Assignments will be posted here as we go along. Normally, you can
expect that the daily assignments will be posted three or four days ahead of
time. Essay assignments and exams will be posted one to two weeks ahead.
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Each assignment that requires you to
hand in something has a regular due date, found in the RIGHT
column. You should complete assignments by their deadlines. No work is accepted past the
deadline unless you obtain permission.
(See grading policies.) If there is nothing in
the far right column, nothing is to be prepared for handing in that day (but
there still could be a quiz in class that day).
| I.
Religious, naturalistic, and scientific worldviews |
| For this date |
Reading to do |
Things to do |
Submit deadline |
| Tue. 1/17 |
No reading. |
Come to class. |
-- |
| Thur. 1/19 |
"The Big Questions", Machina
"Worldviews", Smart |
Write brief answers to the study questions found
at the beginning of the Smart reading. (One or two sentences per question.)
Make a note of any issues you have with the Machina reading. |
Thur. 1/19 |
| Tue. 1/24 |
"Ethos, World View...", Geertz
"Religion and the Modern Mind", Stace |
Here
is a study guide for Geertz. Write answers to turn in.
Here is a study aid for
Stace. Think about what we should add to our definition of "religious
worldview" based on Stace. |
Tue. 1/24 |
| Thur. 1/26 |
"Unity and Method in...Science", Shapere
"The Web of Belief", Quine and Ullian |
Think: does Shapere's picture of the world fit
what Stace says about the "modern" scientific picture? Think: What
does it mean to say our beliefs form a web? What happens to the web
when we give up one of our beliefs? There will be a short quiz in
class. |
Quiz |
| Tue. 1/31 |
"Evaluating Scientific Theories", Machina
Review previous readings |
Try to think of examples from your experiences
in science courses, to illustrate each of the points in the reading, if
possible. (In some cases, examples can come from your science lab
experiences.) Make notes to bring to class, to share. We
may have time in class for a video, so it would be good for you not to miss
this. |
-- |
| II.
Myth, religion, and truth |
| Thur. 2/2 |
"The Structure of Myths", Eliade |
Video in class, if we didn't get it done on Tue.
Study questions on Eliade found here. |
Thur. 2/2 |
| Tue. 2/7 |
"Mountain Mother", Motz
"Genesis" excerpt from the Bible |
Work through the study questions found
here. |
Tue. 2/7 |
| Thur. 2/9 |
"Evidence that Demands a Verdict",
McDowell
"Does God Have to Be a Person?" Machina |
Don't be concerned about whether McDowell's
arguments are strong ones. Instead, understand what he is doing, and,
more importantly, WHY he thinks it is so important to give these arguments.
What would be the result (in his view) of treating the resurrection of Jesus
as a myth? |
-- |
| Regarding the Machina piece: think about why
there would be a natural connection between mythological thinking and
religion when the transcendent is viewed as personal. |
-- |
| Get started thinking about what you are going to
say in your Essay #1. Instructions for this essay are found
here. |
-- |
| Tue. 2/14 |
Review prior readings as needed. |
Essay #1 due. |
Essay due |
| III.
Evaluating worldviews |
| Thur. 2/16 |
"Can Religious Belief Be Rational?" Pojman |
Write answers to the study questions found
here. |
Thur. 2/16 |
| IV.
Naturalistic attacks on religion |
| Tue. 2/21 |
Communist analysis of religion, Marx and Engels;
Sociological reductions of religion, Durkheim and Rolston |
Two questions to focus on in doing the reading:
1) Exactly what does each author claim as the explanation for why religious
beliefs are so common and so influential? 2) Why do these explanations
count as naturalistic attacks on the legitimacy of religion? |
-- |
| Thur. 2/23 |
"Theology and Falsification", Flew portion only
(at the beginning)
Possibly begin reading Braithwaite if you understand Flew. |
Follow this study
guide. |
Thur. 2/23 |
| V.
Quasi-naturalistic alternatives to religion |
| Tue. 2/28 |
"An Empiricist's View of...Religious Belief",
Braithwaite |
Braithwaite agrees with Flew that religious
doctrines say nothing meaningful, but he thinks that everything valuable
about religion can still be preserved in a religion without beliefs. Figure out how this is supposed to work and
write a paragraph summarizing his view. Don't hesitate to use a
dictionary when reading Braithwaite. |
Tue. 2/28 |
| Thur. 3/2 |
"The Faith of a Rationalist", Russell
"The Value of Science", Feynman |
Write a paragraph on each philosopher, stating
what each one proposes as a philosophy of life that might take the place of
religion. |
Thur. 3/2 |
| Here is the
midterm exam. You are urged to get started on it well in advance. |
Thur. 3/9 |
| Tue. 3/7 |
"Naturalized Spirituality", Solomon |
Think about what Solomon means by
"spirituality", and why his version of spirituality is a naturalism-friendly
substitute for traditional religious worldviews. |
-- |
| Thur. 3/9 |
No new reading. |
Midterm exam due.
Class will be held as usual, for catch-up and summary of the course so far. |
Exam due. |
| The class schedule for the rest
of the semester will be found on the "Schedule
2nd half" page. |
