Fall
4
Philosophy and religion—reason and faith—have always been at odds. We could begin with Job’s argument with God about the justice behind his torments and God’s preemptory response. More directly, Socrates was condemned to death, in part, because he did not believe in the gods of Athens. In this course, we will examine how philosophers have approached (or avoided) the idea of a deity and particularly of the providential deity of revealed religions. Among the readings will be Plato, St. Thomas Aquinas, Rene Descartes, John Locke, David Hume, and Friedrich Nietzsche.