Faith and Reason in the Making of the Modern
Mind
(HNRS 131:001. Contemp Soc/Mult Perspec)
Faith and reason are shorthand terms
for complex systems of ideas focused on the search for Truth. Encounters
between differing views of rational and revealed truths have developed
historically. And in turn, the results
of these encounters underlie much of what we take for granted as our “modern” way
of thinking. In this seminar we will try to inform ourselves about these
interlocking claims of religious faith and human reason in Western culture. The
first portion of the course covers general reading assignments and the second
portion deals with particular case studies.
* * * * *
Readings:
Assignments for Part I of the course will be handed out in class, sent
to you via e-mail, or placed on e-reserve at the Library (your password for
using e-reserve material is: “washington”). Most, but not all of the readings
are listed in the syllabus below. Towards the end of this first portion of the
course we will read Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Fides et Ratio. This encyclical and a reader of related articles by
the same title are available for purchase at the bookstore. Although not
appearing on this copy of the syllabus, selections from this reader will be
assigned throughout the term. To manage the reading load, some students will
receive different portions of certain assignments.
We will also read most of Peter Gay’s The Enlightenment (Norton Paperback,
1995) and Armand Nicholi’s The Question
of God (Free Press Paperback,
2003) and smaller sections of Charles Taylor’s Sources of the Self. You may
purchase copies of these books at the lowest possible price over the Internet
or at a used book store (e.g. there are approximately 50 copies of the Gay’s volume
available for under $10 on the Internet at “abebooks.com”)
Part II of the course is devoted to
student research papers on particular case studies. Reading assignments for
each presentation will be the responsibility of those seminar members
researching a given case study.
You should study and take notes on
each assignment and come to class prepared to discuss that days reading. Since
this is a seminar, discussion of the material is an integral part of the term’s
work.
Expectations: All members of the seminar—instructor and students alike—are expected
to:
1)
appear punctually
for the class meetings;
2)
prepare conscientiously
by reading and studying the assigned material,
and,
3)
communicate with
respect, honesty and intellectual seriousness
No
formal record of attendance will be kept, but it will be difficult to pass—and
impossible to excel—in this course without attending the meetings each week. “Seminar Participation” (20% of course grade)
is not meant to suggest that you are being pressured always to have something
to say, but it does mean you are evaluated on how seriously you engage in the
seminar work every week throughout the semester.
Should
medical conditions or other responsibilities make it impossible for you to take
an examination or complete an assignment on the scheduled date, you must inform
me in advance. Unless you have received permission before or (in the case of an
emergency) on that scheduled date, there will be no opportunity for make-up
work. Voice mail is available to you at
the number above, as is my e-mail address.
If we fail to speak in person, be sure to leave a message.
Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday 12-1 or by arrangement after
class. If you cannot come to my office
during that time, please speak with me in advance to make an appointment. It is
very important to talk with me as soon as possible if you have questions or
difficulties in the course.
Evaluation Schedule: The course is divided into two parts. The first part
covering weeks 1-10 will use selected readings to gain a very general overview
of the subject. The second part covering weeks 11-15 is devoted to students’
presentations on case studies concerning particular controversies regarding
faith and reason. The midterm examination is October 5th, where you will be allowed to use any notes you wish to
bring to class. The final examination given out on December 7th will include the work of the entire semester. This
final examination, as well as the final draft of your case study research
paper, is due on December12th by
Midterm Examination: 20% Final Examination: 30%
Seminar Participation: 20% Research report & paper
: 30%
Case Study Research
Papers: The purpose of the second part of the course
is to provide an opportunity for you to delve much deeper into a particular
engagement between faith and reason. For this research, it is important that
you use the most reliable scholarly sources that you can find—not items
randomly plucked off the Internet. For example, if you find an especially
persuasive book or article about some particular issue, your paper should
demonstrate that you understand the strengths and weaknesses of this work as
reviewed in the scholarly literature. This means searching out serious book
reviews, articles and books expressing competing views.
For
help in using the latest research tools and databases, you are encouraged to
contact our Reference Liaison Librarian, Ms. Barbara Hillson (3-3715,
“bhillson@gmu.edu”). She is extremely well-informed and helpful.
Your topic should be chosen by Sept.26th, after consultation with the
instructor. The expectation is that students will form teams to work on a
particular case study. Should you prefer to work alone, that is also permitted.
In either event, oral presentations on particular topics will follow the
schedule for November indicated in Part II of the syllabus. The 7 topics listed
are suggestions that students may wish to change.
Paper
Specifications Length: minimum 15 pages ( approximately 7500 words).
Margins:
1 inch. Font: 12 point, Times Roman. Justification: left margin only.
