Phl/Rel 355-CS
Philosophy of Religion Spring
2005 TTH
Office: Philosophy House 101
The
Philosophy House
is on corner of
and
It is two houses east of the Holland House; one house east of Sociology House.
************************************************************************************************************************
Office Hours:
Mondays -------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesdays
and Thursdays ---------------------------------------------
+ other times by appointment.
(o) 278-5697
(h) 584-4029
E-mail:
************************************************************************************************************************
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS:
Philosophy may be seen in, at least, two ways. From a detached point of view, philosophy can be thought of as a "triple A" -- AAA -- microscope: asking and answering questions about fundamental AIMS, ASSUMPTIONS, and ALTERNATIVES. From this angle, our course will explore the basic aims, assumptions and alternative understandings of RELIGION. In this orientation, creed, code, cult and community organization are central. I shall refer to this as the outer or exoteric aspect of religions.
But there is a second approach. From a participant point of view, philosophy can be seen as a search for wisdom -- a wisdom that is practical, combines insight and compassion, and enhances our common life. When philosophy and religion are seen in this practical fashion, they tend to meet. Both seek a "way" of living-in-the- world that unites body, mind, and spirit for the sake of oneself, others, and what joins us together at the deepest levels. In this wisdom orientation, spiritual practices are central and experience plays a key role. This is the inner or esoteric aspect of religions -- their deepest lived spirituality.
In this course we will
(a) explore both Eastern and Western approaches to religious experience,
(b) examine the difference between literal, moralistic (exoteric) and
symbolic, mystical (esoteric) approaches -- whatever the religion,
(c)
investigate parable, teaching story, paradox and the problem of
religious
language, and
(d) consider ways of
assessing religious claims, communities and personal practices.
At the conclusion of the course, students will possess an embodied understanding of these areas of religion / spirituality and will have the resources to live with more awareness and a greater sense of the oneness and love undergirding all of the wisdom traditions.
REQUIRED
Joseph
Goldstein and Jack Kornfield, Seeking The Heart Of Wisdom.
(Boston: Shambhala Press, 1987) ISBN 0-97773-327-9 (pbk)
Roger Walsh, Essential Spirituality (New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 1999) ISBN0-471- 33026-4
Jay Williams, Yeshua Buddha (
Ken Wilber,
The Marriage of Sense and Soul: Integrating Science and Religion
(New York: Broadway Books - division of Random
House, 1999)
ISBN 0767903439 (pbk)
Additional material on the website for this class.
GRADING:
(1) Class Assignments -- a possible 16 points:
DOING HOMEWORK FAITHFULLY IS A SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE. Homework questions are the basis for class discussion. The homework assignments will be collected on EACH CLASS DAY. There are 20 assignments each worth 3/4 point each. This homework adds up to 15 points. A final assignment is worth 1 point. Total for the homework is a possible 16 points.
ASSIGNMENTS HANDED IN LATE WILL GAIN NO CREDIT, unless you have called within 24 hours of missing a class to report that you will be or were absent. ALL HOMEWORK SHOULD BE TYPED. For homework assignments, go to http://www.elon.edu/sullivan and scroll down to Philosophy of Religion. Click on course and a menu page will come up for this semester. Syllabus and assignments and enrichment material may be accessed via this menu page. Please hand in hard copies of the homework. Only in BIG emergencies will I accept homework as email attachments.
(2) Two In-Class Tests -- each worth 21 pts; together worth 42 pts:
The first test will be given on TUESDAY, MARCH 8TH. The second test will be given on TUESDAY, APRIL 26TH.
There will be no make-up tests for either of the in-class tests. For extremely serious reasons, permission will be given for an 8 page typed paper to be written in place of the missed test. This paper is due one week from the date permission is given.
3) One (min. 10 page) typed Paper - worth 15 pts:
Topic with thesis statement and references is due on THURSDAY MARCH 31stt -- the Thursday after return from Spring Break. The paper is due TUESDAY, MAY 3rd. (For further instruction on this paper, see the appendix to this syllabus. Note: Deadlines are serious and the length requirement is serious. See appendix for penalties.)
4) Group Presentation: Opening Meditation Segment -- worth 3 points:
Groups will be assigned to provide the opening meditation -- sacred poetry is on reserve for this class at library. Music may also be used. Further instructions will be given in class.
