Good Old Days
What's the difference between an Empiricist and an Absolutist for James?
Empiricist: could be wrong, not absolutely certain when I know that I know things.
Absolutist: we can be certain when we know things.
How does Schleiermacher define religion? How does his definition support tolerance?
In terms of intuition and feeling the Infinite.
No one can regulate the intuitions of others.
What did Wiman say that a dying person desperately needs in their last moments?
At least one truth to hold onto.
What is C.S. Lewis's argument from desire?
"If I find in myself a desire that no object in this world can satisfy, maybe I was made for another world."
For Aquinas, Why do we need theology? Why is not philosophy enough?
Because theology makes salvation possible. If salvation depended on philosophy, only few would access it, and mixed with many errors.
What's the difference between Revealed Religion and Natural Religion, for Hume? What sources do each rely on?
Revealed religion derives from Scripture and Tradition.
Natural Religion derives from Reason and Experience.
Where/how do religious ideas originate, according to Freud? Where do they come from?
Are deepest, oldest desires (for security and Fatherly protection and love). They are psychological needs (wish-fulfillments).
Also function of civilization as coercion mechanism.
For Cone, why did the Cross and the Lynching Tree need each other? What is the Cross without the Lynching Tree or the Tree without the Cross?
They interpret and balance each other out.
Cross without the Lynching Tree is sentimental pietism.
Lynching Tree without Cross is irredeemable tragedy.
What is Anselm's Ontological Argument?
God is the greatest conceivable Being.
Existence is better than non-existence.
God must exist (of God wouldn't be the greatest conceivable being).
Fill in the blank for Aquinas:
"Grace _____ Nature."
Graces *Perfects* Nature.
What view/positions do each of the main characters in Hume's Dialogue represent?
Demea: Mysticism (piety > philosophy)
Cleanthes: Deism/Theism (Rational religion)
Philo: Skepticism
How does Otto define the "Numinous"?
Mention two "ingredients" under its definition.
Mysterium Tremendum
- Mystery/Fascination/Wholly Other
- Awefulness/Overpowering/Energy
How does Wiman respond to Freud's Crutch argument?
He confesses that religion doesn't always "work" for him, that it sometimes makes anxiety worse.
What is Aquinas's argument from continency/necessity/motion?
That things in motion/existence depend on previous causes.
The cause-effect chain cannot go back to infinity.
Therefore, we need a First Cause/First Mover (GOD).
Define Scientism and the Secularization thesis.
Scientism: the philosophy that only science can tell us the truth about reality.
Secularization thesis: that the more scientific and rational we become, the less religious we will be.
Describe the W.K. Clifford vs. William James debate. What did each side argue for? What were there theses?
Clifford: “It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.”
James: When a question is forced and momentous and alive, we not only can but *must* make a passional decision between hypothesis.
How does Feuerbach define the essence of religion?
Projection thesis: we project our best qualities outward onto an object.
Concealment thesis: religion is what hides this from us, and reveals our own true nature in God.
How does Robinson use the metaphor of an ember in Gilead?
To show that God can breathe fire (meaning) into the most mundane places.
Does Pseudo-Dionysus adopt a cataphatic or apophatic approach to God? What's the difference between both approaches?
Cataphatic: Positive affirmations about God ("God is good").
Apophatic: Negations about God ("God is not good in our ordinary sense"). [Pseudo-Dionysus].
Where do religious beliefs come from, according to Justin Barret?
From the way our minds are hardwired, (Not from mere superstition or stupidity).
What were the three main transitions in the dialogue between Cleanthes, Demea, and Philo?
Aposteriori (design argument) -->
Apriori (cosmological/ontological arguments) --> Feeling (suffering)
What is Freud's argument against mysticism?
An experience that is limited to a few people cannot be binding for all people.
How does Gilead end? What was the final scene we discussed in class?
What does Gilead represent in Robinsons's book?
John Ames blesses Boughton before he leaves town for good (and tells his dying father about it).
"The ruins of old courage." The "faith of our fathers." Place where miracles, wonders, and saints used to happen.
Explain the difference between these: Give an example of each.
1. Univocal language
2. Equivocal language
3. Analogical language
2. Equivocal language: Totally different senses: "Bat/Bank, etc."
3. Analogical language: Similar but not identical meaning: "God is good."
What are some of the main differences between reflective and non-reflective beliefs for Barrett?
Reflective beliefs: rational, slowly-processed, verbally communicated, less reflective of action, etc.
Non-reflective: pre-rational, quickly-processed, non-verbal, more consistent with our actions, etc.