Spacing: single. Grammatical
Standard: Strunk and White, The
Elements of Style
Citations: footnotes & bibliography following any standard
academic reference format
Due Date: Dec.12th (you are strongly urged to submit an earlier draft for review with the
instructor)
READING
ASSIGNMENTS
Part I
WEEKS 1 & 2: On Being Modern
Mon. Aug.29 Introductory
Word Study: 4 Key Terms
-Read
extracts from Van A. Harvey, A Handbook of Theological Terms (e-reserve) under
the headings “Faith,” “Metaphysics,” “Theology,” “Rationalism”
Wed. Aug.31 What’s
Modern about the Modern Mind? A Case in Point
-Read
the debate on religion in the public schools between Judge Charles Grant and Elizabeth
Cady Stanton (e-reserve)
Mon.
Sept.5 No Class – Labor Day
Wed.
Sept.7 The Strangeness of the Modern
Mind
-Alasdair MacIntyre, extracts from After Virtue (e-reserve)
-Charles Taylor, extracts from Sources of the Self
WEEKS 3 & 4: The
Encounter between Athens and Jerusalem
Mon.
Sept.12 Reason and Religious Faith in the Bible
-Genesis chapter 3 and
4: 1-11; ch.15, 18 and 22: 1-19
-Job chapter 29-31, 40,
41 and 42: 1-6
-Psalms 32, 34,
42, 43, 73
-Isaiah 1: 1-20
-Matthew chapter 16
Wed.
Sept. 14 Reason and Religious Faith
in Greek Philosophy
-
-Extract from Plato’s Gorgias (sent to you via e-mail)
-Plato’s
Laws, Book X (e-reserve)
-Selection from
Plotinus, Enneads (e-reserve)
-Word studies on
“Being,” “Essence,” “God,” “Logos,” “Soul.”
-Peter
Gay, The Enlightenment, pp.216-232
Wed. Sept.21 Augustine
and the Rational Religious Self
-Read
Taylor, extracts from Sources of the Self
-Selections
from The Confessions and The City of
WEEKS
5 & 6: The Medieval Synthesis of Faith and Reason
-Selections
from Chesterton, St. Thomas Aquinas:“The
Dumb Ox”
-Extracts from Summa
Theologica
-Peter Gay, The
Enlightenment, pp. 232-255
Paper
Topics are turned in on this date
Wed.
Sept.28 Seeds of the Enlightenment
Crisis
-Peter Gay, The Enlightenment, chapter V, “The Era of Pagan Christianity”
Mon. Oct. 3 Origins of Modern Science and the Case
of Pascal
-Selections from Peter Harrison, The Bible, Protestantism & Rise of
Natural Science
-Francis Bacon, Advancement
of Learning
-Marvin
O’Connell, Blaise Pascal: Reasons of the
Heart
-Pascal, Pensees
Wed.
Oct. 5 Midterm exam, in class
WEEKS 7-9: The
Enlightenment and Its Successors
Tues. Oct.11 Criticism and Disenchantment
of the World
-Gay, pp.127-150; 178-183; 358-401
-Extract from Voltaire, The Important Examination of the Holy Scriptures
Wed.
Oct. 12. The Truth of Doubt
-Gay, pp.401-419, 356-7
-Selections from Hume An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding
Mon. Oct.17 Truth is a Human Judgment;
Spiritual Things are Unknowable
-Kant, “What is Enlightenment”
-Selections from The Critique of Pure Reason and The Critique of Practical Reason
Wed. Oct.19 Christian Rationalism and Common
Sense
-
-Selections from Locke, Reasonableness of Christianity
-Archibald
Alexander, Evidences of Christianity,
chapter 1 “The Right Use of Reason in
Religion.”
Mon. Oct.24 The Rise of Romantic
Sentiment
-Selections from Rousseau, A Discourse on the Origin of Inequality and Mary Ann ----Glendon,
“Rousseau and the Revolt Against Reason.” (e-reserve)
-
Wed. Oct.26 The Mainstreaming of Atheism
-Selections from Thomas Huxley, Agnosticism;
-A.N. Wilson, God’s
Funeral;
-Richard Friedman, The Disappearance of God;
- Bruce Lockerbie, Dismissing God.
Week 10: The Reassertion
of Christian Orthodoxy
Mon. Oct.31 John Paul II, Fides
et Ratio
Wed. Nov. 2 John Paul II, Fides et Ratio
Part II
Weeks 11-14. Case
Study Research Reports (tentative schedule)
Mon. Nov. 7 Galileo and the Church: A Case of Religion against Science?
Wed. Nov. 9 Is
it Reasonable to Believe in Miracles?
Mon. Nov.14 Evolution and the Scopes Trial
Wed.
Nov.16 Today’s Debate on Intelligent
Design
Mon. Nov.21 Faith
and Reason in Stem Cell Research
Wed. Nov.30 Faith
and Reason in End of Life Policies
Mon.
Dec, 5 Faith and Reason in the 20th century: Two Lives
Read Armand
Nicholi’s The Question of God
Handout of Final Examination
Mon. Dec.12 Final Examination & Research papers
due at Room 207,