Reason And Faith

AY2015/2016 Semester 2

Faith and Reason is an introduction to the philosophy of religion: the philosophical study of religious phenomena. Philosophers of religion tend to focus on evaluating religious claims to truth?e.g., claims about the existence of God, claims about life after death, claims about the place of humankind in the universe, etc. In the first part of the course, we evaluate a series of influential arguments for the existence of a monotheistic God. We also consider whether claims about the occurrence of miracles can furnish credible evidence for God?s existence. Then we turn to an influential argument for atheism, and assess whether the existence of evil constitutes evidence against the God of monotheism. In the second part of the course, we inquire about the rationality of religious faith. Should we expect a rational justification for religious faith, or rather, is faith an attitude that shouldn?t be subjected to rational scrutiny? Finally, in light of the fact that there are a multitude of religions that make incompatible claims to truth, we examine whether religions can be worthy of our adherence even if they some of their fundamental tenets are false. The course will conclude with a reflection on the important roles that religion can play in people?s lives, apart from being a source of truth-claims.