Topics in Philosophy of Religion: Divine Evil?

Philosophy 472

Topics in Philosophy of Religion: Divine Evil?

Spring 2014

Professor Matthew Davidson

tinyurl.com/davidsonphilosophy

(allow 2 days for a response, put "Philosophy 472" in the subject line)

Office Hours: TuTh 2-4

Phone: 537-7727

Course Description

There are two very serious challenges to the moral perfection of God: God's behavior in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the existence of Hell. With respect to the first: It looks as though the God of the Hebrew Bible is bloodthirsty and genocidal. With respect to the second: The traditional conception of Hell is of a place or state that is everlasting and that involves great suffering. Prima facie, the behavior of God in the Hebrew Bible and the existence of Hell are inconsistent with God's moral perfection.

In this class, we will explore and evaluate attempts to square the moral perfection of God with God's behavior in the Hebrew Bible and the existence of Hell.

There are two required books for the class.

The Problem of Hell ed. Buenting

Divine Evil? ed. Bergmann et al.

We also will read papers on the web; they will be linked in this syllabus and on the website.

About the Class

I expect you to come to class each day having done the assigned reading and with questions to ask. It will not be possible for you to read the material assigned for the course without having questions. You need to take notes on what you are reading, and you need to write down your questions and bring them to class. The material will be hard. This class will focus on critically evaluating ideas through class discussion and reflection both inside and outside class. I will not feed you information which I expect you to memorize, write down for a test, and forget. The goal of this class is to assist you in thinking. This often has little to do with memorizing facts. Also, just because you're not being fed a spate of information you shouldn't think you shouldn't be taking notes. You should be thinking hard about what is being discussed in class, and you should be taking notes as you think through problems and listen to what your classmates or I have to say.

You must have completed an introduction to philosophy class as well as a critical thinking class to take this class. If you haven't taken an introduction to philosophy class at CSUSB, I recommend you take one first before attempting this class.

Assignment of Grades

The grade will consist of two 4-5 page papers, and a number of short (1/2-2 page) writing assignments that will be given throughout the quarter. The first paper is worth 25% of your grade. An optional rewrite of that first paper is worth 25%. (If you don't do the rewrite, I will double your score from the first paper.) The second paper is worth 30% of the grade and is due during the final exam period. Each of the graded shorter papers is worth 20/n% each, where 'n' is the total number of short assignments graded. The papers should be typed, and double-spaced in 12-point Arial or Helvetica font. If you do not receive credit for one of the short assignments, you may take it to the Writing Center (details on the website), work on it with the people there, and turn it back in to be re-graded. No papers will be accepted late without a very good reason. You should e-mail me to find out what you missed in class if you miss class; not knowing about the assignment isn't sufficient grounds for an extension on it. Always keep extra copies of your papers. All students should be familiar with the University regulations on plagiarism, as stated in the Bulletin. You may find a link to the Bulletin and information on plagiarism on the website.

Final grades will be assigned as follows: n0% will suffice for a grade G-. n3% will suffice for a grade of G. n8% will suffice for a grade of G+. (So, 80% is a B-, 83% is a B, and 88% is a B+)

If you are in need of an accommodation for a disability in order to participate in class, please let me know ASAP and also contact Services to Students with Disabilities at UH-183, (909) 537-5238.

Classroom Conduct

Please turn off cell phones during class. Please do not text message during class. Please don't walk in and out of class. Be respectful of the class. Be excellent to each other.

This is an electronic-free zone. Please put phones away, and no texting. No laptops, Kindles, or tablets (iPads, etc.).

No knives (other than penknives), guns, or other weapons (throwing stars, nunchakus, garrottes, galleys, halberds, catapults, etc.) are allowed in class. If you have any of these in class, you forfeit your right to continue in the course, and may be ejected from the class and/or referred to the University for further disciplinary action.

Schedule

The following is a rough schedule of readings and assignments. We may deviate temporally from the schedule as our interests dictate, and we may examine additional materials to aid in your understanding of the texts.

Keep in mind that the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy will be of much help to you:

http://plato.stanford.edu

Hell

Week 1: Introduction; Talbott SEP article on Hell

Week 2: Continue Talbott SEP article; read Talbott (Buenting)

Week 3: Von Arragon; Brown/Walls (Buenting)

Week 4: Continue Brown/Walls; read Barnard (Buenting); read Buckareff/Plug (Buenting)

Week 5: Continue Buckareff/Plug. Read Davis (Buenting); read Kershner (Buenting)

Week 6: Catch-up; read Cain (Buenting); read Sickler (Buenting)

Week 7: Catch-up; read chapter 1 (Antony et al. ) in Bergmann. Paper 1 Due.

Week 8: Read chapter 2 (Curley et al.) and chapter 3 (Fales et al.) in Bergmann.

Week 9: Read chapter 6 (Stump et al.) and chapter 7 (Swinburne et al.) in Bergmann.

Week 10: Read chapter 8 (Wolterstorff et al) and chapter 9 (Anderson et al.) in Bergmann.

The final paper is due the day of the scheduled final exam period.

Additional course materials may be available on the website.