Spring 2016
Prof. Keith DeRose
Mondays 7:00-8:50, LC103
http://pantheon.yale.edu/~kd47/717.htm
Somewhat Tentative Syllabus
The first meeting will be on Friday, Jan. 22. All subsequent meetings, starting on Jan. 25, will be on Mondays.
Short Course Description: A study of recent work in the philosophy of religion, with a focus on the problem of evil, the possible place of human freedom in a world governed by God, and the epistemology of religious, and particularly, theistic, belief.
Course Requirements: Auditors: Auditors should do the readings for each meeting, and attend in participate in each week’s discussion.
Those taking the course: Those taking the course should:
- do the readings for each meeting, and attend in participate in each week’s discussion
- Choose the reading for one meeting (or perhaps a half a meeting) of the seminar, and lead the discussion of that meeting (or half-meeting) and
- Complete the below written work
Written work, due dates: all should be submitted by email attachment, by 4:30 pm on the date due, to keith.derose@yale.edu
- Paper proposal, 350-700 words (about 1-2 pages), due on Wed. March 30
- Course Papers, 4,900-6,650 words (about 14-19 pages), due Wed. April 27
The first three-four meetings of the seminar, on Jan. 22 and 25, will be a presentation of the two focus topics of the course: Free-will-involving approaches to the problem of evil, and religious belief/acceptance, with special attention to possible topics for student work. After that, the exact path the course takes will follow student interests.
We will start with free-will-involving approaches to the problem of evil, bringing everyone up to speed on: the basic forms of the problem of evil, the main types of answer to the problem, the basic free will defense, compatibilism/incompatibilism, the dependence of the FWD on incompatibilism, middle knowledge, conditionals of freedom, Molinism, the limitations of the free will defense.
Barnett-Philosophy Without Belief (focus: very bottom of p. 11 to the top of p. 18)
DeRose-Knowledge Deserts Appendix
God’s Existence/Delusions of Knowledge post: link
Really Believing in Hell post: link
D. Lewis “Evil for Freedom’s Sake?”: link
N. Van Leeuwen, “Religious Credence Is Not Factual Belief”: link
F15
F22 Dustin
F29 Todd
M7 Jordan
M28 Adam
A4 Gabe
A11
A18 Layne
A25