Analytic Philosophy of Religion and Religious Pluralism
Janusz Salamon (Jesuit University "Ignatianum", Krakow)
The philosophical consequences of religious diversity (both inter-religious and intra-religious) is today the most hotly debated issue among the analytic philosophers of religion. The growing prominence of this topic is no doubt due to the recent realization (after the bankruptcy of the colonial enterprise) that cultural and religious pluralism is apparently an irreducible phenomenon. As such it seems to call into question the viability of the old style Western philosophy of religion that was based on the presumption that the defence of rationality of any religious beliefs presupposes the truth of only one set of beliefs. The goal of the present set of lectures is to explore not just the various philosophical arguments of the enthusiasts and foes of the pluralistic interpretations of religion, but also to see how religious diversity taken seriously affects the philosophical reflection of other central topics of philosophy of religion. 3 areas of philosophy of religion seem to be especially challenged by religious diversity, namely philosophies of religious language, religious experience, and the problems of the undeserved suffering and horrendous evil. As all these issues are today in the centre of attention of the analytic philosophers of religion, the present lectures may be seen as an opportunity to join the lively debate which is taking place mainly in the English speaking countries. For this reason, while the classes will in most part have a character of lectures, considerable amount of time will be given to discussion based both on the content of the lectures and on students' own study of short selected texts provided by the lecturer.
The list of topics explored in the course of 30 hours:
1. Analytic philosophy of religion - recent developments (1 lecture)
2. Philosophy of religious pluralism (5 lectures)
3. Religious language and religious diversity (3 lectures)
4. Religious experience and religious diversity (3 lectures)
5. The problem of evil and religious diversity (3 lectures)
The form of examination at end of the course:
EITHER a paper between 6 and 8 pages (in English or Czech) on one of the topics covered by the course, after preliminary consultation with the lecturer, OR an oral exam (in English or Czech) consisting of the discussion of selected topics covered by the course.
Reading:
The basic reading list will consist of essays on philosophy of religious pluralism taken from the most up-to-date English anthologies in philosophy of religion, as well as fragments of the following older publications:
Robert McKim, Religious Ambiguity and Religious Diversity (Oxford University Press).
Joseph Ruzno, Global Philosophy of Religion (One World).
Paul Griffiths, The Problem of Religious Diversity (Blackwell).
Philiph Quinn and Kevin Meeker (eds.), The Philosophical Challenge of Religious Diversity (OUP).
John Hick, An Interpretation of Religion : Human Responses to the Transcendent (MacMillan).
Richard Swinburne, Faith and Reason (Oxford University Press).
William P. Alston, Perceiving God: The Epistemology of Religious Experience (Cornell University Press).
Alvin Plantinga, Warranted Christian Belief (Oxford University Press).
Hostování dr. Janusze Salamona na ÚFAR FF UK v zimním semestru 2009/2010 bylo