Philosophy 462 – Seminar on
Metaphysics and Epistemology II- Winter 2014
Professor: W.
Sweet
Office: 707
Nicholson Hall
Telephone: 867-2341
Office Hours: M/W
9:15 -11:00 a.m.; M/T/W/Th 2:00-3:00 p.m. and by arrangement.
Home page: http://www.stfx.ca/people/wsweet/phil462.html
The
theme this term is the Epistemology of Religion and,
specifically, the investigation of the concept of ‘religious
belief’.
The course will begin with a brief outline of the
concepts of knowledge and belief. Then, we will look at some
‘modern’ and (primarily) ‘recent’ texts bearing on religious
belief, and see how they understand ‘(religious) belief’ (or
faith) and its relation to belief, faith, reason, evidence,
argument, proof, meaning, truth, and justification.
For course notes, click here.
(NB this is a .doc file)
Course
outline
1.
Some
classic statements:
a)
Knowledge
and belief / faith and reason
b)
Locke
on belief (selections from Essay Concerning Human
Understanding)
c)
Hume
on belief (selections from the Enquiry Concerning Human
Understanding)
d)
William
Paley and Richard Whately on argument and belief (selections
from Elements of Rhetoric)
e)
Newman
on faith, reason, and belief (selections from Fifteen
Sermons Preached before the University of Oxford Between A.D.
1826 and 1843)
2.
Meaningfulness
and objectivity
a)
A.J.
Ayer and meaningfulness
b)
Karl
Popper and demarcation
d)
Anthony
Flew, R.M. Hare, Basil Mitchell on meaningfulness
3.
Concerns
about the nature of belief
a)
Wilfred
Cantwell Smith
b)
Bernard
Lonergan
c)
H.H.
Price
4.
Religious
Belief and Religious Experience
a)
Alvin
Plantinga, “Is Belief in God Properly Basic?”
b)
William
Alston, “Religious Experience and Religious Belief,”
5.
Conclusions
Required Readings: The texts we shall use will be
available on the course moodle page. Please print out a copy of
the article(s) and bring them to class.
Related
Readings:
R.B.
Braithwaite,
“An Empiricist’s View of the Nature of Religious Belief”
M.C.
D’Arcy,
Belief and Reason [excerpts] London: Burns Oates &
Washbourne, 1946.
Basil
Mitchell
(ed.), The Philosophy of Religion, Oxford, 1971
Thomas
V.
Morris, "Pascalian Wagering",
William
Sweet,
Religious Belief: The Contemporary Debate. Bangalore,
India: Dharmaram Publications, 2003.
Students
should also have a good dictionary available. They might
also consult: Philosophy
Pages (from Garth Kemerling):
http://www.philosophypages.com/
Method
of the course and the role of the student:
The
class
will have a seminar format. A member of the class will introduce
a topic with a summary of the relevant arguments or a commentary
on a text. This will be followed by questions and discussion of
the material by the class as a whole (e.g., points of
clarification or criticism and of comparison; comments on the
relations between or among different issues).
Students are
expected to have prepared the readings before class, to attend
all of the classes and to participate in discussion. In
conformity with University regulations, students who have more
than 3 unjustified absences in a term may be reported to their
Dean.
It is essential in
studying philosophy that students be prepared to ask and
answer questions in class.
Laptops
and other technologies
Laptops
and similar technologies are not permitted unless you
have my prior, explicit permission. Unauthorized use or related
activities will result in being asked to leave the classroom.
Students
with disabilities
Students
who
believe they may need accommodations in this class are required
to contact the Centre for Accessible Learning [Bloomfield Centre
room 421; (902) 867-5349] as soon as possible to ensure that
accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.
Email
and office policy
I
can respond to short messages through email, and I try to check
e-mail once a day. I do
not, however, provide grades or answers about course content
by email. Students should make use of my office hours and
ask questions in class. Urgent requests (e.g., to meet) are best
made by telephone. If I am not in when you call, please call
later or drop by.
Writing to a course instructor is not the same as writing
to a friend. For example, if you send me an e-mail message,
please mention the specific topic of your message in the
"subject" line. Use proper English. Begin the
communication with an appropriate salutation, e.g., "Dear
Professor Sweet" (A poorly written and misspelled message
reflects badly on the author.) Sign the communication with
your name and the course in which you are enrolled.
Policy
on plagiarism and academic dishonesty
St.
Francis
Xavier University values academic integrity. All forms of academic
dishonesty (including plagiarism) are unacceptable and will be
sanctioned. For the university policy on plagiarism,
please visit http://www.sites.stfx.ca/registrars_office/academic_integrity
Evaluation:
Attendance,
‘class notes,’ and participation (15%); seminar presentation
(20%); rewritten seminar presentation (25%); “Take home”
essay-examination (40%)
Writing
Centre
Students
are
encouraged to take advantage of the resources of the Writing
Centre, particularly with regard to organizing study time,
writing papers, preparing for examinations, etc. For more
information, please see http://sites.stfx.ca/writingcentre/