5) Final Examination -- worth 24 points:
A
cumulative final exam will be given in the regular final exam period or
as an
earlier take-home. For this class, the
scheduled
final exam period is on Tuesday, May 17th from
***************************************************************************************************************
The Calendar & Grading System at a Glance
Homework (due each class day) -- a possible 16 points
First Test (Mar. 8th) 21 points
Topics with thesis + references due Mar. 31st
Second test (April 26) 21 points
Paper (due May 3rd) 15 points
Group presentation Opening Meditation 3 points
Final Examination (in the exam period) 24 points
TOTAL 100 POINTS
****************************************************************************************************************
Attendance, preparation and participation are essential to effective learning. We are in partnership together to understand religion and spirituality more deeply.
Unexcused absences will be penalized at the rate of 1 point off final mark for each. For absences to be excused, you must have good reason and must let me know (by leaving message on my voice mail or email) within 24 hours before or after the absence. This is an adult-to-adult courtesy.
MAY OUR JOURNEY TOGETHER ENLIGHTEN OUR MINDS AND ENKINDLE OUR HEARTS.
APPENDIX
-- FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS ON PAPER
One (min. 10 page) typed Paper - worth 15 points:
Topic with thesis statement and references is due on Thursday, March 31st.. The paper is due: Tuesday, May 3rd.
Page lengths and Deadlines are serious; a ONE POINT penalty will be assessed for each late day. A paper that does not meet the length requirement will be penalized in a manner explained below.
***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
GENERAL REMARKS:
A) From a detached
point of view, philosophy can be seen as
a "TRIPLE A" MICROSCOPE: asking and answering questions
about fundamental AIMS, ASSUMPTIONS AND ALTERNATIVES.
Four
C's. Shell of nut.
B)
From a participant point of view, philosophy can be seen
as a SEARCH
FOR WISDOM -- wisdom which is practical, combines insight and
compassion, and enhances our common life. Deepest lived spirituality --
kernel
of nut.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A. TOPIC AREAS: Topic areas can be of many kinds. See me to approve your topic.
Religion
and Spirituality -- the shell
and
kernel of a particular religion, e.g. exoteric vs. esoteric
Christianity or
Judaism or Islam or Buddhism. Perhaps
you might pick a mystic of that tradition 1st and later do a comparison
between
the mystic’s WURT and the ordinary believer’s WURT.
Variants.
A spiritual path & psychology (e.g. Jung). Paths of
Spiritual
Practice -- how to know the wholesome from the unwholesome
Faith and Idolatry --
how too small a god becomes idolatrous, becomes
demonic. See Tillich on idolatry. Variant: a Study of the “shadow
side” of a particular religion.
Old-school “Philosophy of Religion”
Questions: Proofs for the existence
of God; problem of evil,
immortality of the soul. Whether
reason can support certain beliefs or
not.
See John Hicks. John Smith. If you
choose to work in this arena, I expect you to utilize
and to critique this approach. See e.g.
Ken Wilber.
Questions of Science and Religion
or Development of Religion-- see Wilber material here -- in your
text and Wilber's many other books.
Relations
between religions: E.g.
(a) only one is true, the rest are demonic;
(b) only one is true, the rest are partially true -- insofar as they
approximate our religion; (c) exoteric aspects of religions are
different;
esoteric aspect convergent; (d) all religions are the same at core,
etc. John
S. Dunne, The Way of All the Earth.
Fritjof Schuon, The Transcendental Unity of Religions.
Stages of Personal Faith
-- e.g. Jim Fowler’s work -- or Stages
of Religion -- e.g. Ken
Wilber’s work
Defining a Focus: Choose a topic and then define a question
which you will be researching. Your
paper is not to be simply an information paper. So both summary skills
and
critical skills come into play. Please
give me (a) your topic, (b) a first
draft at the question you will be exploring, and (c)
pertinent sources by Thursday,
March 31st.
For a partial bibliography, see the enrichment section for this course on my homepage: http://www.elon.edu/sullivan
B. APPROACH:
Choosing
an appropriate topic is NOT enough. You
must work on the topic in a philosophically informed way. In general, I want a paper you could NOT
have written before this course !!!!!!!
Let paper show evidence that you understand some of the key
distinctions: exoteric vs.
esoteric. WURT and WHAT,
Way of Neti, Neti and Way of Myth, Parable of
Ants. Sullivan's Law.
Material on Buddha and Yeshua. Etc.
Etc.
AS APPROPRIATE. You may include books read for class in your
bibliography if you refer to them. Also
the enrichment material on the web for this class.
