The philosophy of religion of David Hume (1711–1776) is a major, though often undisclosed, part of the intellectual heritage of secularist thought in English-speaking countries. His psychological theory of religious belief and his sceptical critique of the traditional arguments for the existence of God present some of the most profound and classic challenges to Christian belief. In particular his psychological account of the origin and nature of religious belief as propensity of projection of entities (e.g., God/s) has been influential in the fields of philosophy of religion. This unit explores his major work on the origin of religious belief, The Natural History of Religion, and his major criticism of the arguments for the existence of God, found in The Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion. The unit will examine these, plus other lesser texts (e.g., On Miracles, On Superstition and Enthusiasm, and A Treatise of Human Nature) in order to analyse the different strands of Hume’s philosophy of religion, evaluating its coherence, presuppositions, strengths, and weaknesses.
Unit code: AP9141C
Unit status: Approved (Major revision)
Points: 24.0
Unit level: Postgraduate Elective
Unit discipline: Philosophy
Delivery Mode: Face to Face
Proposing College: Catholic Theological College
Show when this unit is running| 1. | Demonstrate an ability to read the selected primary texts carefully in relation to their purpose and historical context, identify their implications and subject them to rigorous assessment. |
| 2. | Explain how Hume’s arguments and positions for a given topic are subtly modified by his rhetorical positioning and style. |
| 3. | Critically expound and evaluate Hume’s theories, terminology and arguments studied in the course. |
| 4. | Situate and critically interpret the material studied in relation to the wider framework of the Christian philosophical tradition. |
| 5. | Develop a topic of research in a critical, rigorous, sustained and self-directed manner, in accord with the methodologies and conventions of advanced research in early modern philosophy. |
Seminars
| Type | Description | Word count | Weight (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skeleton Argument | Variant 1 - 1000-word skeleton argument One choice from two assessment variants will be nominated at the time of scheduling by the lecturer/unit coordinator prior to the start of the unit, published in the unit outline. Students may have topical choices within a given assessment variant, but are not able to make choices outside that set of assessments. |
1000 | 10.0 |
| Essay | Variant 1 - 6000-word essay |
6000 | 90.0 |
| Essay | Variant 2 - 2000-word essay |
2000 | 30.0 |
| Skeleton Argument | Variant 2 - 1000-word skeleton argument |
1000 | 10.0 |
| Essay | Variant 2 - 4000-word essay |
4000 | 60.0 |
Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Maggie Kappelhoff on 23 Jul, 2020
Unit record last updated: 2021-06-07 08:43:50 +1000