(See related pages)
Upon completion of this chapter you should be able to:
|
|
|
1. Provide an overview of various evidentialist and nonevidentialist approaches to the issue of justifying religious belief |
|
|
|
2. Present the key steps of the "first cause" and contingency versions of the cosmological argument and state strengths and weaknesses of each |
|
|
|
3. Outline the argument from design (teleological argument) and discuss both the merit of Hume's objections and the extent to which Darwin's theory of natural selection grounds a significant objection |
|
|
|
4. Describe the four models of relating science and religion |
|
|
|
5. Discuss the various views on both the theory of evolution and cosmic fine-tuning as well as their implications for the argument from design |
|
|
|
6. Explain Anselm's version of the ontological argument, together with the objections raised by Gaunilo and Kant |
|
|
|
7. Summarize Pascal's Wager and various possible criticisms of it |
|
|
|
8. Contrast the positions of Clifford and James on the justifiability of belief in the face of insufficient evidence |
|
|
|
9. Discuss Kierkegaard's subjectivist justification of religious belief. |
|
|
|
10. State the problem of evil and weigh the effectiveness of the greater goods defense (including Hick's soul-making variety), the free will defense, and the natural order defense |
|
|
|
11. Explain various key concepts in the Advaita Vedanta Hindu philosophy, particularly the notions of Brahman, Atman, jiva, maya, yoga, karma, reincarnation, and moksha |
|
|
|
12. discuss various central aspects of Theravada Buddhism, including the attitude toward divinities, the conception of objects, the anatta (no-self) doctrine, the Four Noble Truths, karma, rebirth, and nirvana |