PY407-5-SP-CO:
Philosophy and Religion
2016/17
Philosophy
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
15
05 February 2009
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
BA VV56 Philosophy, Religion and Ethics,
BA VV5P Philosophy, Religion and Ethics (Including Year Abroad)
Module Outline
'Virtues of Religious Belief'
The reformist theologian Martin Luther argued that it is only through faith that we are justified in the eyes of God. Luther also held, however, that we only ever have faith as an act of God's grace. For Luther, only God can raise us into faith and there is nothing we can do to earn this gift. This presents a problem. If we are only worthy for God's love if we have faith, it would seem that we should have faith in God and are rightly damned by its absence. But if there is nothing we can do to attain faith, then how can we be held responsible for its absence? That is, by what right are we damned for the absence of faith, if we cannot be held to blame for something that we cannot achieve?
This problem might be considered a specifically theological formulation of a puzzle that has broader reach. For we can also ask whether we can rightly be held responsible for any of our beliefs. On the one hand, it seems that we do hold people to account for their beliefs: racist or sexist beliefs are taken as moral failings on the part of the believer. On the other hand, however, this practice can be difficult to justify. Plausibly, we are only responsible for that which we can control. But it would seem that we cannot control what we believe. I cannot simply decide, for example, to believe that it is raining outside if it is a bright summer's day. If we cannot control what we believe, how can we be held responsible for our beliefs, even if they are abhorrent?
Recent developments in epistemology have offered a putative solution to this broader problem. Virtue epistemologists argue that while we cannot be held directly responsible for our beliefs, we can be held responsible for the character traits which give rise to our beliefs. Thus, someone who held a racist belief might be held responsible for his belief on account of its being an expression of his closedmindedness, or some other epistemic vice.
Even if virtue epistemology offers a new solution to the broader problem of doxastic responsibility, however, there is good reason to think that it would not be so easily applicable to the theological problem. This is because--as philosophers such as Kierkegaard and Wittgenstein have argued-- religious belief is different in kind from empirical belief. According to these thinkers, religious belief involves adherence to inherently paradoxical beliefs or even nonsensical formations of words. But if the difference between religious faith and empirical belief is as radical as these philosophers suggest, it would seem that there would have to be a distinctive set of virtues of religious belief. What, if any, are the epistemic virtues of religious belief?
In this module we shall investigate the viability of a distinctive set of virtues for religious belief. We shall begin by looking at the problem that arises from Lutheran theology before discussing the problem more broadly and the virtue-epistemological solution. We shall then turn to Wittgenstein, Kierkegaard to examine the claim that religious belief is different in kind from empirical belief. In the remaining lectures we shall discuss possible candidates for virtues of religious belief, namely: patience and reticence.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students will:
* Have developed the analytic and critical skills required for the close reading of philosophical/religious texts.
* Be capable of reconstructing philosophical or religious arguments in their own words and to produce a constructive critique of such arguments.
* Have improved their knowledge of how to structure a piece of writing and present it in the clearest and most relevant manner.
* Have developed the ability to do some research on their own and to think by themselves, and in particular to build upon/revise any initial views they might have held.
* Be sensitive to the positions of others, and capable of communicating their own views in ways that are interesting and accessible to most, ideally to all.
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No information available.
No information available.
Incoming study abroad students must have already taken an introductory module in Philosophy at their home institution.
9 weeks with 3 contact hours per week.
Each week will have a one-hour lecture, a one-hour work/discussion session on related material and one hour of presentations (except for the first week, in which students will be taught presentation methodology). Week 21 will be a Reading Week.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Individual Presentation |
|
20% |
| Coursework |
Take-home Research Paper – 48 hours - 2000 words |
|
40% |
| Coursework |
Essay 1: 2500 words |
|
40% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr David Batho
Sarah Mumford, Deputy School Administrator, email: smumfo@essex.ac.uk. Office: 6.130
Yes
Yes
No
Dr Thomas Joseph Stern
University College London
Senior Lecturer
Available via Moodle
Of 36 hours, 12 (33.3%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
24 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
Philosophy
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