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Ian Barbour
Religion and Science: Historical and Contemporary Issues
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| time & place |
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MWF 11:00 - 11:50 am
Douglass Hall, Room 110
Office Hours: M & W 12:00-12:30
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| description |
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To what extent do religious prescriptions for 'how things should be' derive from philosophical descriptions of 'how things are?' If natural philosophy is understood to be descriptive of nature, and religion is understood as intending to be explicative of nature (and explicative of the descriptions given by philosophy), then the relationship among philosophy, science, and religion might be mutually illuminative. This course will examine this relationship from the standpoint of metaphysics as an historical bridge between philosophical theology and natural philosophy.
Catalog Description can be read here.
This course also satisfies GE Area C3,
Introduction to the Humanities
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| requirements |
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Our work will primarily be lecture and discussion, so both careful attention to the readings and class participation will be crucial for a lively course. Please bring your text to class.
NB: Anyone who misses 2 lectures in the first 2 weeks of class will be administratively dropped per CSUS policy. This is to make room for serious students who are attempting to add.
There will be two examinations--one take-home mid-term paper and one in-class final--as well as several unannounced short answer quizzes on the readings. All written work must comply with Philosophy Department guidelines, which can be found here. The departmental grading policy for written work can be found here. |
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| texts |
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Plato: Timaeus - Complete (download)
Aristotle: Metaphysics - Selections - A, Γ , E (download)
Thomas Aquinas: Summa Contra
Gentiles, Summa Theologica (download)
Anselm: Proslogion - Selections (download)
Ian Barbour, Religion and Science: Historical and Contemporary Issues. New York: Harper- Collins, 1997 (ISBN: 0060609389)
This is available at the university bookstore. |
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| grading |
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| Class
participation: |
15% |
(2 unexcused absences results in 0%) |
| Quizzes:
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25% |
(These are written pop quizzes on the reading assignments) |
| Mid-term
exam: |
25% |
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| Final
exam: |
35% |
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| Excused Absences: Everybody gets a maximum of 2 excused absences for the semester to use as needed--family emergencies, car trouble, etc. |
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Academic Standards: All sources in papers must be cited and given appropriate credit. The author of
any information from the Internet must be given credit; using such information without indicating the
source constitutes plagiarism, as it would with print publications. Students are allowed to discuss lectures
and even assignments with each other, but they must do their own work. Students are required to read the
University policy on academic honesty, which can be found here
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Students with Disabilities: If you have a documented disability and require accommodation or
assistance with assignments, tests, attendance, note taking, etc., please see the instructor during the first
week of the semester so that appropriate arrangements can be made to ensure your full participation in
class. Also, you are encouraged to contact the Services for Students with Disabilities (Lassen Hall) for
additional information regarding services that might be available to you. |
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| lecture schedule - summary view |
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Week 1
8/29 |
Introduction:
Ancient Greek cosmology
The Pre-socratic philosophers |
Week 2
9/5 |
Plato: Timaeus
NO LECTURE MONDAY (LABOR DAY) |
Week 3
9/12 |
Aristotle: Metaphysics |
Week 4
9/19 |
Anselm & Aquinas |
Week 5
9/26 |
Aquinas (cont'd) |
Week 6
10/3 |
17th
century natural philosophy and metaphysics; religion
and the rise of science |
Week 7
10/10 |
Nature
and God in the 18th century |
Week 8
10/17 |
Biology
and Theology: 19th century
MIDTERM EXAM DISTRIBUTED (MONDAY) |
Week 9
10/24 |
Relating
science and religion; Models
and paradigms: theory and belief
MIDTERM EXAM COLLECTED (MONDAY)
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Week 10
10/31 |
Relating science and religion (cont'd) |
Week 11
11/7 |
Theory
and data in science; belief and experience in religion
NO LECTURE FRIDAY (VETERAN'S DAY) |
Week 12
11/14 |
Objectivity and relativism |
Week 13
11/21 |
Physics and Metaphysics
NO LECTURE FRIDAY (THANKSGIVING ACADEMIC HOLIDAY) |
Week 14
11/28 |
Modern cosmological theories |
Week 15
12/5 |
Modern cosmological theories (cont'd): Design, chance, necessity |
Week 16
12/12 |
FINAL EXAM (exact date and time TBA) |
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| lecture schedule - detailed view |
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'R'
