PHIL 267: Philosophy of Religion

H- This course is a philosophical exploration of questions related to and inspired by religion and religious belief. Students will examine arguments for and against the existence of God, the afterlife, the status of miracles, the relation between morality and religion, the problem of evil, whether atheism better explains reality, and other issues that emerge from human beings' drive to understand some of life's deepest concerns and puzzles. Rather than focusing on any specific faiths, the course takes religious concepts and beliefs in general as the primary material for philosophical study. That said, the material tends towards philosophical issues in western, analytic philosophy as it has engaged the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition. Students can expect to come out of this course with a clearer sense of how philosophy and religion interact and a better understanding of their own philosophical and spiritual beliefs.