Philosophy of Religion

Programme details

The course is broken down into 10 units over 10 weeks, each requiring approximately 10 hours of study time. The following topics are covered:

• Introduction – Reason and the Philosophy of Religion.

• The Concept of God: An introduction to the classical theistic concept of God as a being who is necessarily personal, transcendent, immanent, omnipotent, omniscient, eternal, perfectly free, perfectly good, and necessary; and non-essentially creator of the world and value; revealer of Himself; and offerer of everlasting life. A detailed discussion of each of these properties and the philosophical issues that they raise with a view to determining the overall coherence (or lack of it) and simplicity (or lack of it) of the classical theistic concept of God.

• Arguing For and Against the Existence of God: A discussion of whether or not belief or the absence of belief in such a God might be the sort of thing that does not rationally require argument and, if not, what the criteria for a good argument for or against such a God’s existence might be. A discussion of the main arguments for and against the existence of God: the Argument to Design; the Cosmological Argument; the Ontological Argument; the Argument from Religious Experience; and the Argument from Apparent Miracles.

• Conclusion: A discussion of the nature and role (if any) of faith and Pascal’s Wager. An opportunity for each student to discuss what (if anything) he or she feels he or she has gained from the course.

We strongly recommend that you try to find a little time each week to engage in the online conversations (at times that are convenient to you) as the forums are an integral, and very rewarding, part of the course and the online learning experience.
 

Level and demands

This course is open to all and no prior knowledge is required.

This course is offered at FHEQ level 4 (i.e. first year undergraduate level) and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours.

English Language Requirements

We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements please follow this link: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/english-language-requirements

Course aims

This course aims to facilitate students in thinking clearly about the following questions: What, if anything, is it that Jews, Christians, and Muslims are agreeing about when they join in claiming that there is a God; and what, if any, prospects are there for rationally defending or attacking this claim?

Course Objectives

• Introduce students to philosophical thinking in the British Analytical Tradition, particularly as it applies to topics in the Philosophy of Religion.

• Familiarise students with the key arguments for and against the main positions in the debate about the existence of the classical theistic God.

• Enable students to think clearly and for themselves about these issues, increasing their understanding of their own religious beliefs (if any) and those of others.

IT requirements

This course is delivered online; to participate you must to be familiar with using a computer for purposes such as sending email and searching the Internet. You will also need regular access to the Internet and a computer meeting our recommended minimum computer specification.

Programme details

The course is broken down into 10 units over 10 weeks, each requiring approximately 10 hours of study time. The following topics are covered:

• Introduction – Reason and the Philosophy of Religion.

• The Concept of God: An introduction to the classical theistic concept of God as a being who is necessarily personal, transcendent, immanent, omnipotent, omniscient, eternal, perfectly free, perfectly good, and necessary; and non-essentially creator of the world and value; revealer of Himself; and offerer of everlasting life. A detailed discussion of each of these properties and the philosophical issues that they raise with a view to determining the overall coherence (or lack of it) and simplicity (or lack of it) of the classical theistic concept of God.

• Arguing For and Against the Existence of God: A discussion of whether or not belief or the absence of belief in such a God might be the sort of thing that does not rationally require argument and, if not, what the criteria for a good argument for or against such a God’s existence might be. A discussion of the main arguments for and against the existence of God: the Argument to Design; the Cosmological Argument; the Ontological Argument; the Argument from Religious Experience; and the Argument from Apparent Miracles.

• Conclusion: A discussion of the nature and role (if any) of faith and Pascal’s Wager. An opportunity for each student to discuss what (if anything) he or she feels he or she has gained from the course.

We strongly recommend that you try to find a little time each week to engage in the online conversations (at times that are convenient to you) as the forums are an integral, and very rewarding, part of the course and the online learning experience.
 

Teaching methods

There will be guided reading of texts and students will be directed to various online resources, including some interactive ones. The main online teaching and learning activity will be the discussion forums, where students gather in their ‘cyber agora’ to be gadflies to one another (in the nicest possible way).

Students will be directed to websites (occasionally as a requirement, otherwise as an optional extra) that have relevant material on a topic-by-topic basis. Students will be encouraged to use the Stanford Online Encyclopaedia of Philosophy

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be expected to understand the main issues and arguments relevant to the classical theistic concept of God; the main arguments for and against the existence of such a being; and, at least better than they did at the start, their own religious beliefs (or lack of them).

By the end of this course students will be expected to have gained or improved their ability to:

• Describe the main arguments for and against the main positions in the Philosophy of Religion.

• Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of these positions and critically to assess these arguments.

• Defend their own answer to the question of whether or not there’s a God of the sort Jews, Christians and Muslims worship.

Assessment methods

You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.

Dr Ilhaam Isaacs

Assessment methods

You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.

Level and demands

This course is open to all and no prior knowledge is required.

This course is offered at FHEQ level 4 (i.e. first year undergraduate level) and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours.

English Language Requirements

We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements please follow this link: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/english-language-requirements

Fees

Module code: O26P325PHV

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