Philosophy Introduction to Philosophy
Essay Two PHIL101: Introduction to Philosophy
In Section III of the course, we have considered the
question of what constitutes rational belief in
the context of religious belief. We have seen a variety of
views relevant to both epistemic and
pragmatic rational belief. Here’s a chart showing how the
views that we’ve encountered stack up:
Author Epistemically Rational? Pragmatically Rational?
Aquinas Yes n/a1
Hick Not necessarily not2
n/a
Feuerbach3
Traditional view: No
Humanist view: Yes
Traditional view: No
Humanist view: Yes
In order to solidify your understanding of these concepts,
and to gain some practice in
philosophical argumentation, your task is to write an
argumentative essay drawing a conclusion
about the rationality of religious belief. The primary
resources for your discussion should be our
authors in Section III.
Do’s and Don’t’s:
- Do make clear what is your thesis. Your thesis should be a
claim about the rationality of
religious belief. Note that this is not the same as making a
claim about the existence of
God, though obviously that matter may be related. Your focus
should be on the criteria
for rational belief and what it is rational believe. So:
- Do make specific reference to the definition of rational
belief from the Introduction to
Section III (Lesson III.1). And further:
- Do make clear whether you are talking about epistemic
rationality or pragmatic
rationality and apply the appropriate definition. Remember
that the former concerns
evidence for truth and the latter concerns the benefit (or
harm) of belief. So, if you’re
arguing about epistemic rationality, then your focus should
be on evidence for or against
God’s existence; and if you’re arguing about pragmatic
rationality, then you should be
talking about the benefits or harms of religious belief.
- Do use our authors from this section. If you agree with
one or more of them, then say
why. Don’t simply assume that your author is correct: you
must evaluate his thought.
Similarly, if you disagree with one of our authors, then you
must say why you think his
thought incorrect.
- Note, too, that our authors themselves don’t directly
address the question of rational
belief. You will have to consider what their remarks imply
where rational belief is
concerned.
- Do explain yourself thoroughly to your reader. Don’t
assume any specialized knowledge
on the part of your reader.
- I don’t recommend using other resources than those
available in our textbook. - Don’t get carried away. Feelings tend to run
strong where religious belief is concerned.
Keep yours in check.
- Remember, finally, that this is a writing exercise – not
the final word on the matter. Keep
your goals modest so that you can execute a clear, cohesive
essay.
Officially:
- Due Monday, June 30, midnight, via Turnitin.com.
- Maximum 750 words; include a word-count in your heading.
- Double-spaced
- Use proper in-text citation format
- It’s a formal essay, so proper grammar, spelling, and
tone, please.
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