1. Working on this paper is meant to expand your horizons and your skills. Brute effort is not enough!
(a) The paper must be organized
with a question
centrally in view. The paper must
show familiarity
with more than one source.
(b) The paper must show critical thinking skills
-- presenting and assessing arguments --- seeing
not only WHAT an author is saying but also WHY she is saying it --
what her
point and purpose are.
(c) The paper must show sensitivity to value
issues. Fairness to the religion or
spirituality is a must.
A look at how the religion or spirituality
plays itself out
in the world
is useful.
(d) The paper must also show awareness of interpretive
skills -- moving from a surface to a deeper
WURT, moving from one collective
WURT to another, etc.
Doing these
4 things is a good start toward making this A PHILOSOPHY PAPER. The comments below are meant to flesh out what
it means for a paper
to count as a
philosophy paper.
2. An upper-level college philosophy paper cannot be a paper that simply gives information.
You must step back from the information and DO
SOMETHING with the information. You can
apply it, compare it, critique it, suggest further questions, further
suggestions for carrying the inquiry forward.
You can step back and reflect on your sources -- their
underlying
assumptions or the assumptions of their method.
What evidence -- what arguments -- are presented to back up the
assertions they make? Do these arguments
hold? Might there be further questions
to answer from e.g. critics? You can
reflect on your own assumptions. You may
consider how the material you have been working on relates to what we
have been
discussing in class.
3. Length:
I take length seriously. I am using length to give you a sense of the
scope of treatment I require. Please do not give me that old
“false-dilemma” --
“Do you want say 8 solid pages or 10 pages with 2 pages of B.S. filler?” I want minimum 10 solid pages. Anything less will be graded accordingly--
that is, a 9 page paper will start with
.90 X15 as base, an 8 page paper will start with .80X15 as base and
then the
mark A, B, C, etc. will then be
calculated on recalculated base.
4. Quality:
Minimum
standards are those for any serious college-level paper: correct length
and
form, no spelling errors, no grammatical errors, endnotes in proper
form,
revised and proofread by you and another person. When
you quote, reference the quote. If you are
paraphrasing another, let me know
that is what you are doing. Basically, I
want to see what comments are from another (Good Research) and what are
your
own wonderful remarks and insights (Good Creativity).
I expect Endnotes and Bibliography. See
Troyka Handbook. Do endnotes.
At 1st mention, give full reference -- e.g. Tom Collins, The
Religious Beliefs of Bartenders (Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University
Press,
1996) + page reference.
Thereafter use author and title + page reference.
Can use content endnotes. In
Bibliography, use only those works used in
endnotes.
Thinking about quality can also be done from a grading perspective.
A “C-level” paper means that you have
written a
paper adequate for college-level work, but, in the words of my
grandfather,
“nothing to write home about.” Generally,
these papers simply summarize and use secondary material in a “scissors
&
paste” fashion. A minimum amount of
presentation of argument and/or critical comment is present, but not
very well
done.
A “B-level” paper shows above average
work --
good writing, interesting writing, making points that are thoughtful,
insightful concerning assumptions, alternatives, noting key
distinctions and
their implications, using comparisons and assessments that start to
make the
reader sit up and take notice.
An “A-level” paper does all of the
above in a
superior way -- imaginative, insightful,
a paper the reader might want to share.
In finishing such a paper, the reader should say: “This is
really excellent
-- well-organized and well-written, exciting to read, striking
insights, and
the whole paper hangs together with an imaginative beginning and a
powerful
ending. I want my friends to have a look
at this.”
Common Errors:
(1) Papers
that are sloppy -- misspellings, grammatical mistakes, absence of any
coherent
organization.
(2) Papers
that do not go much beyond information/assertion. That
is, papers that do not move to higher
level functions -- such as critical and constructive thinking, ethical
sensitivity
and fairness to the position of others, and ability to move back and
forth
between worldviews.
(3) Papers
which could have been written before this class -- that show no
evidence of the
key distinctions elaborated in this class such as exoteric vs.
esoteric,
situation vs. WURT, distinctions from readings, etc.
(4) Papers
which are written at the 11th hour with little or no time for you to
reflect on
your work, consult with classmates, or with me, etc.
On plagiarism, see article on my webpage.
PICK
A TOPIC THAT
INTERESTS YOU AND DO GREAT WORK!
PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION
-- The First Two Homework
Assignments -- SPRING 2005
Doing homework
faithfully is meant to be a discipline.
Homework questions are also the basis
for discussion in the following class.
(A)
Homework
answers should be brief essays -- no
less than 1/2 page single-spaced/ no more than one page for each
question. If
you double-space, think of each answer to be about a page.
[Thus, writing three essays will require more
than one page!] ALL HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE TYPED AND THE
PAGES STAPLED
TOGETHER. Please invest in a small
stapler.
You
are
free to do constructive critique, comparisons, applications to your own
experience, creative extensions of the ideas, etc.
You may write in 3rd person or 1st
person. Extend yourself; write beyond your first stopping point. Use
all that
you know and more. Be creative and insightful and interesting!
(B) The homework
answers will be collected at
the end of each class. Each day’s
homework is worth 3/4 points; the 2 assignments for a week are worth
one and a
half points. The final assignment is worth 1 point. Over the course of
the
semester you can earn 16 points -- a letter grade and a half! -- just
by
faithfully doing your daily work. ASSIGNMENTS HANDED IN LATE WILL
GAIN NO
CREDIT, unless you have called within 24 hours of missing a class to
report
that you will be or were absent. Please hand in hard
copies
of the homework. Only in BIG emergencies
will I accept homework as email attachments. At the start, the essay
questions
will be from Seeking the Heart of Wisdom and Yeshua Buddha. Later they will be from Essential
Spirituality and The Marriage of Sense and Soul.
(C) Suppose a real
life situation arises for you -- one relevant to your study of this
material. You may write about this as
a “Wild Card” entry in place of one
of the questions asked. Label as such
and show how you are using phil. of religion in relation to the
situation. (You still must answer 2 of the
3 assigned
questions.)
(D) Please title
each set of homework questions as below: Assignment A (for Wed. Feb. 5).
Please
TYPE, PROOFREAD AND STAPLE pages of your homework together!
*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Assignment A:
Given Tues.
Feb. 1st for
Read Seeking the Heart of Wisdom, chapters 1-3,
pp. 1-30. Answer the following three questions:
1.
Answer either (1a) or (1b):
(1a) The five training precepts are phrased negatively (Refrain
from
this or that.) Phrase each one in a positive manner and then comment on
what
these guides for conduct have to do with religion.
OR (1b) In the
Buddhist tradition, there is a
conduct aspect, a meditation aspect (concentration of mind) and a
wisdom aspect
of living large. Show why, according to
this tradition, we need all three -- over and over again.
2.
The authors state:
"Meditation has to do with [i] opening what is closed in us,
[ii]
balancing what is reactive, and [iii] exploring . . .
what is hidden." (p. 15) Explain
with examples from your life these three features.
3.
Chapter three gives instruction for meditation.
Practice meditation for five minutes and
report what you learn.
**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Assignment B: Given Thurs. Feb. 3rd for
Read
Seeking
the Heart of Wisdom skipping over to chapters 7-9, pp.
78-108. Answer the following:
1. Discuss the
life of the Buddha in these five stages:
(a) the Call to Destiny, (b) the
Great Renunciation, (c) the Great Struggle, (d) the Great Awakening,
and (e)
the Life of Teaching. How might there be
parallels in your life?
2.
Answer either 2a or 2b: (2a) Show how
the restrained mind is able to discriminate between skillful and
unskillful
activities; how it counterbalances
addictive tendencies; conserves energy and allows us to see the
impermanent
nature of reality. What benefits would
these skills produce in your life? OR (2b) Practice restraint
in some
small area in accord with the instructions on p. 98.
Become aware of BOTH what is happening and
your relationship to it [a WHAT + a WURT].
Then answer: How is restraint as defined in SHW different from
repression? How does restraint help us
discern what
actions are unhelpful and what actions promote more freedom, less
suffering?
3. Practice
cultivating compassion in accord with the instructions on p. 108. Then answer in the light of your experience
and reading: What is the nature of compassion?
What do you discover about your resistances to the areas of
unpleasantness? How does the poem (pp.
106-107) illuminate compassion?
********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
FOR FURTHER HOMEWORK
ASSIGNMENTS, SEE http://www.elon.edu/sullivan and scroll down
to Philosophy of
Religion course. Clicking on that will
take you to the Phil of Religion Menu Page and from there to
Assignments.
***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Return to Philosophy
of Religion Menu Page
Return to John G.
Sullivan Homepage