Doel vak

The student has:
- Insight in classic and contemporary arguments for and against God's
existence
- The ability to cogently reflect on the epistemic credence of these
arguments
- Insight in well-known objections against each of the discussed
arguments

Inhoud vak

Ever since Plato, philosophers have developed arguments for and against
the existence of God. Well-known examples include Aristotle’s argument
for the existence of an unmoved mover, Anselm’s argument for the
existence of a being than which none greater can be imagined, Leibniz’s
argument for the existence of a necessary being that is the cause of all
contingents, and the argument against God’s existence from evil. With
the rise of positivism in the second part of the nineteenth century and
the decline of metaphysics that went with it, the interest in arguments
for and against God’s existence faded away. However, the last decennia
of the twentieth century witnessed a resurgence of metaphysics. This
resulted in a revival of interest in these arguments. In this course, we
study both traditional and contemporary arguments for and against God’s
existence. Arguments for God's existence that are discussed include
cosmological, teleological, ontological, moral, aesthetic, and
modal-epistemic arguments. Arguments against God’s existence to be
discussed include the argument from evil, the argument from God’s
hiddenness, and the argument from allegedly incompatible divine
attributes. We will also investigate the meaning and function of
arguments for God’s existence. Are these arguments to be considered as
proofs? Are they necessary for rational belief in God? How do they fit
into a theistic worldview?

Onderwijsvorm

There will be a lecture and one workshop per week.

Toetsvorm

One final, written exam (100%)

Literatuur

Literature will be spread via Canvas.

Doelgroep

Mandatory for Master students Philosophy of Religion (Exploring a
Discipline). Elective for other Master's students.

Aanbevolen voorkennis

Basic level understanding of epistemology and ontology.