Philosophy of Religion

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Foundation for the Study of Religion

Philosophy of Religion – a foundation

Introduction to Philosophy

Ancient Greek influences on religious philosophy:

Plato: introduction

Plato: the analogy of the cave

Plato: the analogy of the cave (Text)

Plato: the concept of forms

Plato: the form of Good

Plato: mind/body problem

Plato: tripartite soul

Plato: the immortality of the soul

Plato: justification of the existence of the soul

Plato: criticisms of his philosophy

Aristotle: overview
Aristotle: matter and form
Aristotle: concept of the body/soul distinction
Aristotle: the prime mover

Judeo-Christian influences on religious philosophy:

The concept of God as creator: Genesis 1-3

The goodness of God: Exodus 20

God’s activity in the world; the concept of miracle: Joshua 10:1-15

Philosophy of Religion

Traditional arguments for the existence of God:

Anselm's first ontological argument

Gaunilo's challenge to Anselm's ontological argument

Anselm's second ontological argument

Descartes' support of the ontological argument

Kant's challenge to the ontological argument

Aquinas' cosmological argument for the existence of God
Challenges to the Cosmological Argument from Hume and Kant
Principle of Suffiecient Reason
Russell vs Copleston on the Cosmological Argument
Russell and Copleston's Radio Debate

Paley's Teleological Argument
Challenges to the Teleological Argument from Hume
Challenges to the Teleological Argument from Mill and Darwin

Kant's Moral Argument and the Categorical Imperative
Objections to the Moral Argument

Arguments from religious experiences from William James
Challenges to Religious Experiences from Freud and Marx

Challenges to religious belief:

The Problem of Evil: The Theodicy of Augustine of Hippo

The Problem of Evil: The Theodicy of Irenaeus

The challenges of psychology to religious belief

The challenges of sociology to religious belief

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