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Religion
and Science: Historical and Contemporary Issues by Ian Barbour |
'S'
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Selected
Readings |
Week 1
8/29
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Introduction: pre-Socratic philosophy: Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, Pythagoras, Heraclitus, Parmenides, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Leucippus and Democritus (Download Reading) |
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Week 2
9/5
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Plato's
philosophy and cosmology: Timaeus (Download Reading) |
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Week 3
9/12
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Aristotle
- Metaphysics, A (Book 1); Γ (Book 4); E (Book 6) (Download Reading) |
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NATURAL PHILOSOPHY AND THEOLOGY
MEDIEVAL CONJUNCTION AND DISJUNCTION: FAITH AND REASON |
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Week 4
9/19
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Anselm: The Ontological Argument for God's Existence; Aquinas - Truth via natural philosophy vs. theology: Summa Contra
Gentiles I, 1,4; Summa Theologica Ia 1-2; Knowledge
of God via natural philosophy: Summa Contra Gentiles I, 13-14 (Download Reading) |
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Week 5
9/26
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Aquinas (cont'd): Summa Theologica, Ia 3-4; Ia 12 a1; Ia 12 a12-13 |
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RELIGION AND THE HISTORY OF NATURAL PHILOSOPHY |
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Week 6
10/3
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Religion
and the History of Science: Physics and metaphysics in the 17th
Century; Methods in science: Baconian induction from experience;
methods in theology: Revelation and reason. [R, Chapter 1: I-II] |
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The
relationship between the order of causal relation and logical
implication: empirical induction and mathematical deduction
(Galileo, Newton); nature as law-abiding machine; natural theology
& God as divine clockmaker; body and mind. [R: Chapter 1: III-V] |
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Week 7
10/10
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Nature
and God in the 18th Century: The Age of Reason; mechanistic
materialism; human perfection via reason; the God of Deism;
scientific empiricism and agnosticism [Hume]; science and religion
as separate realms [R: Chapter 2:] |
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Week 8
10/17
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Biology
and Theology: Darwin; theological issues in evolution; the
challenge to Scripture; the challenge to God as designer;
the challenge to the status of humanity; social Darwinism
[R: Chapter 3]
MIDTERM EXAM DISTRIBUTED (MONDAY) |
RELIGION
AND MODERN EMPIRICISM - FAITH AND REASON REVISITED |
Week 9
10/24
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4
ways of relating science and religion: 1) conflict, 2) independence,
3) dialogue, 4) integration [R: Chapter 4]
MIDTERM EXAM COLLECTED (MONDAY) |
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Week 10
10/31
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4
ways of relating science and religion (cont'd) [R: Chapter 4] |
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Week 11
11/7
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Theory
and data in science; belief and experience in religion; models
and paradigms in science and religion [RS: Chapter 5]
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Week 12
11/14
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Objectivity
and relativism: the social construction of science [R: Chapter
6] |
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RELIGION
AND MODERN SCIENTIFIC THEORIES |
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Week 13
11/21
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Physics and Metaphysics: quantum theory and complexity theory. Metaphysical implications that might be significant for theology. [R: Chapter 7: I, III, IV] |
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Week 14
11/28 |
Modern
cosmological theories; recent theories in astrophysics; theological
responses; creation in Judaism and Christianity; contemporary
interpretations of Genesis [R: Chapter 8: I-II] |
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PHILOSOPHICAL
AND THEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS |
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Week 15
12/5
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Hypothetical
metaphysical implications of modern cosmology: 1) design (Design
theories); 2) chance (Hartle/Hawking, Everett's Relative State
cosmology); 3) necessity (String Theory and other potential
Theories of Everything). Theological implications: intelligibility
and contingency; ex nihilo and continuing creation; eschatology
and the future [R: Chapter 8: III-IV] |
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Week 16
12/12
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FINAL EXAM: Download here.
The exam is due in the
Philosophy Department Office, Mendocino 3000, on December 14 by 3:00 pm. Submit it to
the Department secretary and she will time stamp them. No late exams will be accepted for any reason. |
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