted some time ( some negatives );
Perhaps your life will be better in some ways though.. Mixed
bag, but not infinite either way
|
|
Not believe in God
|
Eternal punishment! L
|
Another mixed bag..
|
o
-
On the
basis of faith.
- Believing because of various causes:
o
Brain injury or disease.
o
Wish fulfillment or wishful thinking… hope…
[pragmatic?]
o
“brainwashing”..
o
Drugs / drunk / hypnotized
o
Love?
o
Hormones..
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
God =
S is God if, and only if:
1. S is necessarily omnipotent = all powerful =
2. S is necessarily omniscient = “in all possible worlds’
3. S is necessarily omnibenevolent =
4. S is omnipresent [?] = ?
5. S exists necessarily.
6. S eternal and/or everlasting = either ‘outside of time’ but always existing OR in time but has always existed… (HMM?)
7. Unchanging = his character or essential or core attributes does not or would not change,
8. S has “free will”
9. S is supernatural / outside of the natural laws
10. S is immaterial, not a physical being, a spiritual being
11. S is a person. = beings with personalities; conscious, feelings, rationality, emotions, etc.
a.S is a person if and only if…
i. “essential properties”… “accidental properties”…..
If God exists, then God is not a person because…
1. Miracles happen. ?
2. If miracles happen, then God exists.
3. Therefore God exists.
4. People have ‘religious experiences.’\
a.Feelings of ecstasy, it seeming like God is speaking to you, etc.
b.VERIDICAL OR NOT?
c. TRUTHFUL OR NOT?
5. If people have religious experiences, then God exists.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Assignment that'll soon be posted:
Small group project where you (1) present and explain the evidential argument from evil and (2) present and evaluate at least 5 theodicies.
Notes from the other day:
The evidential argument from evil for the conclusion that there does not exist a God.
1. Gratuitous, unjustified evils exist.
2. If God exists, then there probably wouldn’t be gratuitous evils.
3. Therefore, God probably doesn’t exist.
“Unjustified”= either
1. No good comes from the evil.
2. Some good comes from the evil but that good is not greater than the evil.
3. Some good comes from the evil but that good could have been achieved without much evil.
Small group project where you (1) present and explain the evidential argument from evil and (2) present and evaluate at least 5 theodicies.
Notes from the other day:
The evidential argument from evil for the conclusion that there does not exist a God.
1. Gratuitous, unjustified evils exist.
2. If God exists, then there probably wouldn’t be gratuitous evils.
3. Therefore, God probably doesn’t exist.
“Unjustified”= either
1. No good comes from the evil.
2. Some good comes from the evil but that good is not greater than the evil.
3. Some good comes from the evil but that good could have been achieved without much evil.
Reminders:
You were asked to read this:
"African-American Philosophy of Religion and the Many Problems of Evil"
And in these issues of the Newsletter on Philosophy and the Black Experience there is discussion of William Jones' famous Is God a White Racist? book:
You were asked to read this:
"African-American Philosophy of Religion and the Many Problems of Evil"
And in these issues of the Newsletter on Philosophy and the Black Experience there is discussion of William Jones' famous Is God a White Racist? book:
| Black Experience Vol. 13, No. 1 (Fall 2013) PDF (444.44 KB) | |||
| Black Experience Vol. 12, No. 2 (Spring 2013) PDF (873.41 KB) | |||
See Google scholar also for discussion of Jones' book:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)